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  • Kevin Harvick Doubles Down as Race Winner and NASCAR Champ

    Kevin Harvick Doubles Down as Race Winner and NASCAR Champ

    It’s not often that a driver can double down in NASCAR but Kevin Harvick did just that, winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 as well as the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. This was Harvick’s 28th victory in 502 Cup races, his fifth victory of the season and his first victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    “Well, I just really don’t know what to even say about how much I appreciate this,” champion Harvick said in Victory Lane. “I’m just really excited. It’s really special for everybody.”

    “Been trying for 13 years,” Harvick continued. “I just have to thank Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson for helping me through this week. Jimmie was in my trailer as much as many of my teammates – doing all the things that it takes to tell me what I needed to do today.”

    For Harvick, the win and championship was indeed a family affair with wife DeLana and son Keelan in Victory Lane.

    “It is surreal,” DeLana Harvick said emotionally. “To come fight for this championship with one of the best group of guys I have ever been around…they did this. They deserve it. They are champions.”

    Harvick, a veteran of all three of NASCAR’s national series, is the third driver to win the Cup and Nationwide crowns, joining Bobby Labonte and Brad Keselowski in that achievement. He is also the 30th champion in the 66-year history of the Cup Series.

    Team owner Tony Stewart was also celebrating his driver’s win, especially significant after the difficult year personally that he has been through. While this was also the second championship for Stewart-Haas Racing, both Kevin Harvick and his crew chief Rodney Childers won championships for the first time ever.

    “It’s great,” Smoke said on ESPN SportsCenter. “That’s why we have a four-car team to make sure we have every opportunity we can to come to Homestead and have a chance to race for a Sprint Cup championship.”

    “This is an awesome night for our whole organization and Gene Haas and Kevin and Rodney Childers and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

    “This is an unbelievable evening.”

    Ryan Newman, who worked his way into the championship contender round with a last lap pass, finished the race in the runner-up position. This was Newman’s fifth top-10 finish at Homestead and his 16th top-10 finish in 2014, again confirming his consistency throughout the season.

    “These guys did a really good job,” Newman said. “We had a couple pit stops that kind of put us back, but the guys stepped it up the last couple pit stops and we gained a few spots; gave ourselves a shot.”

    “Luke (Lambert, crew chief), I thought made a great call on the two-tire stop, and we got some track position,” Newman continued. “And then when Jeff (Gordon) pitted, that kind of caught me by surprise and gave us the front row.”

    “In the end, I’m just so proud of our team. It is disappointing, don’t’ get me wrong, but there’s no point in being a sore loser.”

    Brad Keselowski, who had such a strong season, finished third in his self-proclaimed white deuce. This was his second top-10 finish in seven races at Homestead.

    “Yeah, it was a heck of a season, not just for me but for all of Team Penske,” Keselowski said. “Certainly a year that we’ll look back on with a lot of pride.”

    “I’m kind of wishing it wasn’t over, but we still have some work to do to continue to work and get better. We have to go back and work a little bit harder and find a little more speed and try to keep up with that.”

    Kyle Larson officially claimed the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title, having been in that position most of the season. He finished 13th in the race finale and was yet again the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    “We were really competitive all season long with the Target team and came really, really close to winning a couple of them,” Larson said. “There was a lot of room on the Kyle Larson bandwagon to start the season. I think a lot of people chose Austin Dillon to win it and I was pretty confident in myself and in my team that we could do it.”

    “I knew there would be some ups and downs but I felt like we would be the top contender once we got halfway through the season and we definitely were,” Larson continued. “Really proud of that, proud of the effort everybody has put in on these race cars. We’ve gotten better throughout the season and just is a huge honor to win this title with all the other names that have won it.”

    For Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, who were also contending for the championship in addition to Harvick and Newman, it was all about the difficulties on the restarts and in the pits that led to their respective downfall.

    Hamlin finished seventh and Logano finished fourth, both unable to claim the championship crown.

    “I thought we had a better car than those guys, just I had a bad restart and lost position to the No. 4,” Hamlin said. “Darian (Grubb, crew chief) made the decision to leave us out there on tires trying to do something to get that track position back that I lost on the restart and it just didn’t work out for us.”

    “With all of those cautions, it just allowed all of those guys to close back up and it was kind of all she wrote for us,” Hamlin continued. “Sometimes the cautions fall your way and sometimes they don’t. We definitely gave ourselves a shot and things were looking really good for us, but those cautions just really, really hurt us.”

    “It was a heck of a race up there,” Logano said. “I screwed up and hit the wall early and we were able to recover then had the mistake on pit road, which didn’t give us enough time to recover from that.”

    “It is unfortunate,” Logano continued. “Execution was our strong point all year and we just didn’t do it tonight. For that reason, we finished fourth after I think we scored the most points this whole Chase.”

    Congratulations are also due to Chevrolet, who secured yet another manufacturer’s championship. This was their 12th consecutive championship and the 38th time overall that they have won it.

    “Winning the Manufacturers’ championship is one of the goals we set at the beginning of every season,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “This championship is the result of great teamwork by the owners, drivers, crew chiefs, crews and technical partners. Special thanks to the Chevrolet powertrain team, along with the engine shops at Hendrick Motorsports and Earnhardt-Childress Racing for delivering the right combination of power, fuel economy, and reliability throughout the entire season.”

    “Congratulations to everyone who has made this special achievement possible for Chevrolet.”

  • The Final Word – In Texas, the Racing is Just an Appetizer for the Excitement yet to Come

    The Final Word – In Texas, the Racing is Just an Appetizer for the Excitement yet to Come

    Jimmie Johnson was a factor from beginning to end in Texas, claiming his fourth victory of the season. Okay, enough about the damn race. All the real excitement took place after they waved the checkered flag.

    On a first attempt at a green-white-checkered restart, Johnson and Jeff Gordon started up front. A gap opened between the two and Brad Keselowski tried to punch his way through. There was some separation between the leaders, but not a hole big enough to fit a car, at least to begin with. As Gordon came down, Keselowski was there, but there still was not quite enough of a hole to fit a car through. The two hit, Brad slipped and scraped his way by, while Gordon wound up with a flat tire. Johnson won while Kevin Harvick managed to take the runner-up spot away from the third place Keselowski. As for Gordon, he went from second to finishing a lap down in 29th. Again, enough about the damn race.

