Kevin Harvick was credited with a 24th-place finish Saturday at Bristol. Credit: Autostock

Harvick replaced by Petty after numbness

Long green-flag run took toll on many in Sharpie 500

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Kevin Harvick lost feeling in his left arm during a long green-flag run in the Sharpie 500, forcing him to surrender the seat of the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet to Kyle Petty with 138 laps to go.

Harvick left the cockpit of the No. 29 Chevrolet with 138 laps left in Saturday's Sharpie 500. Credit: Autostock

Harvick said his seat was pinching a nerve under his left bicep, forcing his arm to go numb. Despite efforts to revive it when the caution flag flew, he decided to get out of the car.

"I tried to bring it back to life after that pit stop, but once we went racing again if fell right back asleep," Harvick said. "I knew the only thing to do was have someone replace me because I knew I couldn't drive the car with one arm."

SHARPIE 500 •   Results •   Standings Victory Lane Dale Jr. celebrates his Bristol weekend sweep In the Hunt Newman moves into top 10 after finishing second Final Laps Dale Jr. streaks to the checkers ahead of Newman Check and wreck Drivers get tangled up after checking up for Vickers Oh, Ricky! Craven and Rudd are involved in seperate crashes Early Trouble Spencer, Wimmer, Nemechek bring out cautions

Petty, whose time in the No. 45 Dodge on Saturday ended on Lap 150, was in his motor home at the track taking a shower when he was summoned to replace Harvick. He took over the RCR Chevy on Lap 362 and drove to a 24th-place finish.

Once out of the car, Harvick sat down in the pit stall and leaned against a set of tires, taking fluids and being tended to by Richard Childress Racing team doctor Jay Bolden. After several minutes, he hopped up, walked back to the transporter, took off his fire suit and continued taking fluids.

"It's a lot better now that I've had a chance to cool down and get some fluids back in me," Harvick said. "Dr. Bolden looked me over and made sure my arm was OK. I want to thank Kyle for taking over for me. I knew he'd drive it as hard as I did."

Race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. felt Harvick's pain.

"If there was ever a race I was going to fall out of the seat, this was it," Earnhardt said. "Your arms get tired, your back hurts, up and down both sides of the spine gets sore as hell. You try to move around in your seat down the back straightaway.

"Maybe Jeff Gordon or Rusty (Wallace) or some of them have seen tougher races, but this one was pretty tough. If somebody told me to come here and run 300 straight green flag laps, even during a test, I'd tell 'em 'Screw off. No way.'"