Other Shoe Drops - Harvick Shutters Entire Operation, Shop for Sale
General
You think there can be 3 shoes, huh?! Maybe two left feet in there!
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
General
You think there can be 3 shoes, huh?! Maybe two left feet in there!
Other Shoe Drops - Harvick Shutters Entire Operation, Shop for Sale
General
Sep 9, 11:01 AM EDT
Harvick to shutter Trucks Series team
By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
Latest News
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick Inc. plans to close its Trucks Series program and looks to sell its 70,000-square-foot shop in North Carolina.
Team owner Kevin Harvick had announced this week he was moving his Nationwide Series teams over to Richard Childress Racing. The two cars will run out of the RCR shop beginning next season.
He confirmed Friday he'll shutter the rest of KHI's racing program and the company will focus in the future on Harvick's personal business and brand. Harvick listed a variety of reasons for his decision, pinning most of it on business decisions and his desire to win a Sprint Cup championship.
KHI fielded its first truck in 2002 and won 39 races and two championships in 343 entries. The first Nationwide car was fielded in 2004, and KHI won 10 races in 347 entries.
2011 The Associated Press.
The story below is from today's Richmond paper, also... a day late and dollar short:
By: Paul Woody
Published: September 09, 2011
The name of the company is Kevin Harvick Inc., but anyone who has spent time at a race track or interacted with KHI, knows Kevin Harvick is not the sole manger of the business.
DeLana Harvick, Kevin's wife, is an equal partner in the decisions and in everything that involves the business.
For 10 years, almost the entire time they have been married, the Harvicks have operated KHI.
Kevin, 35, focuses on the competition side.
DeLana takes care of the marketing and public relations.
But even that breakdown does not adequately describe how the Harvicks run their business, which includes three trucks in the NASCAR Camping series and two cars in the Nationwide series.
"We're both very interested in what happens on the other's side of the wall," DeLana said.
"We both have opinions on what happens on the other's side of the wall.
"We have disagreements. We respect each other's opinion enough in our areas of expertise, but we always offer our opinions. And, we always offer the 'I told you so' when one is right and the other wrong."
The Harvicks aren't often wrong. Their three trucks are fourth, fifth and 12th in the standings.
Elliott Sadler is the primary Nationwide driver for KHI and is second in the standings. Kevin has made 11 starts in KHI's second Nationwide car and has five top-five finishes and six top 10s.
The Harvicks have a unique arrangement.
"It's a good thing," Kevin said. "She knows how much time and effort goes into everything. She understands when you have to go test, when you have an appearance.
"It's not all about what you wear on Sunday to show off. She knows we're here to do our jobs and sometimes that requires a lot of time and effort. She understands how that works, and it helps."
The Harvicks' business will take a different form in 2012. On Wednesday, they announced a merger of their Nationwide operation with Richard Childress Racing. Harvick drives for Childress on the Sprint Cup circuit.
DeLana, 38, did not get involved in racing because she fell in love with a driver 10 years ago. Her racing roots run deeper than many of the drivers on any of the NASCAR circuits.
Her father John Paul Linville drove on the Nationwide circuit until 1995.
"I went to my first race when I was three weeks old," she said. "I had no brothers or sisters. It was just my dad and me at the track. I didn't do the regular, normal girl scouts or brownies. I was at the race track.
"For a while, I had thoughts that I was going to teach high school English. As I got a little bit away from the racetrack, I realized I missed it. This is home to me."
Initially, she wanted that home to be in a car on the track, not in the office, managing cars and trucks that race around the tracks.
"I really wanted to drive, but my dad was a very old-school southern kind of guy, and girls just didn't do that," DeLana said. "He would let me be a part of everything else. He would teach me how to work on cars.
"But I never got the opportunity to drive until I was in my mid-20s. And with kids starting when they were four and five years old, I was way behind the curve."
Still, she finished 11th in a 100-lap feature.
Her hope for racing career coincided with her courtship by Kevin. His career was starting to thrive, and DeLana once again put her thoughts of driving aside.