    As the boys and girl lined up on pit road to head toward the garage, Gordon pulled up beside Keselowski. As the teams already seemed to be in a scrum, Gordon calmly walked around it all in order to chat with his rival. I say calmly, but appearances can be deceiving. Okay, there was some steam pouring out of Jeff’s helmet as he came around.

    As Keselowski emerged from his car, Gordon began jawing at him while Brad jawed right back, separated by some big boys from his crew. Just when it appeared that One Time might escape from the ruckus, Harvick came in from behind him, apparently said something about fighting his own fight, and pushed Brad back toward the maelstrom. It was enough to allow Gordon to grab Keselowski’s uniform, and the melee ensued. Brad had an escape strategy going for him, but that is when a Gordon crew man came from behind to commit him entirely before collaring the boy. Brad bent backwards and sunk beneath the waves. Both drivers got a little bloodied, but it all proved about as damaging as a pair of toddlers squaring off.
    There were punches thrown, but few if any, really connected. The boys got rough, the boys got loud, and the only person you could really feel sorry for was ESPN’s Jamie Little, who was caught on the fringes of it all. Mind you, a big lug with Paul Menard’s team placed a mitt over the wall to keep her stabilized and upright. Chivalry is alive in NASCAR, as she went on with her job and interviewed Bad Brad post-ruckus. She is a good one, and it is good to see she will be heading over to FOX for next season.

    So, is anyone at fault here? Gordon had every right to be upset as a great finish went into the tank big time. Keselowski tried a maneuver Dale Earnhardt would have attempted in a moment, only the Intimidator would have been in the middle of the expected activities that came afterward. All Harvick did was give Brad a little advice and a gentle push in a direction the boy did not seem eager to face on his own. It was rowdy, not terribly genteel, and totally inappropriate for the conclusion of a chess match, but with these type of personalities in this kind of situation, not overly unexpected. As for violence, it barely matched that of a rugby scrum.

    Yes, there are reports about the supposed mass brawl. No doubt, these folks have never seen a real one, never mind taking in a rough hockey game. Both men were cut up, though scraped up might be a more truthful observation. Brad might have been spitting blood, though it was hard to tell as he was rinsing his mouth out with a red liquid. Harvick’s shove was less aggressive than what I’ve seen DeLana “suffer” at the hands of a teasing Tony Stewart. One writer has stated that throwing a punch, connecting, and giving someone a bloody lip has no place in society. In a conference room, yes, but throw a beanball, spear a hockey player, or drive your car recklessly and you just might face a good, ole fashioned whopping. Even that did not happen in Texas. We saw some boys get rough, some got scraped up a bit, but nobody got whopped. Then again, some scribes obviously chose not to subscribe to the notion of actual facts getting in the way of a good story.

    We have a good storyline heading into Phoenix, where everybody is still in the running, either via a win or on points, and nobody is yet a sure thing. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman have an edge, but early misfortune can still bite them. While Johnson’s previous four wins and an average finish of 6.3 finish in Arizona makes him the favorite going in, Hamlin, Gordon, Harvick, and Carl Edwards are the best amongst the Chasers.

    It should be one hell of an event, both on and off the track.
    1 – Joey Logano – 4072 Points – 13 Pts to the good
    2 – Denny Hamlin – 4072 – 13 Pts to the good
    3 – Ryan Newman – 4070 – 11 Pts to the good
    4 – Jeff Gordon – 4060 – 1 Pt to the good

    5 – Matt Kenseth – 4059 – 1 Pt out
    6 – Carl Edwards – 4059 – 1 Pt out
    7 – Brad Keselowski – 4055 – 5 Pts out
    8 – Kevin Harvick – 4054 – 6 Pts out

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Charlotte Bank of America 500

    With new paint schemes under the lights, as well as pink for breast cancer awareness abounding, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 55th annual Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Surprising: In spite of the championship not even being close to secured for 2014, there was a surprising amount of discussion about champions after the checkered flag flew at Charlotte.

    Past champs Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski had quite the confrontation in the pits after the race, as well as exchanging some beating and banging on the track during the race and at the end of it.

    “The race had ended, and he’s running into cars on the cool-down lap,” Kenseth said of Keselowski. “I mean, the race is over, and he comes down pit road and drives into the side of me. That’s inexcusable. He’s a champion, and he’s supposed to know better.”

    Denny Hamlin was also a participant in the melee on and off the track with Keselowski, calling the driver of the powder blue deuce “out of control.”

    “He’s desperate, obviously, and it’s either four or five of us are wrong or he’s wrong because he’s pissed off everyone,” Hamlin said. “That was unfortunate. Matt (Kenseth) was nearly out of his car, and he just plowed into Matt and then ran into Tony and then went in through the garage and cleared out transmissions and did burnouts in the garage.”

    “Just acting like a dumbass instead of a champion.”

    Not Surprising: Although he won his 26th race, tying Hall of Famer inductee Fred Lorenzen for 25th on the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win list, as well as securing his spot in the Eliminator round of the Chase, Kevin Harvick seemed more than willing to turn over the wheel of his No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet to another driver for next weekend’s race at Talladega.

    “I’d park it because it’ll be one hell of a race to watch,” Harvick said simply when asked about the potential mayhem at ‘Dega. “That’s what I’d do.”

    “I’m parking it and watching it. It’s going to be fun to watch. It’s going to be crazy, offensive racing.”

    “You want to drive, DeLana?”

    Surprising: It was a surprisingly good night in Charlotte for the Ganassi Racing team, with Jamie McMurray finishing third and the rim-riding rookie Kyle Larson finishing sixth.

    “Yeah, it was a really good night for our whole group,” McMurray said. “When I got to second place at one point I looked at my mirror and Kyle was catching me. We certainly went through a couple of really tough years as our group at Chip Ganassi Racing, and it’s so great right now to have both cars run that well every single week at a lot of different type racetracks.”

    “I was not only thrilled for our group but also for the 42 car and just everybody. This is a big weekend for all the race teams. There’s a lot of crew guys that get to bring their kids here to watch their dads or their moms work that sit in the stands, so that’s pretty special I think for Kyle and I to have a good showing.”

