Kevin Harvick retired from NASCAR in 2023, but his ghost still haunts Phoenix Raceway. Two years later, the $70 million Hall of Famer’s average running position of 5.27 in the Next Gen car remains unmatched by active drivers—a testament to a legacy etched in asphalt.
While William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson chase his shadow, Harvick’s nine Phoenix wins and tactical wisdom continue to define the track’s lore. His advice for those struggling to dethrone him is simple: “Run the car as loose as possible.”
Kevin Harvick’s Statistical Ghost Still Leads at Phoenix
Harvick’s four Next Gen-era Phoenix starts yielded a 5.8 average finish, including two top-fives. But his 5.27 average running position, topping NASCAR’s current metrics, stands out. William Byron trails at 5.41, followed by Ryan Blaney (5.61) and Kyle Larson (8.30). Even Denny Hamlin (9.98) and Christopher Bell (12.23) are behind.
Average running position at Phoenix with the NextGen car. pic.twitter.com/T3Z53j2PvQ
— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) March 5, 2025
The 2014 Cup champion’s broader Phoenix résumé is staggering: 20 top-fives and 31 top-10s across 42 starts. His nine wins double Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano’s four each.
“A lot of the cars that were super loose to start the race wound up being the really good cars at the end,” Harvick said after his 2023 finale, where he finished seventh. His setup philosophy indicates adaptability over aggression.
Harvick’s Phoenix Playbook Reveals Loose Cars and Sharp Restarts
Harvick’s dominance wasn’t accidental. He mastered Phoenix’s front-straightaway dogleg and tire falloff with calculated precision.
“If everybody’s on the bottom of the racetrack, you’re never going to pass them,” he warned, advocating for versatile racing lines. His key to restarts? Timing and awareness.
“The hardest part about the restart is not mistiming it, because you can’t go below the yellow line until you get to the start-finish line,” he said. “The first thing everybody wants to do is go left, so from a driver’s standpoint, you just have to be aware of where that start-finish line is in order to not get a penalty.”
Drivers like Ross Chastain (9.53 avg. running position) and Tyler Reddick (9.69) now grapple with Harvick’s blueprint. But replicating his success demands more than speed.
“The track tightens up as the day goes on,” Harvick noted, emphasizing patience. His final race, a seventh-place finish in 2023, proved that even retirement couldn’t dull his edge.
For active contenders, the challenge is twofold: outdriving Harvick’s stats and outthinking his strategies. As the 2025 season unfolds, his absence looms larger than ever. Phoenix remains his kingdom, and until someone cracks 5.27, the crown stays untouched.