Harvick does not rule out Nationwide Championship run [Archive]

71Fan

13th February 2010, 06:38

To be truthful, I am extremely anti-Buschwacker. And, being a Kyle Busch fan it was with mixed emotions that I accepted his taking the championship. I ain't too happy about him running Toyota's either.

But, Cup-Lite is here to stay. Take it or leave it. And NASCAR is never going to limit Cup involvement in the series. So, as a fan of good racing, and considering the cars at least for this year are not nearly as specky as the Cup cars, I'll take the racing as is, hoping that at least a few non-full-time Cup drivers get a win or two, but enjoying the Cupsters presence nonetheless.

slorydn1

13th February 2010, 06:39

Not to mention if he does try it this year it will be different from 2001 and 2006...this time around it will be all in his OWN equipment, not the RCR world beater stuff he was driving when he dominated the Nationwide series in the past

71Fan

13th February 2010, 09:18

And where exactly does he get his equipment from?

harvick#1

13th February 2010, 11:04

And where exactly does he get his equipment from?

he builds all his chassis and cars, only the engines are from RCR ;)

he actually is a true owner, and builds his own stuff, unlike a couple teams, cough cough JR motorsports

71Fan

13th February 2010, 12:33

Cool, The Bakersfield Brat..... just made that up or did I hear it somewhere?...... got his own build shop. Hope it works out for him.

dunes

13th February 2010, 17:54

but I have an issue with them going in there and running for the championship, that should be for the nationwide-only drivers imo.

Comprimise; maybe they could compile two list and split the trophy into two catagories,[and still run the same race.] true nwide drivers and former nwide drivers. I think you get my drift. further more have an intro fee for the former nwide series to help offset the purse for they're winnings.example if the nwide race is putting up 500,000 for the winner then the cup guys[and gals] could match 20% of that for they're winnings and not interfer with the true nwide drivers earnings.
No I'm not on drugs,I think it will limit the cup drivers from nwide and open up more room for development and excitment.

willracefan

13th February 2010, 21:57

i guess kevin will have a good year then afterall because there is no doubt he will be in the points lead by charlotte.

harvick#1

13th February 2010, 23:33

Cool, The Bakersfield Brat..... just made that up or did I hear it somewhere?...... got his own build shop. Hope it works out for him.

he already has 2 truck Championships with Hornaday at the wheel, KHI has become very successful and for being a small team, they have been extremely competitive every race in the CTS and Nationwide.

Harvick has said though he has no intentions in going to Cup

Oli_M

14th February 2010, 10:37

muggle not

14th February 2010, 12:46

He might have a chance since Kyle will be concentrating on Trucks.
IUf both were running nationwide full time, I would choose Kevin over Kyle.

muggle not

14th February 2010, 12:47

He might have a chance since Kyle will be concentrating on Trucks.
If both were running nationwide full time, I would choose Kevin over Kyle.

slorydn1

16th February 2010, 21:39

Just wondering out loud here, but with all the rumors last year that Harvick wanted to leave RCR and join Stewart-Haas, and Stewart's glowing praise for the team after the Nationwide race, could we potentially be looking at KHI and Stewart-Haas combining in 2011, running cars in all three series?

I've been wondering about that myself. However, it seems at this time Harvick wants to take the same route Dale SR did,,and drive for someone else in the Cup Series (he constantly calls that his day job) and run himself and others in Nationwide and Trucks. He continuously swears up and down that he has no intentions of taking KHI cup racing. But, that said, in an interview back in January, Harvick did have this to say:

Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick says all of his sponsorships and all of his contracts are up after the 2010 season, and he plans to make a decision about his Sprint Cup home before signing any deals for Kevin Harvick Inc., which fields teams in the Nationwide and Truck series.

Harvick is a free agent after the 2010 season, and both he and RCR team owner Richard Childress have said there were some uneasy times during 2009 as rumors swirled that the driver would leave after 2009.

Now ready to start the 2010 season, they both believe they can be professional about the situation.

Harvick didn’t put a timetable on a decision Tuesday during the Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour.