    “Top groove got going, and I was able to run up there and get to the front and lead for a little bit and the yellow came out and we lost some spots on pit road,” Larson said. “I was able to get back to second and then got into the wall in 3 and 4 chasing down the 11, and messed up the aerodynamics and was really tight after that and just kind of held on and I was lucky with that green-white-checkered, we came down and took four, restarted on the outside and was able to follow the 22 up around the top to get to sixth.”

    Not Surprising: Although he finished second in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, restarts continue to be the Achilles heel for Jeff Gordon.

    “I didn’t want to see another restart, because every time we start on the inside, we seem to lose positions; there at the end, and the whole race,” Gordon said. “We were just trying to tune to make it better.”

    “I’m really proud of that finish and really proud of that effort.” Gordon continued. “It looked like we were going to be second. We got off a little bit and lost some track position. I had some terrible restarts. Kevin was tough. I knew when he got out in front it was going to be hard to beat him.”

    “I’m really happy about this second (place finish). It doesn’t make us, by any means, comfortable going into next week, but a lot better than it could be.”

    Surprising: With all the post-race drama, one of the most dramatic turn of events at the race start was lost in the shuffle. Matt Kenseth was penalized at the start of the race for an unapproved adjustment on pit road, which was reportedly a bumper decal.

    After his crew chief vociferously argued the call, Kenseth was forced to start the race at the rear of the field, which perhaps led to his anger and frustration that spilled over at race end.

    Not Surprising: While there was much drama for the Chase competitors, there were many non-Chasers that were having quite their own little races as well.

    Both Kurt Busch and AJ Allmendinger were satisfied with their finishes at Charlotte, taking the checkered flag in eleventh and twelfth places respectively.

    “I would call it a really good effort,” Kurt Busch, the driver of the No. 41 State Water Heaters Chevrolet, said. “The lap times were there. We were running second at half-way and ended up finishing 11th. But all-in-all, it was nice to run up front with the guys, and to show a turn in the right direction from where we had been running.”

    “We started off a little bit off,” AJ Allmendinger, the driver of the No. 47 Scott Products Chevrolet, said. “There were a couple of runs that I thought we were really good. I’m happy with it and stayed on the lead-lap all day.”

    “We have to keep working. I think there are little, small things that we are missing instead of big things. Getting better.”

    Surprising: After Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne was the only Hendrick driver to finish top-ten, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. having shifter problems and Jimmie Johnson testily telling crew chief Chad Knaus that he was going to crash every lap.

    “It was better than we ran most of the night,” Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Pepsi Chevrolet, said. “The only way I could get it to turn in the center was to be so loose. Then it would still get tight after 15 laps so we would go slower at that point. So we just tried a lot of things.”

    Johnson soldiered on to finish 17th and Junior ended the race in the 20th spot.

    Not Surprising: While Joey Logano did not even have to finish the race given his race win at Kansas last weekend, he was still very pleased with maintaining his points lead position. In fact, he remarked prior to the race that he was thrilled to see his hauler and car in the garage area at the front of the pack.

    “Obviously, this doesn’t do a whole bunch for us because we’re in the next round,” Logano said after his fourth place finish. “But we still need to keep that momentum like we have been. It was definitely a hard-fought day for this whole Pennzoil team and they did a good job.”

    Logano leads the point standings by six points over competitor Kyle Busch.

    Surprising: With the focus more on tire concerns, the real issue of the race was the incredible number of blown engines. In fact, there were five engine expirations, including Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Josh Wise, Michael Annett, and Brian Vickers.

    “I had a really good car,” Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 Schrock/Menards Chevrolet, said. “It’s too bad, awesome car, we had a pit stop problem and went to the back, but drove our way back up into the top 15 or so. We definitely had a top five car, just unfortunate. Something let go in the motor.”

    Not Surprising: Next week’s race is the infamous crap shoot of Talladega and not surprisingly, the drivers have different opinions on just how that race will play out.

    “It wasn’t a win – which is what we really want – but it’s another solid finish for us,” Kyle Busch said after his fifth place run at Charlotte. “We just need to go to Talladega next week and try to avoid the ‘big one.’ ”

    “We had a good finish for our Fastenal Ford,” Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, said after finishing eighth. “It’s fun racing here at Charlotte and now we get to go to Talladega and have a little fun. We’ve got 20 points on ninth-place so it went pretty well for us.”

    “We’ll go on to Talladega, but I’m just glad we got out of here clean,” Edwards continued. “I don’t think we made any enemies, so we’ll go have some fun at Talladega and hopefully make the next round.”

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Camping World RV Sales 301

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Camping World RV Sales 301

    From the granite state where the ‘lobstah’ rules, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 22nd Annual Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    Surprising: Team Penske had an interesting day, with one driver taking the broom while the other driver went boom. Brad Keselowski, this week behind the wheel of the No. 2 Redd’s Ford, took his broom to Victory Lane, sweeping both the Nationwide and Cup races and scoring his first lobster trophy at New Hampshire.

    “I don’t want this moment to go away so quick,” Keselowski said. “This was just such a phenomenal weekend, and these don’t happen that often, and that’s what makes it special, and you try to appreciate them and enjoy them and hope that there’s more but not count on it, because these are big deals, winning races at the Sprint Cup level, sweeping a weekend, and it’s all possible because of the hard work and effort from everyone at Team Penske.”

    His Penske teammate Joey Logano, however, went boom in his No. 22 AutoTrader.com Ford, colliding with Morgan Shepherd and wrecking out to finish 40th.

    “I got taken out by the slowest car out there,” Logano said after his collision with Shepherd. “You would think there would be some courtesy to the leaders. We were in second place. He gets out of the way on the straightaway and then goes into the corner and slides right up into the lane I was in.”

    “Whatever. It is just dumb that it happened,” Logano continued. “I feel like that should be stuff that shouldn’t happen at this level of racing.”

    Not Surprising: Right behind Keselowski, who was so dominant in this race, were the dueling Kyles, Kyle Busch, who came in second for the third consecutive time at New Hampshire, and Kyle Larson, who scored the highest rookie honors after finishing third for his fourth career top-five finish.

    “I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry,” Kyle Larson said of his race with Kyle Busch. “We just somehow are always finishing by each other. It seems like I’m usually one spot behind him (laughing), but it’ll change soon. It’ll change soon.”

    Surprising: Jimmie Johnson, who has scored the lobster in Victory Lane at New Hampshire three times previously, hit the road surprisingly early after crashing out of the race on Lap 11 because of tire issues.

