Kevin Harvick: "Sometimes people try to make bigger stories out of things than they really are and as competitors you just have to take care of it in the garage amongst yourselves and it will all go away." Credit: Autostock

Conversation: Harvick

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kevin Harvick pulls no punches when it comes to motorsports and his passion for the means of his livelihood.

Harvick and his Richard Childress Racing team's abilities have put him in a position, after two races, to challenge for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, while RCR's Busch team has Harvick leading the points.

As an owner, Harvick scored his first Busch Series victory with Tony Stewart at Daytona, and has watched his Craftsman Truck Series team run competitively with Ron Hornaday.

Following Speedweeks 2005, Harvick sat down with NASCAR.COM senior writer Dave Rodman to discuss the start of the 2005 season, the validity of feuds in NASCAR racing and how he treats fans at promotional events.

Q: The result of the Daytona 500 was not what you guys on the Goodwrench Chevrolet team wanted, but was the positive momentum you gained throughout Speedweeks priceless?

Conversation: HarvickNASCAR.COM's Dave Rodman talks with Kevin Harvick Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

I think we've got good momentum. Obviously, (the Daytona 500) didn't go exactly how we wanted to, but man, we overcame a lot of things. The grill kept giving us fits all day and we almost got lapped.

Then, we had a wheel come loose so it was not the day we wanted it to be. The two runs on which we got our car right, I think we drove up to fourth or fifth. That was the first run on which we actually got to adjust on our car and understand how it was handling.

Then, there at the end we were coming up through the field for the last time and we had a solid, top 10 car and we got caught up in a wreck. It was just one of those deals where, at Daytona and Talladega, that's just how it is.

Q: With what we saw so far this year, do you feel like RCR will be much more of a three-pronged threat than we've seen lately?

Yeah, I think that all three cars are going to run good. I don't think it will be hit-or-miss like we used to see with what used to be the 30 (now, Dave Blaney's No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet) and the 31 (Jeff Burton's Cingular Chevy).

We feel like we've got a foundation built up with Dave and Jeff being there. Jeff has been there half a year and Dave is not going anywhere and you just feel like you're not taking a chance with somebody in the other two cars.

You know those guys are going to get the job done and if they're having a good day or a bad day -- you know that what they've got in their cars you can drive.

Q: After a few days for it to sink in, talk about the level of satisfaction you've got to have at the way your Busch team has come out of the box, winning with Tony Stewart at Daytona and then running so well at California?

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That was really cool for everybody at KHI, when Tony won at Daytona. I think the best part about it was that all the Hershey's folks didn't have to see the other people come to Victory Lane.

Even though we didn't win the race, we kept them out of Victory Lane (Harvick finished second). But it's pretty gratifying. DeLana and I have put a lot of time and effort into putting the right people in the right places and to come out and run as well as they did with the team, the first time together is really rewarding.

It was very exciting and I'm glad for Mr. Clean and all those people, because it was the first time they'd been to Victory Lane, so it was a win-win for a lot of people.

Q: I know this question came up after you finished second behind the car you own, but how much of a struggle do you have balancing car owner with competitor when you're chasing your car?

Well (laughing), when you're at restrictor plate racetracks like Daytona, when it comes down to the end of the race, you're hoping -- or I wanted it to be the 2, the 21 and the 33 (Harvick and his RCR teammate, Clint Bowyer; and Stewart) there battling for the win.

You can't really get yourself into position unless you've got somebody that's committed to you. And we had Robby Gordon pushing us up there through the pack, and then Tony came out of nowhere going it seemed like 20 miles an hour faster than everyone and drove around us.

I knew that once he got around us it was going to be tough for the other guys to get around both of us. So on the one hand, the competitor in me still would have wanted to win the race, but it's good to know that if the role were reversed, he would have done the same thing.

Q: You can't put yourself in someone else's shoes, but with the achievement that Tony created Saturday, winning in his third NASCAR national touring series, he joined some elite company -- currently only 10 drivers. Talk about the pride a driver feels in accomplishing that -- which you've done.

