Kevin Harvick opened his season on a high note, winning the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited. The Richard Childress Racing driver goes down in history as the first driver to win in NASCAR's Generation 6 car, which officially raced for the first time at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.

Kevin Harvick avoided an early crash, took the lead on the pit stop then successfully battled past Tony Stewart to win the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited. The non-points race included 19 drivers.

Kevin Harvick and his Richard Childress Racing team celebrate winning the opening race of the season, albeit a non-points event, Saturday night at Daytona.

Kevin Harvick's crew members celebrate winning the Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. Harvick won the race for the third time.

Joey Logano (lower left) and Martin Truex Jr. (below center) steer clear of a wreck involving Mark Martin (55), Denny Hamlin, top left, Jimmie Johnson (48), Kyle Busch (18), Jeff Gordon (24) and Juan Pablo Montoya (42) during the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday.

Denny Hamlin (11), Kyle Busch (18), Jeff Gordon (24), Kevin Harvick (29) and Jimmie Johnson (48) are involved in an incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited. Seven cars were damaged in the early crash.

Carl Edwards drives clear of a wreck involving Denny Hamlin (11), Jimmie Johnson (48), Kyle Busch (18) and Jeff Gordon (24) and others during the opening segment of Saturday night's non-points Sprint Unlimited.

Matt Kenseth leads the pack during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night. Kenseth is making his official debut with Joe Gibbs Racing in the race.

Marcos Ambrose (9) races in a pack as drivers try out the Generation 6 car in race conditions on Saturday night.

Kasey Kahne (5) and Greg Biffle, top left, lead the start of the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited under the lights at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday.

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers return to racing at Daytona on Saturday night.

Driver introductions - including that of Juan Pablo Montoya (front) - rev up the fans before the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona.

The Sprint Unlimited drivers line up for the fans prior to taking the track in the race.

The 19 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited are introduced as fireworks go off at Daytona International Speedway.

Matt Kenseth and his team look over Kenseth's wrecked car on Friday. Kenseth sparked a crash in the opening practice for Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway that involved five drivers.

Kurt Busch's car is towed into the garage after he was involved in a crash just minutes into the opening practice for the Sprint Unlimited.

Kurt Busch drives back to the garage area after he was involved in a crash with other cars during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited Shootout at Daytona on Friday.

Kurt Busch's Furniture Row Racing team works on his car after he was caught up in an early crash at Daytona.

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jimmie Johnson (48) sports a new look as he talks with his team during practice for the Sprint Unlimited on Friday afternoon in Daytona.

Miss Sprint Cup Brooke Werner takes a moment during Friday's practice for the Sprint Unlimited. The season-opening non-points race featuring 19 pole and past event winners will be Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

The car of NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Danica Patrick (10) rolls through the garage area  at Daytona. On Friday, NASCAR inspected the Daytona 500 cars. Practice for the season-opening points race (Feb. 24, Noon ET on FOX) begins Saturday.

The cars of NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Marcos Ambrose (9), Matt Kenseth (20) and Tony Stewart (14) line up in the garage area before practice for the Sprint Unlimited on Friday at Daytona International Speedway. The drivers in the race had two practices on Friday.

Goodyear tires sit in the garage area before practice for the Sprint Unlimited on Friday at Daytona International Speedway. 

Jimmie Johnson joins the field in taking laps in the Generation 6 model in preparation for Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited. The race will be the first for NASCAR's new model.

Joey Logano shows his new look as he prepares to make his debut with Penske Racing this weekend.

NASCAR Gen-6 cars head through Turn 4 during Sprint Unlimited practice at Daytona International Speedway on Friday.

New roof flaps on the car of NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth (20) are seen before practice for the Sprint Unlimited on Friday. Kenseth crashed in the opening minutes of the opening practice session.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings the National Guard back to the track for the season-opening Sprint Unlimited.

Juan Pablo Montoya looks relaxed and ready to start the season. The track has already been good for the driver this year as he was part of team owner Chip Ganassi's Rolex 24 winning team.

The famous M&M's paint scheme returns to the track with driver Kyle Busch this season. Busch is looking for a strong start to the season after missing the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2012.

Aric Almirola's No. 43 may look quite different than that raced by team owner Richard Petty, but for many fans it still evokes memories of the seven-time champion.

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards (99) didn't get much practice time on Friday. The driver was caught up in a five-car crash just eight minutes into the opening practice session and will go to a backup car for the Sprint Unlimited.

Michael Waltrip's car goes through the inspection process. The car is a tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Martin Truex Jr.'s car rolls through the garage as fans look on from atop the area at Daytona.

Front-end inspection templates are in the garage area as teams are undergoing inspection for both the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona 500 on Friday.

Trevor Bayne's car is pushed through the garage on Friday. Bayne drives for Wood Brothers Racing, the organization that already has two representatives - team co-owner Glen Wood and long-time engine builder and pit-road architect Leonard Wood - in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Jeff Gordon has seemed excited about the chance to actually race the Generation 6 car this season. Saturday night, he gets his first chance to do just that.

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Tony Stewart (14) brings a vivid car to the track for the weekend. The three-time Cup champion will seek his first Daytona 500 win.

NASCAR owner Jack Roush walks through the garage at Daytona on Friday. Roush is bringing a new group to the track this season, with Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards returning in the Sprint Cup Series while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is also moving up to the Cup ranks.