    “The first one (tire) I was able to drive the car all the way through Turns 1 and 2,” Johnson said. “I knew I had a flat and then got down the back and came in.”

    “The other one just blew on the straight as soon as I hit the brakes,” Johnson continued. “I’m not sure what caused it. I’m sure there will be a lot of speculation and I’m sure finger pointing back to the teams or our team. But we saw some issues here especially with that particular tire the last couple of days. We will try to dig in and learn more, but I can promise you one thing is wasn’t low tire pressure. I’ve been out here for two days running around and haven’t had a flat.”

    “But on the bright side…I get to start vacation early,” Johnson later posted on his Facebook page.

    Not Surprising: Matt Kenseth, who took the checkered flag in the fourth position, finally seemed pleased with the direction that his Joe Gibbs No. 20 team was headed.

    “Overall, it was a good day for our Dollar General Camry,” Kenseth said. “I thought we really gained on it. Denny (Hamlin) and them guys really helped us a lot this week. I felt like all three cars were top-five race cars today. I feel like we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

    “I felt like we were definitely in the ball game today.”

    Surprising: This season, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is such a competitor that even a 10th place finish, especially after qualifying 28th, was completely disappointing to him.

    “That was frustrating, the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet, said. “That was the hardest I’ve ever worked for a 10th place finish. It’s been a real frustrating weekend to be honest. The guys worked real hard. Steve (Letarte, crew chief) and the engineers did their best to try to get the car more competitive. Just to be lacking that much speed against a lot of those guys, I had to drive so perfect every lap.”

    “That was really frustrating,” Junior continued. “I wish we were better. We are going to have to come back here and run better than that to have a shot in the Chase. We will keep working.”

    “10th place I’m really disappointed, but I remember when we used to like these.”

    Not Surprising: NHMS was once again just a gas, gas, gas, with both Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick running out of fuel and finishing 26th and 30th respectively.

    “We knew we were very close,” the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, said. “That pick-up is in the right side and so I was scuffing my tires and think I just took enough fuel out of the pick-up and I could never get any back in there.”

    “I tried. I think if we would have gone green, we would have been fine,” Gordon continued. “I think it was really just because under caution it wouldn’t pick-up the amount of fuel that was in there.”

    “We got to go for it so I thought it was a great call even if we did come up short.”

    DeLana Harvick was not as positive about the fuel mileage rolling of the dice for her husband as Gordon seemed to be. She tweeted this after the race.

    “Came out on the bullshittiness side of interesting today..#fuelmileage. Ready for a week off with my boys!”

    Surprising: Martin Truex Jr. was the biggest mover, at least at the end of the race, gaining ten positions on the green-white-checkered restart and moving from 22nd to finish 12th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    “The biggest reason we gained 12 positions on the final restart is that we had fresh tires and got in the right lane,” explained Truex. “We never had good restarts all day, but once we settled in and had a decent car we made a move at the end. You have to keep fighting — you never know what can happen.”

    “That was a good call to come in for two tires during that last caution.”

    Not Surprising: It is always tough to get back into a race car after being out for some time and even someone as adept at New Hampshire as Jeff Burton was no exception. Burton took the wheel of the No. 66 Let’s Go Places Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing and finished a disappointing 20th at a track in which he has so often dominated in the past.

    “We had a good car — we just never got track position,” Burton said. “And then Danica (Patrick) got into me there — I think Tony (Stewart) was working the outside and I think she just thought Tony was on the outside. Got the right side tore up.”

    “After that, we never turned. We tried to fix it with changes, but we couldn’t fix it because it was all aero,” Burton continued. “I’m really disappointed with the outcome. Three-quarters of the way through the race I thought we’re doing pretty good.”

    Surprising: A local hero racer Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Massachusetts, made his Sprint Cup Series debut and finished the race in the 35th spot. This also marked a milestone for the driver of the tryandrozene.com Ford as he completed all five of the sport’s top series.

    “This is what I always dreamed of, being able to run in the Sprint Cup Race,” MacDonald said. “It meant the world for me to be able to do that and have my whole family here.”

    “Our goal was just to stay up there, stay out of trouble and run as many laps as we could,” MacDonald continued. “Thankfully, we were able to stay out of trouble and get a fair finish.”

    Not Surprising: TNT was given a fond farewell as they ended their partnership with NASCAR of 32 years.

    “There is no question that the folks at Turner have been fantastic partners for the past 32 years, and we can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done to grow the sport during that time frame,” Brian France, NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer, said. “Their dedication to producing first-class, innovative NASCAR broadcasts has never wavered.”

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will enjoy a weekend off next week and will resume with the race on Sunday, July 27th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

  • For Kevin Harvick, Family is First

    For Kevin Harvick, Family is First

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”181″][/media-credit]There was no doubt that Kevin Harvick was anxious last weekend at Daytona with his wife DeLana ready to bring the child known as ‘Baby Otis’ into the world and his race car ready to run under the lights.

    Harvick was indeed ready to miss a race if needed in order to be there for the birth of his son. But all worked out for the best and dad was indeed able to get his wife to the hospital on time.

    “I was actually home and prepared not to come back if that situation at home,” Harvick said. “Everyone knew where I stood on that.”

    “Richard (Childress) has been a big supporter in that and it’s always been family first.”

    But all worked out well and the Harvick’s welcomed Keelan Paul Harvick on Sunday, July 8th at 6.8 lbs. and 19.5 inches.

    “Waiting on Keelan was the longest nine months of my entire life,” Harvick admitted. “But time literally stood still when I held him for the first time.”

    “DeLana and I are just amazed by how special and rewarding this is.”

    For both Keelan’s father and mother, the past week has been most eventful. And, of course, Harvick had to pay a bit of a price for getting wife DeLana to the hospital just two hours before the baby was born.

    “Dad waited a little long to get her to the hospital,” Harvick said of wife DeLana. “I was obviously not her favorite person as they told her they wouldn’t give her an epidural.”

    “She did good,” Harvick continued. “She had it all natural, no drugs or nothing.”

    “We had a healthy baby boy and that was the most important things,” Harvick said. “Everybody is good and at home, doing normal things.”

    In spite of the rush in getting to the hospital and in spite of being one of NASCAR’s most proficient drivers, Harvick admitted he did not speed while taking his wife in to deliver.

