Kevin Harvick and his Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour contingent received a fascinating question on the latest episode of their show. The group was asked to name their NASCAR Mount Rushmore, which has become a popular system for ranking the best of the best in any sport.
Harvick delivered his first. He made some selections that certainly make a ton of sense: “I think the NASCAR one would be [Richard] Petty, [Dale] Earnhardt, [Jeff] Gordon and [Jimmie] Johnson,” the former Cup Series champion proclaimed.
Of course, Petty, Earnhardt and Johnson speak for themselves. The trio account for 21 championships, amassing seven each. Any Mount Rushmore without them on it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
In addition to the those three, Harvick decided Gordon deserved to be on there. With 93 career wins and four championships of his own, his statistics back up the selection. Additionally, fans and media members alike will agree that Gordon could have won a couple more championships in his career, but the advent of NASCAR’s playoff system threw a wrench into some phenomenal, championship-quality seasons for Gordon.
Elsewhere, Kaitlyn Vincie had a similar one to Harvick, but she put a somewhat surprising name on there instead of Gordon: “Kevin and I have pretty similar ones,” she stated. “I put Earnhardt, Petty, Johnson and I put Kevin on mine, because it’s my Mount Rushmore and he’s on mine.
“It’s not just the things he did on the track, but what you do for this whole sport. I mean, let’s be honest, you’re doing a lot for a lot of people’s careers and everything else, so I’m putting Kevin on mine.”
While it’s nice that Vincie put Harvick on her Mount Rushmore, and it is her opinion, it’s a bit of a surprising decision. Harvick’s 60 wins and one championship don’t measure up to Gordon’s accomplishments, but he certainly deserves recognition nonetheless.
Finally, it was Mamba Smith’s turn to make his picks. He didn’t go with Gordon or Harvick as his fourth choice: “My NASCAR is Petty, [Tony] Stewart, Dale Sr. and Jimmie Johnson,” Smith added.
Stewart’s 49 wins and three championships are majorly impressive. His NASCAR resume seems to be a bit off in between when compared to Gordon and Harvick. Still, it’s not a bad pick by any means.
All told, many will likely agree with Kevin Harvick’s Mount Rushmore, while Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith made some more surprising picks with their decisions. Regardless, each driver selected made their mark on the sport, and that should be celebrated.
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