Carelli's fifth bolsters Team Harvick

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Despite his team still chasing sponsorship to continue, team owner Kevin Harvick had every right to grin widely on pit road at Daytona International Speedway after Friday's Florida Dodge Dealers 250.

Not only did his team have a top-five finish for its No. 6 RE/MAX Chevrolet; Harvick had a big lesson.

"What can you say?" Carelli said. "I knew I was a sitting duck right there when they all lined up and I knew they were gonna get us. Kevin started telling me that on the radio in polite words, but I'm happy."

Carelli had every right to smile, after coming from a lap down to lead 16 circuits and have a shot to win after a red flag with six laps remaining set up a three-lap run to the checkers that was won by Robert Pressley.

"He did a helluva job," said Harvick, who father Mike once worked as Carelli's crew chief. "We came back from a lap down -- a little penalty there -- but he kept his cool and kept everything underneath him and did a heckuva job.

"I knew when the caution came out and we were sitting there in the front we were in trouble, but we did a great job with this Chevrolet and I hope we can put something (sponsorship) on the side and keep after it. I was burning holes in the pit box pacing back and forth."

Harvick, who drives for owner Richard Childress in the Winston Cup and Busch Series, assembled a pit crew for his truck from the Winston Cup garage and got his lessons, as well.

"We had a couple Goodwrench guys and a Cingular guy and a Havoline guy -- we just had a little bit of everybody -- a bunch of guys that just like to race," Harvick said.

He started the truck program as a sidelight for himself, but it's grown to more than that.

"I think the biggest thing it's done right now is it has given me a whole different perspective on what Richard (Childress) is going through up on the pit box," Harvick said. "Sitting here on the other side of the fence, when I hear Rick get revved up on the radio I know what I sound like so it's a good experience for me."

Even though Carelli's long-time supporter Davy Liniger of RE/MAX backed the truck, the truck's sides were plain. That is Harvick's next project.

"This whole thing started when I was just gonna race it four or five times," Harvick said. "Rick didn't have anything going and I promised him we would race this race.

"Right now we're just trying to get the sponsorship tied down and get through Darlington and Martinsville and then I'll race a few races here and there. But we've got a brand new shop and people put in place so we're ready to go."

"This guy (Harvick) put this truck and crew together," Carelli said. "We tested it at Talladega, came down here and run up front. I made a mistake and it cost us a stop-and-go on pit lane.

"Kevin put together a crew and I drove my heart out. We just want to continue this deal all year and if we get some stuff on the side we're gonna bid for this championship. Maybe next time we come down here we can have three Chevrolets gang up on these guys."

"I mean, we were just out-numbered," Harvick said of the run to the flag, in which four Dodges lined up and ran by Carelli. "Two of Bobby Hamilton's trucks were sitting there and Ted Musgrave -- and those trucks were tough to beat by themselves.

"For our first time out and just throwing this truck together in a month I think the guys did a great job."