    “First off, I did drive her to the hospital,” Harvick said. “The only part for me is that it wasn’t very fast because she was obviously in a lot of pain.”

    “We didn’t make any real fast corners,” Harvick continued. “We would go straight and fast.”

    “So, I didn’t get yelled at on the drive over and that was my goal.”

    Harvick acknowledged what every new parent knows, that of the joys of sleep deprivation with a new little one in the house.

    “Yeah, the sleeping pattern is different for sure,” Harvick said. “But we’re fortunate to have a lot of help, obviously with her mom being right there, we’ve been able to incorporate her into everything that is going on.”

    “It’s definitely been a change but nothing as bad as everybody made it sound like for sure,” Harvick continued. “It’s been great.”

    In typical Harvick style, with both mom and dad being very active in the world of social media, baby Harvick has his own Twitter account already.

    “Well Keelan has his own everything because I didn’t want some crazy ass fan getting hold of this Twitter name or his website,” Harvick said. “So he has everything that you could imagine from top to bottom just as more of a personal security piece of mind than anything.”

    Harvick did affirm, however, that there was no race vehicle available to baby Keelan, at least at present.

    “We’re hoping for no go karts,” Harvick said. “We’re hoping for golf clubs.”

    “We’re hoping that we go in a different direction there,” Harvick continued. “But whatever he wants to do.”

    With the birth behind him, Harvick is now preparing for what he loves to do this weekend, being back at the track behind the wheel of the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet. And he is relieved and ready to take on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    “You know, it’s nice to come to the race track now to be honest with you,” Harvick said. “Over the last few weeks, the anxiety of just everything that was going to happen with having a baby and knowing that everything is settled at home and everybody is healthy.”

    “That was the part I was worried about most,” Harvick continued. “Definitely the most relaxed that I’ve been able to be in weeks coming to the track.”

    “Obviously this is a place that Shane (Wilson, crew chief) and his guys have had a lot of success at,” Harvick said of the ‘Magic Mile’. “We’ve been fortunate to run well here as well in the past, so we are just looking forward to getting on the race track.”

    While Harvick’s eye will be on a checkered flag, he no doubt will be thinking often of his little one at home.

    “He’s just starting to get that little smile where he opens his eyes and looks at you,” Harvick said. “It’s pretty neat.”

    “That was the best moment I’ve ever got to experience in my life.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Coke Zero 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Coke Zero 400

    [media-credit name=”Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”214″][/media-credit]From drivers on ‘baby watch’ to the suspension of A.J. Allmendinger for failing his random substance abuse test, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona.

    Surprising:  One of the most sought after drivers for this race weekend was surprisingly Kenny Wallace. This Nationwide driver and Speed on-air personality actually had two offers to drive, first as back up for Kevin Harvick, whose wife DeLana held off on delivering ‘Baby Otis’ (now Keelan Paul Harvick) until after the race and then for Sam Hornish, Jr., just in case he did not make it to the race track to sub for suspended driver Allmendinger.

    “Well, that was drama,” Wallace said. “It was a feather in my cap for these car owners to think of my superspeedway driving.”

    “It was a little uncomfortable for everybody,” Wallace continued. “What happened with all the sponsors and all the automakers, this was all people helping people at this point.”

    Not Surprising:  In the midst of a heat wave and in spite of starting at the back of the field due to post-qualifying tech issues, the proverbial Smoke rose to the top, of the leader board in this case.

    Tony Stewart, in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, sliced and diced his way to the checkered flag to score his 47th victory in the Cup Series, now 14th on the all-time win list.

    This was Smoke’s third victory of the season, putting him in a tie with Brad Keselowski for Cup Series wins this year. This was also Stewart’s 18th win at Daytona International Speedway, second most all-time to Dale Earnhardt.

    “The great thing about restrictor-plate racing is that 43 cars all have the same shot at winning the race,” Stewart said. “But that’s also part of what makes it frustration too.”

    “It’s just being at the right place at the right time,” Smoke continued. “And when those last two big wrecks happened, we were in the right spot.”

    Surprising:  In spite of wrecking both on the track and on pit road, this driver salvaged a surprisingly good finish. Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, survived the melee of the race and the final laps to bring his bruised vehicle to the checkered flag in 12th place.

    “There were moments tonight when I felt like we had a car that could win,” Gordon said. “And then that wreck happened when we were trying to come to pit road that just changed our night.”

    “I even got in the wreck on that last lap and still finished 12th,” Gordon said. “We don’t have much of a race car, but we got a 12th place finish.”

    Not Surprising:  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. continued to keep his streak of consecutive laps finished alive, in spite of being caught up in the final wreck of the race like so many others.

    Although poised for a top-five, the driver of the No. 88 National Guard ‘An American Salute’/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet crossed the finish line in 15th.

    “My mama told me she hoped the Cup race wasn’t as wild as the Nationwide race, but they always are, you know?” Junior said. “All these races are always like that and you just try to survive.”

    “We just came up a little short.”

    Surprising:  After a tough season to date, Jeff Burton, in the No. 31 Wheaties Chevrolet, had a surprisingly good second place finish. This was his 11th top-10 finish in 38 races at Daytona and his best finish of the season to date.

    “Well it certainly feels good to have a good finish,” Burton said. “We’ve had a miserable year.”

    “To get out of Daytona with a second tonight is probably more than I can expect with all the wrecks and stuff,” Burton continued. “Hopefully we can build on this.”

    Not Surprising:   From starting from the pole to having a car at the front of the field for much of the race, it was not surprising that Matt Kenseth scored a strong third place finish. Yet it was also not surprising to see just how bereft the driver of the No. 17 Zest Ford was when the race was done.

    “I’m really disappointed,” Kenseth said. “We thought we had one of the best cars.”

    “I was hoping it was going to be me or the 16 in Victory Lane,” Kenseth continued. “I feel like my team kind of deserved to be down there holding the hardware.”

    “We were in contention but we just didn’t get it done that last lap.”

    Surprising:  After a pit road mishap that turned this driver backwards and almost into Brad Keselowski’s pit stall and crew, Ryan Newman made a surprising recovery. The driver of the No. 39 Aspen Dental Chevrolet managed to finish top-five.

    “After what happened on pit road, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Newman said. “But the guys did a great job with the repairs.”

    “I’m just happy to bring a car home in one piece from one of these races.”

