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The Kevin Harvick Sweepstakes hasn’t even begun in earnest and already we’re hearing tons of rumors about where the driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet will wind up after his final season at Richard Childress Racing in 2010.
But we’ve been down this road before with Harvick back in 2007, and for all the posturing and claims that he was going to leave the only Cup team he’s ever known after that season, he ultimately wound up signing once again with RCR.
And now there’s a new round of rumors that have increasingly grown like wildfire ever since Harvick said last week that he likely will be moving on after next season.
Thus far, in less than a week, I’ve heard these various scenarios of where Harvick is reportedly heading to:
* Stewart Haas Racing to drive a third car, and possibly bring Shell sponsorship with him (which would seem the most logical).
* Hendrick Motorsports (perhaps to fill the void when Mark Martin finally calls it quits).
* Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (if funding can be found to expand the team back to three cars, or if Juan Pablo Montoya decides to jump ship).
* Joining forces with Dale Earnhardt Jr., if Junior decides to form his own Cup team, one of the most outlandish reports I’ve heard yet. But wait, there’s an even more outlandish rumor that I heard Saturday to come.
* Harvick forms his own team and goes it alone, ala Robby Gordon, or with a second driver. And who might that second driver be? Here’s where the even more outlandish story surfaces: Danica Patrick. Harvick would be following in the footsteps of Michael Andretti to milk Patrick for her box office appeal, not to mention all the sponsors that would clamor to be part of her team. Can you say “cash cow”? He’d have one in Patrick, and his retirement plan would be secured forever.
Before I get back to Harvick’s future, let me add a bit more about the Patrick situation.
About a month or so ago, when the “Where’s Danica Going To Wind Up?” flames were burning bright, a good source called to say Danica may very well make her NASCAR debut later this year, something that no one else has seemed to pick up on.
My source hypothesized that Danica’s debut might happen in a Camping World Truck, in her adopted hometown of Phoenix and at the upcoming November race at Phoenix International Raceway, where she’s logged hundreds of miles of testing over the years. It sure as heck made sense to me.
And, last but not least, she’d be driving a truck for the guy who won last year’s truck race there.
None other than Kevin Harvick himself.
Thus far, neither Harvick nor Patrick’s representatives have said anything about it being a possibility, let alone become a reality. But I figure I must have struck a sensitive nerve when a few folks from PIR and ISC reached out to me, wondering how and where I had heard that, as if I had bugged the racetrack’s front office and uncovered a deep, dark secret.
But think about it. Patrick still hasn’t confirmed that she’s resigned for three years with Andretti, although everyone and his brother seems to believe that.
She supposedly is waiting to make a big announcement about the signing, an announcement that was supposed to happen last week at the IRL season finale in Homestead, Fla., but which never took place. So, what better place to finally make the announcement about her future than to do so at PIR – where she would not only extend her IRL career, but also start her NASCAR career on her adopted home track?
It makes so much sense. Her IndyCar season is over, and she wants to tap her toes in the NASCAR waters. What better place to get some significant media coverage than Phoenix, which is only an hour’s flight from LA, is also home of her primary IndyCar sponsor (GoDaddy.com) and is only about a 30-minute drive from Patrick’s home in suburban Phoenix.
But enough of Danica mania for now. Let’s get back to Harvick.
I understand why the Bakersfield, Calif., native may want to leave. Things just haven’t gotten markedly better for him during his nearly 10-year tenure with RCR. Sure, he’s had a few tastes of great success, like winning the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, and finishing fourth in the Chase last year (as well as 2006).
But it’s pretty apparent that if Harvick is going to become a consistent championship contender, it’s going to have to be at some other address than Welcome, N.C., home of RCR.
Harvick and his wife have built a mini-empire in both the Trucks and Nationwide Series. It would seem logical that the next step would be to form their own Cup team, using it as a precursor to when Kevin retires to become a full-time owner, just like Childress did, stepping aside as a driver so that the late Dale Earnhardt could fill his seat – and why Earnhardt began DEI, to have a plaything when he planned upon retiring from driving.
To his tremendous credit, Harvick handled being thrown into one of the most difficult situations any driver could be subjected to – trying to replace an icon like Earnhardt after his tragic death at Daytona in February 2001 – as well as anyone could ever be expected. He responded with a maturity beyond his years, essentially being forced to grow up fast in Cup racing because he – and his team – had no other choice.
But sometimes, no matter how hard you try and how many tries you give it, sometimes there is just an insurmountable hurdle that one can’t get over – much like Mark Martin never winning a Cup championship. It seems to be the same way with Harvick and RCR: they have been able to get close to greatness, but for every step forward, they wind up taking two steps back.
Harvick’s still young and has many years ahead of him as a racer, probably at least 10. If there ever is a time for him to move on, the end of next season is the best time to do it.
And given all the rumors of where he’s headed to having already surfaced so quickly, it’s going to be interesting to see exactly which rumor proves to eventually be true – particularly if it’s related to Stewart or Patrick.
For now, let’s just enjoy the time Harvick has had at RCR, the time he has remaining and wish him the best in his next endeavor, because he’s earned it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/19 at 02:49 AMI’m not sure jumping ship with RCR will be the right move; but, I guess when you have a year like Harvick, and the rest of the RCR bunch, is having you have got to keep an open mind. I do believe that Harvick will someday field a cup car, maybe this is the time.
-Taglia
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