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A man who could be king


Kevin Harvick, and the Brickyard 400 from Indianapolis, Indiana.





Kevin Harvick...........   A man who could be king

No, Kevin Harvick did not fall off of a turnip truck as it passed by a speedway. His father Mike built stock cars for a living in Bakersfield, California and Kevin's earliest recollections are of being in a playpen in his dad's race shop. As is the case with most successful Cup drivers, racing is the only thing he has ever wanted to do.

At age six, Kevin's dad bought him a road course go-kart for his kindergarten graduation. In the ten years that ensued, he won seven national go-kart championships and two grand national championships. He had always dreamed of racing in, and winning the Indy 500. Problem was, when you are not rich, and your dad builds stock cars, that is what you drive.

Growing up near the Mesa Marin Speedway was a big plus. He had been hanging out at the track since he was a little kid, and started racing late models there when he was still in high school. In '92 he won Rookie of the Year honors in late models, and won the late model championship the next season. During this time he got some Featherlite Southwest Series experience.

Kevin took the Rookie of the Year title in Featherlites in '95, winning a race and placing eleventh in points. In '97 he started driving in the Craftsman Truck Series, and continued with the truck series in '98 while winning the Winston West Championship. He was also named Closed Wheel Driver of the Year by the Motorsport Press Association.

The following year while driving the Porter Cable truck at Martinsville, Kevin got his big break. Richard Childress asked him to drive for him in the Busch Series. In 31 Busch Series starts in 2000, he scored three wins, two poles, finished third in championship points, and won Rookie of the Year honors.

It was not slated as part of the job in 2000, but Kevin ended up doing a lot of testing in the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt. This move allowed Dale the freedom to pursue his business interests and dedicate more time to his DEI teams. Testing in the Cup car also helped Kevin develop his skills in the Busch Series.

When Kevin got the call from Richard Childress three days after the Daytona 500, he told Richard that he would do whatever the team needed him to do. He was used to the No. 3 cars, he had tested thousands of laps in them. He was also used to working with crew chief Kevin Hamlin and the Goodwrench team. The hard part, was putting his gear in Dale Earnhardt's locker in the team trailer. His friend and mentor is gone, he still feels Dale's presence in the car, and says he always will.
The copyright of the article A man who could be king in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish A man who could be king in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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