    Not Surprising:  Joey Logano, driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, continued to dig for a potential Chase spot, finishing fourth. Logano moved up two spots to 14th in the point standings after the Daytona race.

    “It didn’t go as planned, but ended up pretty good,” Logano said. “So, we’ll take that for sure – a fourth place finish.”

    “That’s how we’ve got to keep fighting.”

    Surprising:  Two drivers known primarily for past glories did surprising well at Daytona. Michael Waltrip, driving the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, and Bobby Labonte, behind the wheel of the No. 47 Kingsford Charcoal Toyota, finished ninth and tenth respectively.

    “At the end of the race, I was confident I could push,” Waltrip said. “We just had a damaged car and probably pretty lucky we got a top-10.”

    “We got close, but that was all we could do is get close.”

    “We were a tortoise out there tonight,” Labonte said. “We just ended up missing those wrecks and that’s all that saved us tonight.”

    Not Surprising:  There were plenty of hard hits out there to no one’s surprise and one particularly hard hit befell five-time champ Jimmie Johnson. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet was involved in one of the ‘big ones’ on lap 123.

    “We were all getting ready to pit so I was waving my hand out the window,” Johnson said. “And as soon as I let off the gas, someone got into the back of me.”

    “I went down on the inside wall,” Johnson continued. “As I was spinning, I could see a lot of other cars were collected too.”

    Surprising:  Father of Chase Elliott, who has been tearing up the NASCAR ladder, made some headlines himself in the No. 50 Walmart Chevrolet. ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ was having a heck of a good race until crashing with many others on lap 123.

    “We were just a victim of circumstances,” Elliott said. “But man I was proud of all those guys on Turner Motorsports and Walmart.”

    “That’s the best I’ve run in a long time.”

    Not Surprising:  Frustration, to no one’s surprise, was the feeling of the day at Daytona International Speedway under the lights. Perhaps Carl Edwards, driving the No. 99 Subway Ford Fusion, summed it up best.

    “Frustrating describes this whole type of event,” Edwards said. “It’s very difficult.”

    “You’re just really trying hard not to wreck and ruin your day or other people’s day,” Edwards continued. “It’s a tough race.”

     

  • Joe Denette Hits Lottery Again with New Driver Ron Hornaday and New Home at KHI Shop

    Joe Denette Hits Lottery Again with New Driver Ron Hornaday and New Home at KHI Shop

    Last year, Joe Denette started a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team with his winnings from the Mega Millions Virginia Lottery drawing.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: lotterypost.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]But this year, Denette feels like he has hit the lottery all over again by securing veteran and championship Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday, as well as the shop formerly operated by the winners of the 2011 Owner’s Championship, Kevin and DeLana Harvick.

    “I think this is one of the best scenarios I could ask for,” Denette said. “I got one of the best drivers out there in my opinion. I lucked out on this one.”

    Denette said the deal with Hornaday came about over a simple dinner together.

    “Hermie Sadler, my business manager in racing, came to me with a proposal because Hermie and Kevin (Harvick) are pretty good friends,” Denette said. “They started talking back and forth and he started talking to Ron.”

    “We sat down for dinner one night and by the time we were done with dinner, we had a deal struck.”

    While Denette knew of Hornaday’s championship resume, including 51 victories, 27 poles, and 146 top-five finishes, he was most impressed with the veteran driver’s heart and passion for the sport. He also was taken with his new driver’s desire to keep winning.

    “His passion and his desire to keep winning impressed me most,” Denette said. “His goal is to win a fifth championship. When he left the table, he asked me what I expected from hi and I said just to give it your all and compete.”

    “I told him, I want you to win your fifth championship with Joe Denette Motorsports.”

    Hornaday, a 14-year veteran of the Truck Series, shared Denette’s excitement for his new ride, especially with the closure of his former team, KHI Motorsports.

    “I’m very excited for the opportunity to work with JDM next season,” Hornaday said. “This is a young team and they have put a lot of the right people in place to win races and compete for a championship in 2012.”

    “I’m honored to continue my relationship with Chevrolet and I’m looking forward to a successful 2012 season.”

    Another important part of Hornaday’s team that will be come to Joe Denette Motorsports is crew chief Jeff Hensley. And, according to Denette, one of the best holdovers from the KHI days is that the team will actually be running out of the former race team’s shop.

    “We hired Jeff a week or two before we hired Ron,” Denette said. “We’re actually going to be running out of Kevin’s old shop.”

    “I feel like I’m taking over where Kevin left off.”

    While Denette confirmed that he will definitely be running one truck full-time, as he did last season in his rookie year, he also revealed that he may be running a second truck, perhaps even on a full-time basis.

    “Right now we are running the No. 9 truck with Ron driving and several races throughout the season, we planned on running a second truck,” Denette said. “But from what my understanding is Hermie (Sadler) is already striking some deals where I feel like we’re going to have two trucks on the track this whole season.”

    “I’m not 100% sure but I know for a fact that Elliott Sadler will be driving a few races this year and I also believe that Kevin (Harvick) wants to run a few Truck races for me this year.”

    “In essence, he’ll be driving his old stuff, so I figure it’s a win/win situation.”

    As with many NASCAR teams currently, Denette continues to be in the hunt for sponsors at all levels for his race trucks.

    “We’re still working on sponsors,” Denette said. “Right now, I’m still open for sponsorship.”

    “If someone wants to come up with some money and wants their company or logo on the side of my truck or on the hood of the truck, I’d gladly take it,” Denette continued. “I’ll put anybody on the truck that wants out there.”

    In addition to sponsorship dollars, however, what Denette is dreaming about most is getting that first ever race win next year with his new team and driver.

    “The first win, there will be nothing like it,” Denette said. “That’s what I came into the sport to do.”

    “I want to win,” Denette continued. “I want to win a driver’s championship. I want to win an owner’s championship. I want a NASCAR trophy of my own.”

    This week, Denette is going to finish up the 2011 season by heading to Las Vegas for NASCAR Championship week, taking the opportunity to check out that NASCAR trophy that he is so hoping to win next year.

    And, yes, Denette will not only be heading to the championship banquet but also hoping that he will get lucky at some of the black jack tables in the casinos as well.

    “I actually purchased a table at the banquet and have a group of six people coming with me,” Denette said. “We will have Hermie Sadler and his wife and some people who won a contest through the Virginia Lottery.”

