Harvick starts Busch team, hires Stewart

KERNERSVILLE, N.C -- A downtime bull session with Tony Stewart resulted in Kevin and DeLana Harvick Friday night unveiling one of the most palatial shop complexes dedicated to the NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series.

Kevin Harvick

Along with the stunning, 50,000-square-foot shop and office complex for Kevin Harvick Incorporated, the Harvicks also announced an aggressive program of Busch and Truck Series races that will see Stewart drive in nearly 12 Busch races over the next 10 months.

KHI will field a No. 33 Chevrolet in the full 2005 Busch Series for a combination of Stewart, Tony Raines and a driver to-be-named for the Mexico City inaugural.

Stewart's 10-race 2005 program, whose sponsor is yet to be announced, is in conjunction with Raines' 24-race schedule, backed by The Outdoor Channel (16 races) and Yard-Man (eight races).

The shop-warming party was the culmination of a three-year program by Harvick and his general manager, driving veteran Ed Berrier.

Tony Stewart

"We ran the first KHI entry back in 2001, which was a truck we built in Ed Berrier's garage," Harvick said. "With a lot of hard work and dedication we now have this new facility and two full-time efforts in two of NASCAR's premier divisions.

"It's hard to imagine all we've accomplished in three short years."

Harvick said the project was something he had vaguely contemplated, but was surprised it had come to fruition -- and fully sponsored -- when he set the wheels in motion.

"Tony Stewart," Kevin Harvick said when asked what made him decide to take his latest career step.

"Tony said he wanted to drive some more Busch races, and he said I ought to think about doing something like this," Harvick said. "I never thought it would come this far, this fast, but this is something I wanted to do, to prepare for my future in this sport.

Tony Raines

"Sponsorship, obviously, was a big concern, but once we made the decision to go ahead, we were able to secure the backing we needed very quickly."

Harvick entered his team's first Busch car, a Kid Rock Chevrolet, for Stewart last spring at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and it scored a top-five finish its fist time out.

KHI has entered a McDonald's sponsored No. 92 Chevrolet for Stewart in next weekend's Aaron's 312 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Harvick will drive Richard Childress Racing's No. 29 McDonald's/PowerAde Chevy.

"With the team Kevin has put together, I know we'll be competitive right from the get-go," Stewart said. "His own Busch Series record speaks for itself, so he knows what his own team needs to be competitive."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think we could win some races together," said Stewart, who has yet to win in the Busch Series.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity and coming in on the ground floor of a new organization like KHI," Raines said. "Because Kevin is a driver, it will give him a different perspective on the entire operation (and) I believe he can offer some insight and advice that will only make me and the team better."

Harvick also said he would continue to prepare the No. 33 for 2005 by running his Childress Racing Busch Series teammate, Clint Bowyer, in two of the final three races of the 2004 Busch season.

Tony Raines' Busch Stats 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

"It gets Clint some seat time, but it ensures that the No. 33 stays up there in the owner points," Harvick said. "That will be important in case we have bad weather next season in the first four races."

The Busch No. 33, which is jointly owned by Harvick and Andy Petree, is currently 34th in Busch owner points.

The Harvicks will compete for their first Busch Series owners' championship in 2005.

In 2003, Harvick shared RCR's No. 21 Chevy with Johnny Sauter, and Childress won the owners' title. Harvick won the 2001 Busch drivers' and owners' championships for RCR.

Harvick's new shop, which is located in front of his current facility, will also house the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet trucks that will be driven in 2005 by former two-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday.

Harvick also has plans to drive a No. 92 truck sponsored by Yard-Man and GM Goodwrench in 2005 races at Michigan International Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

KHI's engines will be provided by Childress' engine department, which currently does his truck engines.

"He's just doing a good job over there," Childress said of his lead driver. "I think he's going to do good (because) he's got some good people. I think he'll really do good next year."

For his part, Childress has constructed a "state of the art" 40,000-square-foot engine shop in his complex in Welcome, N.C., which he has yet to move his personnel into.

"We've got five or six teams we'll be doing engines for," Childress said of his Cup, Busch and truck engine program.