“[KHI] will come last,” Harvick said. “Cup teams will come first. That will always be the priority. … Every contract I have is up, and once the Cup stuff goes, everything else follows.”

The rest of the article is at http://www.kevinharvick.com/index.php/news/article/kevin-harvick-will-make-cup-decision-before-signing-sponsors-and-manufactur/

Mark in Oshawa

16th February 2010, 23:10

I have no issues with Kevin in the Nationwide for the duration. He runs his own stuff...I can respect that.

71Fan

17th February 2010, 03:09

slorydn1

17th February 2010, 03:21

So Kevin gets his motors from RCR. That alone is an advantage most of the regulars do not have. To me, he will at least contend for the championship based only on that. Add in his inate talent and anything less is failure.

As to a merger....ain't gonna happen.

More than half the Chevys in the Nationwide field get their motors from either Earnhardt-Childress or Hendrick with a few that get them from Pro Motors.

All ford engines are Roush-Yates

And all the Toyota Motors come from either Gibbs or TRD

And the Dodges are supplied by Penske.

All are strong, reliable engines with lotsa power, so no real advantage there.

Mark in Oshawa

17th February 2010, 04:14

So Kevin gets his motors from RCR. That alone is an advantage most of the regulars do not have. To me, he will at least contend for the championship based only on that. Add in his inate talent and anything less is failure.

As to a merger....ain't gonna happen.

Most of the regulars? The fact remains Carl Edwards and Busch had basically Cup teams and will have the same this year. JR motorsports has a lot of Hendrick support, so does this mean Danica should be cleaning up? It is nonsense. The top 10 Nationwide cars are VERY evenly matched for support, and the next 10 are not that far off in the hands of the right driver.

Harvick running for his own team is a far more honest and legitimate championship run than him driving the 33 a few years back for RCR.

willracefan

18th February 2010, 19:49

its nice to see some of the non-harvick fans actually defend him. wow!

Mark in Oshawa

18th February 2010, 21:39

its nice to see some of the non-harvick fans actually defend him. wow!

Who said I was a Non-Harvick fan? Lol... Ok I am not a FAN per se, but I like Happy's way of working behind the wheel and I cant help but like the man. For the most part, I like most of the drivers out there. I have my favourites but I don't really hate any drivers other than maybe..oh I wont say.

71Fan

19th February 2010, 09:32

My guess is that you will see Kyle in very few nationwide cars this year although he is running California. Here are the Double Dippers unless I missed somebody.....

Kyle Busch
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
Greg Biffle
Brian Vickers
Kevin Harvick
Carl Edwards
Joe Nemechek

Out of that list, the only two that I know of that are running for the trophy are Harvick and Edwards. I would expect them to win at least a third of the races between them with Edwards taking the championship.

And yes, I think their motors alone are enough to give nothing less that top 10's all year long. Compared to at least half the Nationwide field they both have a huge advantage.

Oli_M

19th February 2010, 18:52

Keselowski is running all the season too. Car is fully sponsored.

71Fan

19th February 2010, 20:43

Thanks for the info.

btw, do ya'll think ANY of the Nationwide only teams have a chance at the trophy? I sure don't.

willracefan

21st February 2010, 00:49

Who said I was a Non-Harvick fan? Lol... Ok I am not a FAN per se, but I like Happy's way of working behind the wheel and I cant help but like the man. For the most part, I like most of the drivers out there. I have my favourites but I don't really hate any drivers other than maybe..oh I wont say.

well i wasnt exactly referring to you but one of the gordon fans.

harvick#1

21st February 2010, 01:08

I personally dont want to see Harvick run the full season, stick to Cup, work it out with RCR first, I wanna see good things happen in the Sprint series more than Nationwide.

NickFalzone

21st February 2010, 01:23

I agree Harv. It does not particularly impress me when full-time, well-sponsored Cup drivers drop to the minors to grab wins and a championship. I was somewhat OK with it on Kyle because he's still a very young driver and I thought he nearly deserved a Cup championship after the 2008 season. But 5 years from now, I would not be pleased if Kyle tried to win another Nwide championship. Harvick is too experienced and too talented to be playing at this level. THe only reason I could see him doing it is a. for money, and b. because he has zero faith in his Cup team. Neither of which sit well with me.