    “It’s pretty cool. When you meet the drivers in person, it’s cool,” Denette continued. “You can sit down and talk to them. I played black jack last year with Kenny Wallace and Kurt Busch.”

    The biggest lesson that Denette has learned in his rookie year is that racing is indeed all about the people in the sport, especially having the right people in the right places to win. And, through it all, Denette’s passion for the sport, especially the Truck Series, has remained strong, if not increasing even further.

    “I love the sport even more now,” Denette said. “I have more access to come up to the drivers and talk to the drivers and shoot the breeze. I run across these guys all the time and I’m still amazed at what they do.”

    “Just go to a Truck race,” Denette said. “It’s unreal. Any day, any time, anybody can be a winner there.”

    “I’ve got a passion for trucks,” Denette continued. “To see them racing, it’s pretty cool.”

    “The Truck Series is the grass roots of NASCAR,” Denette said. “It’s how the sport started.”

    “And the best part is that anybody can come to the track and win.”

  • DeLana Harvick’s Advice for Women in Business: Be Who You Are

    DeLana Harvick, co-owner of Kevin Harvick, Inc., was recently recognized as an extraordinary businesswoman and for her outstanding contributions to her profession by The Business Journal at their 12th annual Women in Business Awards ceremony.

    While Harvick was flattered, as well as surprised to be counted in such great company, she shared just one piece of advice to all women in business, “Be who you are.”

    “Honestly, it caught me off guard,” Harvick said of her award. “I was really honored to be included in such an impressive group of women.”

    “When I got there, I really enjoyed learning about all the other accomplishments that these fourteen women had made in their lives,” Harvick continued. “Accolades and awards, it’s not that they don’t mean much to me, they do. But in order to be included in such an impressive group actually means more to me.”

    “The awards are really flattering, but I would say to anyone, just be you,” Harvick said. “Be who you are.”

    Harvick was nominated for the award by UNC Greensboro, where she graduated from college. She was specifically honored for turning a negative, the wearing of the fire suit issue, into a positive, using the controversy to develop a T-shirt which raised money for charity.

    Harvick’s role in the sport of NASCAR was also honored, particularly as a female team owner in a primarily male-dominated sport.

    “To me, I grew up in the sport so I never really viewed this as a male-dominated sport,” Harvick said. “Clearly it has been in the past, but in the last ten years or so you can see the impact that women have had in the sport from the business side and even women engineers and drivers.”

    “This was where I was going to be whether it was male-dominated or not.”

    Harvick has indeed been involved in the sport, growing up in fact as the only daughter of a racer. Her father, John Paul Linville, was a contractor by profession but a racer by passion, sinking all of his earnings into his race car and shop.

    “When I grew up and my dad raced in the Nationwide/Late Model Sportsman/Busch Grand National Series, we didn’t have a lot of money,” Harvick said. “My dad was a contractor and what he was able to put into the racing is what he made. There were no sponsors so I really learned a whole different side of the business based on how I grew up in the sport.”

    “I spotted for my dad and I did the travel,” Harvick continued. “I learned by just having to do.”

    “I’m a doer and I think that has played a big part into why Kevin and I and KHI are successful because we both grew up that way,” Harvick said. “We both had to do things and were not handed things.”

    Before KHI was even a glimmer in anyone’s eyes, however, DeLana Harvick as she was growing up wanted to be a racer herself.

    “Growing up I always envisioned myself racing,” Harvick said. “But my dad was a very old-school, Southern kind of guy. Women didn’t do that at the time.”

    “My dad was quite surprised with my level of determination about racing,” Harvick continued. “I definitely didn’t grow up the Southern belle that I think he may have wanted. So, I pushed and pushed and pushed but it just wasn’t something that he was willing let me do.”

    “Our deal was that if I graduated college, he would get me a car,” Harvick said. “Well, he got me a chassis so I had to build me a car and that took, between trying to work and everything else, a couple of years after I graduated.”

    “And at that point, I had met Kevin and really my life was in a different place,” Harvick continued. “So, it just never worked out for me.”

    “I did run a late model and my dad and Kevin were both there at the time,” Harvick said. “But I don’t think either one of them could have taken it with their nerves. They just couldn’t bear it.”

    “It never worked out and that’s okay,” Harvick said. “I think it was probably meant to be.”

    Rather than being behind the wheel, Harvick graduated college and went to work interning at Performance PR Plus. She shadowed the staff who handled Jeff Gordon’s public relations at the height of the Gordon frenzy which she acknowledges was a great learning experience.

    “I think that has served me well and I think I’ve probably gained the respect of people in this sport,” Harvick said. “I started out in PR so I certainly knew a lot of the media at that time. But I also knew a lot of the crew members, owners, and drivers because I had grown up in the sport.”

    In addition to her mother and father, Harvick also credits role model, mentor and friend Richard Childress as one of the most important influences in her life.

    “Richard (Childress) has been a very, very integral part of what Kevin and I have done,” Harvick said. “He’s always had the door open.”

    “He could have easily have seen this as a distraction for Kevin but he hasn’t,” Harvick continued. “Richard has embraced everything that we’ve done and for that we have truly been fortunate.”

    Harvick says that her other role models have been her parents, both of whom she admires for their passion and determination, especially after her father’s diagnosis of cancer when she was a young girl.

    “When I was twelve, my dad was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer and they told him he only had six months to live,” Harvick said. “Well, he lived for over twenty years.”

    “So, I think that spirit of pushing forward no matter what the challenges are, whether an illness or not having as much money as the guy parked next to you in the pits, is just to continue to press forward,” Harvick continued. “I learned so much from my dad in that aspect that really helped me in everything that I do.”

    Although Harvick’s father passed away in November 2005, she is still quite close with her mother, who lives nearby her home and the race shop.

    “While my dad went through his treatment, my mother had to work in order to support the family,” Harvick said. “I actually had gone to NC State for school and then came home because I had to take my dad to treatments while my mom worked.”

    “I really admire my mom’s strength,” Harvick continued. “She is way more outgoing and fun-loving than I am. I’m more straightforward and focused like my dad. I admire that about her.”

    Harvick has also learned from her parents, as well as through her own experience, that dealing with challenges is one of life’s most important lessons. She also credits having supports around her as a key element to her success.

