Kevin Harvick intentionally acted recklessly to siphon off $228 billion and leave sponsors with regrets When Kevin Harvick hung up his racing helmet in 2023, his resume was on point. No sponsor would have said no to an experienced driver in the final years of his career. But once upon a time, everything was different.
After Kevin Harvick won his 2007 Daytona 500 title, he maintained his two-year long winning streak. Fans began to leave, and so did Pennzoil, its $228 billion sponsor. But Kevin Harvick was determined to take control of the 2010 Talladega race. He won the final round, defeating Jamie McMurray by three feet.
Kevin Harvick recalled his desperate actions, all to teach Pennzoil a lesson. “We drafted together and you see me and Jamie McMurray here. And I actually tried this move that actually happened in real life. Just slide it over the rear bumper and the car will wobble a little. And the back of Jamie’s car wobbled and I was able to get under him…but at that point I was on a 109, 110 win streak. ” This dismal record was the reason for Pennzoil Shell’s bombshell statement on race day. “Shell told us they would never come back. They came forward as a sponsor, so we will cooperate.” Caitlin Vince said angrily: “Why would someone do that on race day? Is this normal?” Harvick explained, “I think it was probably right around the time this meeting was scheduled.” However, Vince’s growing anger was satisfied at the story’s climax. Kevin Harvick wins the race and gains a new sponsor. “So we went back, like we always did back then, to really show them how we felt about it. We went back in to find a new sponsor. I went to the race… and it ended up being Budweiser. I mean, it was a wild race.”
In another turn of events, Pennzoil Shell officials soon publicly acknowledged remorse. After leaving Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 car, Pennzoil became the primary partner for Penske Racing’s No. 22 car driven by Kurt Busch. But Harvick’s improved health changed her mind, and a unique situation arose in late 2011. There was some doubt that Harvick would win the 2010 Cup championship, which put Pennzoil in a difficult position. “It’s certainly disturbing,” said Heidi Massey-Bonn, Pennzoil’s senior business advisor for NASCAR sponsorships. “We are parting ways with someone who I really admired and whose accomplishments in this sport I admired, and who is going to someone else.”