71Fan

21st February 2010, 02:22

guess I need to redact what I said about Kevin's motors.

And Nickfan....me thinks prehaps Kevin isn't as talented as some would think.

harvick#1

21st February 2010, 02:27

And Nickfan....me thinks prehaps Kevin isn't as talented as some would think.

Harvick is one of the top talented drivers overall in Nascar. hes won races on all different styles of tracks: cookie-cutters, short tracks, restrictor plates, road races, and at Indy. and if not for a blown engine at Dover and a total deadbeat car at Atlanta, Harvick was gonna be the 2006 Cup Champion

the problem is that RCR has cars that are very hit or miss, and last year was a huge miss on most parts.

NickFalzone

21st February 2010, 03:24

Harvick is a very talented driver, but my opinion is that his head, and his personality, have held him back from greatness. He always seems to have an attitude and that kind of thing can rub people the wrong way, including crewmembers. People have been talking "happy Harvick" in 2010 but my guess is that when the camera's off, it's the same angry dude.

harvick#1

21st February 2010, 03:28

you missed Nascar Drivers 360 when he was on it, he was a prankster the whole time at KHI.

and Harvick normally only got truely mad at drivers when he was in contention to win a race, the Rudd and Montoya incident was when he was in the top 5 at both events, and with the Rudd one, he was fighting for a Cup Championship in 2003, I'd be mad too.

he like Stewart, isnt afraid to tell it like it is

71Fan

21st February 2010, 05:00

harvick#1

21st February 2010, 14:17

ok if you say so.....your opinion and mileage obviously varies.

11 wins in over 300 Cup starts is a .03 win percentage. Compare that to Tony with 37 wins in 393 starts for a .094 or Kyle with 16 in 187 for a .085.

Kevin is mediocre as a Cupster at best.

Harvick has not been in the best of equipment in his career either, (if Harvick was in a Hendrick car, things could've been alot different)

he also knows how to bring a car home, compare his DNF ratio to those 2 drivers and see what it is

slorydn1

21st February 2010, 15:58

Harvick has not been in the best of equipment in his career either, (if Harvick was in a Hendrick car, things could've been alot different)

he also knows how to bring a car home, compare his DNF ratio to those 2 drivers and see what it is

Harvick has 661 career starts (before yesterday) in all 3 of Nascars National Series,and has been running at the finish of 618 of them (93.5 %). Only 15 of his 43 DNF's (well now 44) have been in the Cup Series,and only 6 of those have been due to crashing out. Unibrow has a career finishing pct of 89.5 %, and Tstew 87.3% Jeff Gordon 85.3%

And yes, competively speaking,the only year where RCR's cup equipment has been top notch (2006) Harvick won 5 races, and just missed winning a 6 when a rotten call by Berrier to stay out while leading handed Jr the win at the spring Richmond race that year.

Harvicks 11 cup wins since 2001 is 11th on the list and 9 of the 11 drivers ahead of him on the list have had the benefit of either Hendrick,Roush,or Gibbs equipment for the majority of that time (the only 2 who havent are Dale Jr (16 wins) and Ryan Newman (13 wins).OH and thats 11th on a list that contains 41 race winners, only 32 of whom won multiple races. Has Harvick proven he can get it done? The numbers say yes.

You don't have to look it up because I already did :p :

71Fan

21st February 2010, 18:06

Since BowWow has joined RCR as rookie, they are 50/50 in end of season ranking. Considering the Bakersfield Brat's experience level that seems rather telling.

slorydn1

21st February 2010, 18:25

Since BowWow has joined RCR as rookie, they are 50/50 in end of season ranking. Considering the Bakersfield Brat's experience level that seems rather telling.

Yeah,it tells me that ever since Shifty joined RCR that Kevin taught him everything he knows.

Lets look at the numbers:

Since joining RCR in 2004 as a rookie Bowyer has won 1 Truck race, 8 nationwide races and 2 cup races, and 1 Nationwide Series Championship.

