It is always excellent when a driver comes to a track where he’s not only good, but has shown dominance. But, what comes with that dominance is the fact that sometimes, dominance doesn’t always mean victory.
For Kevin Harvick, Atlanta has been that way between 2014 and last season.
He led the most laps, had the best car, and had the best opportunity to win. But in those four events, something caused him to lose the race late in the going. Whether it was a pit stop that was slow, or a problem on a restart, it just was something that was in the control of his own team that cost him victory.
How good is Harvick at Atlanta?
The fact that teams are talking about the line he runs around the speedway is one thing. But, it’s to the point where they actually are listening to when he’s on the throttle to set up for the corner, so they can truly watch when he’s accelerating to gain the advantage. He’s not only in the heads of other drivers, but their pit crews, and the spotters.
But, despite being that good, it has been 17 years since Harvick won at this place. That day was magic for a lot of reasons.
A lot of people called that race “Won From Above” because of how the numbers worked out.
The 2001 season for Kevin Harvick was one where he was not even considered to be in Cup competition. He was a full-time driver for what is now the Xfinity Series. But, as of February 19, 2001, he had to take on that role when his owner, Richard Childress, lost his lead driver, and NASCAR’s icon at that time. He had to take over the car that Dale Earnhardt drove, but with a different look, and a different number.
His NASCAR Cup career started at Rockingham, but it was Atlanta where things literally fell entirely into place.
It was his third career start in Cup competition, and he was at the time also running full-time in the Busch Series, which is now the Xfinity Series. It was the fourth race of the season and he was at the wheel of the No. 29 Chevrolet. He qualified fifth on this day. At the end of the race, in a photo finish with Jeff Gordon, he took home the first win of his career.
So why exactly is it sometimes considered “Won From Above” on that afternoon?
Let’s put those numbers into perspective, as if it was on a birth certificate. Earnhardt’s number for so many years was No. 3. Race of the season-4, car-29, starting position-5, finishing position-1; those numbers put together: 04/29/51-the birthday of Earnhardt.
It took 17 years, but when Harvick finally closed the deal on Sunday, he celebrated the same way he did on his first career win. He drove in front of the crowd, his left hand out the window, holding three fingers up in the air. As Mike Joy said on the FOX broadcast back in 2001, “What could be more fitting? What can be more special?”
STAGE 1:Â Kevin Harvick
STAGE 2:Â Brad Keselowski
RESULTS: 1-Harvick 2-Keselowski 3-Bowyer 4-Hamlin 5-Truex Jr. 6-Logano 7-Kyle Busch 8-Kurt Busch 9-Larson 10-Elliott
NOTABLE FINISHES: 14-Dillon 18-Byron 27-Johnson
CAUTIONS: 5 for 28 laps. Lap 32-35 (Competition Caution); 87-93 (Stage 1 Conclusion); 160-163 (#48 Spin-T2); 172-177 (Stage 2 Conclusion); 298-304 (Fuel on the track from #6).
LEAD CHANGES: 24 among 8 drivers.  Kyle Busch POLE; R. Newman 1-17; Kyle Busch 18-20; K. Harvick 21-31; Kyle Busch 32; K. Harvick 33-88; M. Truex Jr. 89; B. Keselowski 90-100; Kurt Busch 101-125; K. Harvick 126-127; Kyle Busch 128-131; K. Harvick 132-159; Kurt Busch 160; B. Keselowski 161-172; Kurt Busch 173-198;
B. Keselowski 199-213; Kyle Busch 214; D. Hamlin 215-225; K. Harvick 226-252; D. Hamlin 253-265; K. Harvick 266-288; D. Hamlin 289-290; K. Harvick 291-299; J. Logano 300; K. Harvick 301-325.
TIME OF RACE:Â 3 Hrs, 29 Mins, 54 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED:Â 143.068 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY:Â 2.69 Seconds
POINT STANDINGS (Earned/Behind Leader [Playoff Points]):Â 1. Logano, 89; 2. Blaney, -6 [1]; 3. Hamlin, -12; 4. Harvick, -14 [6]; 5. Bowyer, -15; 6. Dillon, -19 [5]; 7. Truex Jr, -20; 8. Kurt Busch, -21 [1]; 9. Menard, -23; 10. Almirola, -23