That's really how this whole Kevin Harvick Incorporated race team got started. I was really frustrated that I hadn't won a truck race, so we built trucks and went out and won a couple truck races.

Tony hadn't won any Busch races and had expressed an interest in running Busch races, so we built some Busch cars for him to run. The sponsors came, so we just decided to build those cars to run all year.

I know how he feels. I suffered through, I don't know, 74 or 75 races in the Truck Series without a win and had been close numerous times. Just to see the excitement and almost the relief on Tony's face in Victory Lane and to know how that feels is pretty cool.

Q: Probably the low point of Speedweeks was the tangle you had with Jimmie Johnson in the Gatorade Duel. How disconcerting is it to you when people -- primarily the media -- misconstrue or misrepresent events that happen on the racetrack, making up a feud where there isn't one, or try to make a racing accident more than that?

	Kevin Harvick 2005 so far... Race Str Fin Stndgs Gatorade Duel 2 21 - Daytona 500 30 28 26 Auto Club 500 31 6 13

I try to take it as it comes and take it for what it's worth. I've learned not to let myself get beat up over the things that you can't control.

I think the thing with Jimmie and I got blown way out of proportion and you know, it turned into a yearlong feud and this and that. But it really wasn't that.

It was nothing more than a racing deal that happened on the racetrack. The same thing happened with Mark (Martin) in practice and I just happened to save the car. The next thing you knew, I was smashed into the side of the car.

Sometimes people try to make bigger stories out of things than they really are and as competitors you just have to take care of it in the garage amongst yourselves and it will all go away.

Q: Overall, how do you anticipate the new aerodynamic and tire package being for you, crew chief Todd Berrier and the rest of your crew?

When we went to California (to test) it was immediately better for us. Whether it was just the work we'd done on our cars over the winter, or if the tires just had a better feel for me, or whatever the case might be (it was better).

But that wasn't around 43 other cars, too. I think the biggest concern everyone still has is racing around other cars and knowing what's going on there.

Q: How do you approach a fans' event like your "Take 5 Laps with Kevin Harvick?" Do you try to thrill 'em or scare the pants off 'em?

Well, it just depends on the type of person you have. You want to give 'em a thrill and usually the thrill comes with scaring somebody a little bit.

You just try to go out and get 'em as close as you can to the wall and give 'em the best ride that you can.

Q: Is there a consistent theme that people have expressed, after the rides?

I think the most consistent thing is being so close to the wall and how rough the racetrack is. Those are probably the most consistent answers that you get.

Q: Have your eyes ever been opened wider by the responses you get from people, or is it something you take for granted, being in the middle of this all the time?

Harvick celebrates with Tony Stewart in Victory Lane at Daytona. Credit: Autostock

I think this is something we take for granted a little bit because we've done it so much and we've been on the racetrack for so long, that you take for granted how special it is to come to Daytona and take laps in the car -- and how much it means to the race fans and the people who are around.

Being that we've raced in four Daytona 500s and some people are on the outside looking in, you really don't understand what the feeling is for those people, so it's pretty special when you have that reminded of you.

Q: These events seem to be pretty low key and a lot of fun. What's the hardest part of your scheduling? Is it not enough days in the week, or not enough hours in the day?

Usually not enough days in the week. You know, even when you schedule a two-hour appearance or any other event, it takes an hour to get there and an hour to get back.

It takes a lot of time in between just to plan everything. So there are just not enough days in the week, usually.

Q: I hate to have to ask, but what do you feel suffers the most, not only for yourself but also for everyone who's racing in Nextel Cup, given the demands of the schedule?

I think you just don't get enough time to do the things that you like to do. Most of us have other businesses or other things that we're interested in and those take up time. You have to take care of those things, too.

You just don't get enough time for yourself to do the things that you like to do -- and even to see your own house. You spend more time in the motorhome than you do in your house.