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Minor League Baseball

NASCAR Legend to Throw Out First Pitch Friday at Home of Atlanta Braves' Affiliate

He is known for his speed, but just what will Kevin Harvick's ceremonial throw hit on the radar gun?
Jami Leabow|
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) during the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Nov. 5, 2023.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) during the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., on Nov. 5, 2023. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Braves

Racing royalty will be in the house Friday night at Synovus Park in Columbus, Ga., when former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick throws out the first pitch ahead of the game between the Columbus Clingstones and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

The Clingstones are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, with the Blue Wahoos part of the Miami Marlins' farm system.

Harvick, 49, clearly has an affinity for baseball. It was one of many sports he played growing up in Bakersfield, Calif., before he went all-in on auto racing. And in July 2016, he was one of eight celebrity captains at the Triple-A Baseball Home Run Derby, which kicked off a three-day All-Star celebration that summer in Charlotte, N.C.

At the derby, Harvick got an early look at one of the participants -- a young slugger from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees named Aaron Judge.

On his website, he lists "anything sports" as his favorite television show.

Harvick retired from full-time racing after the 2023 season, with an impressive list of career achievements, as listed on his KevinHarvick.com. They include:

60-career NASCAR Cup Series victories
2001 NASCAR Rookie of the Year
2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion
Daytona 500 winner
Coca-Cola 600 champion
Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway winner
Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway victory
Two Xfinity Series titles
14 Truck Series victories

Now a television analyst, Harvick joins Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson as the only drivers to win the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.

The Clingstones and Braves undoubtedly would love some of his championship pedigree to rub off on them this season.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.