In that time Harvick has won 4 truck races, 23 nationwide races, and 7 cup races (to include the Daytona 500) 2 Bud Shootouts,and the All-Star Race, and a Nationwide Series Championship

Ya gotta bring the Numbiz to the Numbiz fight! :D

damg75

21st February 2010, 19:02

Yeah,it tells me that ever since Shifty joined RCR that Kevin taught him everything he knows.

Lets look at the numbers:

Since joining RCR in 2004 as a rookie Bowyer has won 1 Truck race, 8 nationwide races and 2 cup races, and 1 Nationwide Series Championship.

In that time Harvick has won 4 truck races, 23 nationwide races, and 7 cup races (to include the Daytona 500) 2 Bud Shootouts,and the All-Star Race, and a Nationwide Series Championship

Ya gotta bring the Numbiz to the Numbiz fight! :D

Let's not let FACTS cloud this debate...the AGENDA must win, lol :D

slorydn1

21st February 2010, 19:21

Let's not let FACTS cloud this debate...the AGENDA must win, lol :D

Reminds me of the good old days when Jim Durham was announcing the Bulls games..... Cartwright, no numbers, dishes it back to Paxson, 18 FOOOOOOOOTER-GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!! And Chuck Dailey BUUUUUUUUUUUUUURNSSSSSSSS a Time out!!!!! :D

damg75

21st February 2010, 19:24

Reminds me of the good old days when Jim Durham was announcing the Bulls games..... Cartwright, no numbers, dishes it back to Paxson, 18 FOOOOOOOOTER-GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!! And Chuck Dailey BUUUUUUUUUUUUUURNSSSSSSSS a Time out!!!!! :D
Ahhh...the soundtrack to 1988-91 Bulls games; I LOVE IT! :s mokin:

71Fan

21st February 2010, 19:50

Not sure why ya'll think this is some kind of fight. I have no desire to change anyone's mind about Kevin. Justtrying to show where mine is coming from.

Mark in Oshawa

22nd February 2010, 05:37

Harvick has 661 career starts (before yesterday) in all 3 of Nascars National Series,and has been running at the finish of 618 of them (93.5 %). Only 15 of his 43 DNF's (well now 44) have been in the Cup Series,and only 6 of those have been due to crashing out. Unibrow has a career finishing pct of 89.5 %, and Tstew 87.3% Jeff Gordon 85.3%

And yes, competively speaking,the only year where RCR's cup equipment has been top notch (2006) Harvick won 5 races, and just missed winning a 6 when a rotten call by Berrier to stay out while leading handed Jr the win at the spring Richmond race that year.

Harvicks 11 cup wins since 2001 is 11th on the list and 9 of the 11 drivers ahead of him on the list have had the benefit of either Hendrick,Roush,or Gibbs equipment for the majority of that time (the only 2 who havent are Dale Jr (16 wins) and Ryan Newman (13 wins).OH and thats 11th on a list that contains 41 race winners, only 32 of whom won multiple races. Has Harvick proven he can get it done? The numbers say yes.

You don't have to look it up because I already did :p :

That follows my feeling for Happy. He hasn't always won, but he is in there digging. Last year was painful to watch, because no one with a sense of reality knew he and Burton got stupid all the sudden.

Harvick may never win a championship, but the reality is out of the guys who are not with Gibbs, Roush or Hendrick, he more than led the way. The top 3 teams in the business have more than shown to be a much more reliable team for victory. Harvick's numbers would be outstanding if he was with one of those three since he is adept of staying out of trouble. Cant remember the last time Harvick tore up the race car with a brain dead cramp. Edwards, Biff and JJ even cant say that...

