A tale of caution and GO!
Kevin Harvick comes home to give Youth Racing Series a boost of energy after recent setbacks
| Wednesday, Oct 07 2009 10:59 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Oct 07 2009 11:24 PM
Images
Michael Fagans / The Californian Kevin Harvick gets settled in to the car he will drive at the Bakersfield Speedway while members of the North Stars Motorsports team talk to him and take pictures during a Youth Racing Series program on Wednesday afternoon in Bakersfield.
Michael Fagans / The Californian Kevin Harvick signs the front bumper of Porterville High School's Trent Carter's car after Carter's team reattached the nose after it got knocked off by Harvick's car during practice laps for the Youth Racing Series at the Bakersfield Speedway on Wednesday afternoon in Bakersfield.
Michael Fagans / The Californian Dakota Schweitzer of Centennial, left, and Trent Carter of Porterville, talk with Kevin Harvick about driving conditions at the Bakersfield Speedway during a Youth Racing Series program on Wednesday afternoon in Bakersfield. Trent Carter lost the nose of his racing car when he bumped into Harvick's car during practice laps.
Californian staff writer
When it comes to racing on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, it's been a season of frustration for Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick.
Wednesday afternoon at Bakersfield Speedway, Harvick was all smiles as he helped the fledgling Kern County Youth Racing Series get on track -- literally.
Harvick, who helped raise money for the series a couple of years ago, was instrumental in getting the kids on the track after the series hit a road block.
The series, which competed at the old Mesa Marin Raceway half-mile before it shut down, was supposed to resurface at a planned half-mile paved oval west of town.
But that project ran out of funds, sits half finished, and is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
In jumped Harvick, who said he'd show up and help promote the event if Bakersfield Speedway track owner would give the kids a night to race.
Harvick even agreed to race with the kids, but said it's more about them, and getting the series jump-started, than him.
"When we talked about doing this event for tonight, I wanted it to be about the Youth Racing Series, the Hobby Stock race," he said. "I wanted it to be more about the race than whatever I did.
"A lot of people in the community have put a lot of time and money into the effort and it's great to see it all come together ... to see it finally comevto the race track and see the kids in the car. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm really excited about it."
Unfortunately, Havick can't say the same about his Cup season. He sits 21st in points, has only finished in the top five three times this season and hasn't won a race since the season-opening Daytona 500 in 2007.
That hasn't set well with Harvick and there were talks about him leaving Richard Childress Racing, who he has been with since he started Cup racing after the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, for potentially green pastures next season.
That won't happen as Harvick will be back with RCR for the final year of his contract in 2011.
"We've gone through a lot of changes on the Cup side and over the last few weeks the cars have run better," Harvick said. "We didn't run well last week but the main focus is to get the cars running back top 10. As a whole organization we just haven't run well and that's pretty much it."
Still, there have been highlights -- mostly in the Nationwide Series and the Truck Series, where Harvick is a team owner.
"The Nationwide and truck stuff has been pretty spectacular this year," he said. "That's the only thing that's kept me sane."
Harvick's driver in the truck series, Ron Hornaday, is the series points leader and Harvick has run well in his Nationwide car.
But Wednesday night was about good old-fashioned dirt track racing and Harvick was right in the thick of things with the high school kids.
"I don't know if I'm the greatest teacher on dirt. We should have went and got Dick Shepherd or somebody to help them learn," he said. "But tonight is all about them having fun and learning what the cars are all about. I can guarantee they're going to have a good time and that's what it boils down to."
