Kevin Harvick ran away with the final stage of the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 race Sunday evening to claim his second win of the 2020 season and his third career Cup win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"This place is pretty special just because of the fact that this is where I got my first win," Harvick said. "For me, coming back here, it brings back a lot of memories."
Harvick's first win at the Atlanta track came in 2001, three races after he replaced the late Dale Earnhardt after the Cup driver was killed in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500 that year. Just as he did in 2001, Harvick held three fingers out the window and drove a lap in the opposite direction to honor Earnhardt on Sunday.
"This is just a track I've taken a liking to," Harvick said on the FOX broadcast after his 51st Cup Series race win, which puts the driver ahead of Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett on the list of all-time race winners.
Harvick also further climbed the 2020 points ladder, which he has dominated this season, after leading the most laps (151) of the 325-lap race and finishing in the top five in the first two stages.
Although during the race Harvick said he struggled with his Ford Mustang, he said his team was able to make the necessary adjustments before the final stage, allowing him to jump ahead on the restart and sail to Victory Lane.