71Fan

23rd February 2010, 22:02

If his talent as a racecar driver warranted it, I'm sure he would be with one of the big three.

harvick#1

23rd February 2010, 22:54

If his talent as a racecar driver warranted it, I'm sure he would be with one of the big three.

lmao, Earnhardt wanted him, he told RC that if he wasnt gonna hire hire, Dale was.

if Harvick had a mentor like Earnhardt, I'd believe he'd have the wins like Johnson, who benefited most from Gordon teaching him, and basically getting much of Gordons Chassis' in the early days. Harvick's teammate at that time in 2001 was Mike Skinner (thats alot of help coming from a winless veteran). I think since the addition of Burton, Harvick finally got to learn from a older veteran and see the patience needed

I don't believe there will ever be a driver more thrust into a situation that Harvick ever was. you got to remember that this was a team the Earnhardt built and they hit the wall after 2001, and they sort of rebounded in 2003, but never really hit a stride until 2006.

Mark in Oshawa

23rd February 2010, 23:55

If his talent as a racecar driver warranted it, I'm sure he would be with one of the big three.

it aint that simple and if you follow this sport long enough you will see that. Many drivers do nothing with big teams and run well with small teams and vice versa.

slorydn1

24th February 2010, 02:28

If his talent as a racecar driver warranted it, I'm sure he would be with one of the big three.

Harvick1 is right. Thats exactly what happend. Dale Sr went to RC and told him if he didn't hire Kevin for the #2 car He was gonna bring him in to drive the #3 DEI Busch car when he brought Jr Cup racing in 2000. RC hired him. He went on to be the 2000 Busch Series rookie of the year winning 3 races and finishing 3rd in the points. Kevin was already slated to make 7 starts in the cup series in the #30 AOL car in 2001 when Dale Sr passed away. You know the rest of the story.

Your assertion that he would have been one of the big 3 was spot on. Back in the 1999-2001 time frame RCR WAS one of the "big 3" in Nascar. Dale Sr was 2nd in points in 2000,and was poised to make a championship run in 2001 when he lost his life. Kevin was forced into a situation that for todays fan that didn't follow Nascar back then would be akin to something happening to Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson last year and Rick Hendrick having to hand the key to the 24 or 48 to Brad Keselowski all of a sudden.

What did Harvick do with that opportunity? Win in only his third Cup start, finish 9th in points in the Cup Series (in fact the 3/29 team finished 6th in owners points adding in Dale's 13th place points for the 500. Oh, and became the first driver to run both the complete Cup and Busch season, winning the Busch Championship.

Harvick has stayed loyal to RCR, finally spouting off if things don't get better performance wise he's going to test the free agent market.

Well fast forward to now and he's sitting atop the points, with what a team that had been considered second string for several years now. His loyalty to RCR cost him a shot with the Hendrick/Gibbs/Roush conglomerate. Toyota pushed to make Kevin Harvick their marquis driver when they decided to go cup racing back in 2007, but had to settle for Mikey Waltrip and Brian Vickers.

71Fan

24th February 2010, 03:36

ahhh c'mon Mark, first NASCAR race I went to was way back in the mid 60's. The good drivers get the good rides. And if they don't perform they get the axe.

71Fan

24th February 2010, 03:41

btw, slo.....I very well know the history of RCR, tho I didn't know about the deal to put Kevin in a Busch car.

As for Kevin winning in his third start. Kind of amazing what a guy can do when he shuts up and drives one of the best cars on track.

Mark in Oshawa

27th February 2010, 12:10

ahhh c'mon Mark, first NASCAR race I went to was way back in the mid 60's. The good drivers get the good rides. And if they don't perform they get the axe.

Ya..they do. Didn't see Kevin Harvick losing his ride because he couldn't drive. Maybe because he CAN. RCR has let him down more than he has let them down, and Richard Childress all but said so last year when Harvick was getting cheesed off. There is no doubt in my mind if he becomes a free agent, he is quite capable of filling a seat at Roush, Gibbs or Hendrick. The thing is, is he BETTER Than any of those drivers? Based on recent years, Jr isn't as good as Harvick although last year it was ugly for both of them. Harvick is running better than the 24 now, but not over history. Better than Mark Martin or JJ? No. Better than any of the Roush boys? Based on this year, yup, all of em. So your assertion that Harvick is a loud mouth with no talent is weak and unfounded. Hey may spout off, but then he runs his own team and wins championships and wins his own races when he sits in.

Happy Harvick is one of the better drivers in NASCAR. PERIOD.