DeLana is fiercely competitive, refuses to settle for anything or any effort that is less than the best, on and off the track, and such an attitude does not always win friends.
She understands. It does not influence any of her decisions, no matter who might agree or take offense.
"A lot of people are right. I can be your biggest, most loyal supporter, or your biggest foe," she said. "It just depends on how you want to go, on how you want to be."
Criticism occasionally is directed toward DeLana for her role in a male-dominated sport.
"A lot of time, stereotypes are a lot of bull," she said. "I'm confident in what I know and believe. I'm confident in the decisions I make. They're not always popular, and that's OK. I understand that.
"Anybody who is confident in what they do understands what I'm saying. I'm not arrogant about what I do, but I'm confident about what I do. I realize I can't please everybody. But if I please myself, and Kevin and I are on the same page, then I don't have anyone else to prove anything to."
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
Danica Wants to Run Daytona 500
General
Sep 8, 4:13 PM EDT
Patrick hopes to start Cup career at Daytona 500
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Danica Patrick says it would be nice if she got to start her NASCAR Sprint Cup career at the Daytona 500.
The Indy Racing League star, who is moving to NASCAR fulltime next season, will run a limited Cup schedule in a car owned by Tony Stewart next year. She also will race fulltime in the Nationwide series in a car owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Stewart plans to have Patrick drive in eight to 10 Cup races next season, mostly at tracks that figure to be difficult for her.
She says the idea is to give her a head start on learning at those tracks, but starting at one where she might have success would be nice. She plans to move to the Cup series fulltime in 2013.
2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
Video - Carl Edwards Lands on the USS Eisenhower in F-18 at Sea off Norfolk
General
There has always been a large presence at Richmond races by members of the military, thanks a great deal to the efforts of the late Paul Sawyer, founder of the Richmond track and to the location of numerous bases in the vicinity. I'll never forget my most spine tingling moment at a racetrack. Prior to the September 1981 Wrangler SanforSet 400 Winston Cup race at Richmond, Paul Sawyer built a new viewing area in a prime location between the 4th turn and start/finish line for handicapped and disabled patrons. Paul didn't tell anyone exactly what he had planned, but when race time came, he held up the start. The grandstand fans became restless and began to boo. Just then, we all saw a long fleet of ambulances, one strung out behind another,enter the track gate next to the new handicapped viewing area. Paul himself and his son Bill met the ambulances as they entered the track. Paul had arranged for this fleet of ambulances to go to the McGuires Veteran's Administration Hospital in south Richmond and transport the most severely handicapped, all paraplegic/quadriplegic military veterans, for a day at the races. He had arranged also for a group of nurses and medics to attend this distinguished group. I'll never forget the veterans being carried on litters from the ambulances to the viewing area. About this time track announcer RayMelton directed the attention of the restless, booing crowd to the area where the veterans were being accommodated. The boos turned to a standing ovation by the Richmond race fans with their cheers for the veterans overwhelming all other sounds at the track. I'll always remember Paul and Bill Sawyer going to each veteran and placing a track hat on each head as they thanked them for their selfless service to our country. Once he was finished doing this, Paul Sawyer told NASCAR they could start the race. Just one reason why Paul was so loved by race fans. I remember another incident at Richmond when NASCAR wanted to quickly start a race because of impending inclement weather. Paul said fine, just as soon as we play the National Anthem. He would not let a race start without the playing of our National Anthem. I found out later that Bill Sawyer knew all of the disabled veterans the Sawyers brought to the track. He met them because every single week, without fail, Bill Sawyer went to the Veteran's Hospital taking all the racing anewspapers and magazines received by the track and sharing them with the soldiers as he made the rounds. When I say that the NASCAR drivers and Richmond and Tidewater Virginia race fans loved the Sawyer family you can see why. One of my prized possessions is a photo I received after Paul Sawyer had mearrange for a group of sailors to have Richmond pit passes in September 1990 after returning from the Gulf War. In this day of fakery and self serving promotions, I wish we could have more folks who remembered our veterans because they really cared, like Richmond's Paul Sawyer,and not because it might look good on television.