    “I have good days and bad days and some turn out better than others,” Harvick said. “You have to surround yourself with good people and come to the realization that you cannot do it all.”

    What’s next for this accomplished woman, who has not only built her own career but also a thriving race team business?

    “A lot of people assume that Cup has to be the next step,” Harvick said. “That’s interesting to me and I certainly believe that KHI has built a foundation that could support that.”

    “Whether that happens or not, I don’t know,” Harvick continued. “I believe it has to be the right situation and the right time and place. And certainly sponsorship plays a huge part in that.”

    “More than anything I think KHI solidifies our place in the sport,” Harvick said. “At some point when Kevin stops driving, and he will, we still have an avenue to be involved in a sport that we’re both passionate about.”

    “So, I think that’s what I’m most proud of,” Harvick said. “You have to live out your dreams and do what makes you happy and what you’re passionate about, because you only get a chance to do this once.”

  • Delana Harvick: Gaining Respect, One Win at a Time

    Delana Harvick: Gaining Respect, One Win at a Time

    On Valentine’s Day, everybody thinks about the one that they love. NASCAR drivers are no different as most of them have that significant other that means a lot to them. Each week, us fans see them holding hands together on pit road before a race, sharing a moment before the driver goes to battle. However, there are some wives that find themselves in the spotlight more than others – such as Delana Harvick.

    [media-credit name=”SM.com” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]While most wives can be seen at the track looking fancy, dressed up, she shows up for ready for the day of racing. Wearing a firesuit that looks her husband’s, she can be seen on racedays taking down Kevin’s lap times on Sundays. She has mentioned on many occasions that she wears the firesuit for safety reasons as you never know what can happen on pit road.

    On Saturdays, she can be seen running around, helping with keeping all things to do with Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) in line at he track.

    She has found her way to the spotlight moreso than most wives through partly owning Kevin Harvick Incorporated and running daily operations, though also found herself in the middle of a feud last year.

    At Pocono after Kevin Harvick spun Joey Logano and they had a scuffle on pit road, Logano released a quote that became the quote of the season in many people’s eyes.

    “It’s probably not (Harvick’s fault),” Logano said. “His wife wears the firesuit in the family, tells him what to do, so it’s probably not his fault.”

    Delana Harvick turned the quote on its tails as she raised money for the Kevin Harvick Foundation by selling t-shirts for $15 each that said, “I wear the t-shirt in the family.”

    Delana Harvick knew racing way before her and Kevin got together as her father, John Paul Linville, was a driver in the Nationwide Series until 1995 and she’d be seen with him at the track. She used this time to learn more about the sport and in 1997, became a public relations representative for two-time Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie, among others. During that time, she met Kevin Harvick and they married on February 28th, 2001.

    “Kevin and I are not only husband and wife, but we’re best friends and we’re business partners,” Delana is quoted on Answer This… “I look back at some of my boyfriends and I think ‘what would have happened if, what if?’ I don’t think I could have been as truly happy professionally and personally as I am. I think you’re just destined to meet that person and for me that was Kevin.”

    The show NASCAR 360 in 2004 showed that type of love that they share between each other and how close it is. They are also known as a pair of pranksters, who are always trying to prank each other. On top of that, they are also business partners.

    “He and I balance each other,” she says. “The racer in him says if something new comes available you’ve got to have it. But I’m the most frugal person you’ll meet. It’s like being married. What we do wouldn’t work for everybody. We’re together 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When people say you can’t bring work home with you, that’s never going to happen for us.”

    With her professional background knowledge of racing and Kevin’s knowledge of the racing side, she helped Kevin build Kevin Harvick Incorporated and grow it to what it is today. 

    “There’s no handbook on how to run your own race team,” she told the USA Today on the owning experience in late 2010. “It’s somewhat trial by fire. I think we’ve done a good job with it. We’ve definitely made mistakes. The good thing about the Nationwide and truck series is those mistakes aren’t multimillion-dollar mistakes. And we knew we were going to make mistakes. But we were willing to learn and take it slow. That’s the one thing I’m really proud of is that we didn’t try to burst on the scene and do all these things. We were really methodical about how we built KHI.”

    Some of the mistakes she admits to making are how to correctly manage people.

    “Learning the business side of the sport and trying to manage a sponsor’s needs,” she said. “Because if they’re not happy, it’s not enough to put the decal on their car. If they’re not happy overall, they’re not going to stay with you. Early on, we had some sponsors come in, and I don’t think we did the best job in helping them figure out that motor sports was a good fit for them. But I’m actually proud that a lot of the sponsors we’ve had for a couple of years stayed with us. I think we’ve learned how to be really serviceable when it comes to that side of the business. That doesn’t come with a manual. That comes with learning and making mistakes.”

    Since it’s humble beginnings in 2001, they have built it to be one of the top organizations in both the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series. They have won two truck series championships with Ron Hornaday and over 30 wins between the two divisions.

    This year marks another key year for KHI as they have Elliott Sadler lined up to drive their Nationwide Series car all year, along with Hornaday and new driver Nelson Piquet Jr. in the Camping World Truck Series. Add in some one-off races that they have planned for  Tony Stewart, Harvick, and Austin Dillon, this year could easily equal to be a multi-championship, multi-win season. Is the Sprint Cup Series coming in the future though?

    “People ultimately think Cup racing is in our future,” she said. “We’ll never say never. It could be. I think we’ve really laid the foundation. I think we could do it. It would have to be right time, right place, right sponsor. Ultimately we don’t have to be Sprint Cup team owners to be successful in the sport. Ultimately that’s probably to our benefit. That may not always get us in trouble. People come in and automatically think we’ve got to be in the Sprint Cup Series. We don’t. We want to be successful in what we do and contribute to the sport.

    “If the time comes that we can do that in the Sprint Cup Series, we’ll look at it. The only thing we’ve ever wanted from KHI is to be able to sustain itself. I think anybody that goes into business for themselves and thinks they won’t have to invest a lot of their own money is probably kidding themselves. KHI can sustain itself at this point. I’m proud we’ve gotten to that point. For us, it’s not something we look at to generate income. It’d be great if it did. But we’re happy just being involved and being a part of it.”

    With the success of KHI, Delana Harvick has gained a lot of respect in the garage that has many followers of NASCAR respecting her for what she’s been able to accomplish.