DARLINGTON, S.C. – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series, has been named Richard Petty Driver of the Year by a vote of the National Motorsports Press Ass’n membership.

Harvick received 45 percent of the votes cast by the NMPA membership. Also receiving multiple votes were reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott, IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and Kyle Larson, who won 46 races on dirt this year.

Harvick won a career-best nine events this past season.

During a campaign interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvick won twice at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and swept the Cup weekend at Michigan Int’l Speedway with back-to-back victories at the two-mile track.

The 45-year-old and 2014 Cup champion also triumphed at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dover (Del.) Int’l Speedway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Harvick, the regular-season champion, finished fifth in the final standings after narrowly failing to qualify for the Championship 4 race at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.

This is Harvick’s third Driver of the Year award. He also earned the distinction in 2014 and 2018.

The Richard Petty Driver of the Year award has been presented annually since 1969 to recognize the season’s most outstanding driver. It is named in honor of Petty, the first seven-time champion of NASCAR’s premier series.