Video - Carl Edwards Lands on the USS Eisenhower in F-18 at Sea off Norfolk
General
The Richmond track recently arranged for driver Carl Edwards to visit sailors on the USS Eisenhower and "take a ride." Here's a little video:
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
Harvick Merges Nationwide Team with Childress
General
In the article below, from TheNASCARInsiders.com, the author speculates Clint Bowyer is gone from RCR, the #33 Cup team will be shut down and re-establishing two NATIONWIDE teams at RCR gives Richard a place to put his two grandsons. Kevin Harvick is scheduled to address the media at Richmond on Friday. Doesn't sound too good for Elliott Sadler.
Are We Watching The Demise Of Kevin Harvick Inc?
Sep 8th, 2011 by T.C. TheNASCARInsiders.com
It was announced on Wednesday that starting in 2012, Kevin Harvick Inc.s Nationwide Series program would be merged with Richard Childress Racing. Effectively, what this merger means, is that KHIs #2 and #33 NNS teams will now be run out of RCRs shop in Welcome, NC. Elliott Sadler will continue piloting the #2 and a round robin of Cup drivers will drive the #33. This announcement, combined with the recent rumors of the demise of KHIs Truck Series program, really make me wonder if after ten years in existence we arent seeing the end of what Kevin and Delana built.
If you might remember, it hasnt quite been a year since RCR announced it would no longer field its own NNS entries, and that it would combine its efforts with KHI. Now the move is being reversed.
Why Kevin and Delana are getting out now is unclear, but what is certain is why RCR is interested in having a Nationwide program back under its roof: Richards grandsons Austin and Ty Dillon. Austin is currently in his second season behind the wheel of RCRs #3 truck, and appears set to join the Nationwide Series full time for 2012. Taking control of two established teams gives RCR a leg up in giving Austin what he needs to be successful next season and beyond.
Brother Ty, who is currently rolling over the competition in ARCA (he currently has a 405 point lead in the standings), would be in line to take over the #3 truck from Austin. And it wont be long before Ty is himself running NNS races.
Something else to consider, is if this move might be an indication that Clint Bowyer could actually be departing RCR at seasons end. Weve heard that if Bowyer does leave, there is a good chance that the #33 Cup team will be shut down. Taking on multiple NNS entries would be a replacement for that team, and would allow RCR to hang on to employees they might otherwise let go.
Harvick is scheduled to address the media on Friday at Richmond, where he will hopefully shed some more light on what the future looks like for KHI. But after it appeared he could be on the road to being the next owner/driver in the Cup Series, it now looks like KHI is being dismantled.
Harvick Merges Nationwide Team with Childress
General
This announcement received very little media coverage. There has been speculation the past month or so that all was not A-OK at Kevin Harvick Racing.
Posted: Thursday September 8, 2011 12:45AM ; Updated: Thursday September 8, 2011 12:45AM
Harvicks to merge team with Richard Childress
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick Inc. will merge its current Nationwide Series program with Richard Childress Racing beginning next season.
RCR announced Tuesday the team will field the two KHI entries next season. Elliott Sadler will drive the No. 2 Chevrolet, and the No. 33 will be filled by a mix of drivers from RCR's team.
KHI still has a Truck Series program, and there was no mention of that in the announcement Tuesday. Harvick has said repeatedly of late his organization will be changed next season.
Few other details of the merger were announced, but RCR said Harvick will be active in the Nationwide program and KHI will be involved in the business and competition parts.
KHI has 10 Nationwide victories and 39 Truck Series wins since opening in 2001.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
TV Shows I miss
General
Used to work with Dave when his Allied-Signal, Inc. sponsored our Autolite Platinum 250 Busch Series races at Richmond. Every year that particular September Busch race drew more entries than any other on the circuit, including Daytona and Charlotte. One year we had 69 entries. Dave was agood guy and very well spoken.