 | | Kevin Harvick's win at Bristol was one of just a few headlines he was happy about in 2005. Credit: Autostock |
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
December 9, 2005
03:31 PM EST (20:31 GMT)
It is not difficult to describe the kind of year Kevin Harvick endured in 2005. Tumultuous. Headline-filled. Inconsistent. Riddled with penalties. Harvick's season was parlayed on the front pages all season long. Every month, it seemed, created a new headline.  | | |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Kevin Harvick in 2005 |
| Race |
Start |
Finish |
| Daytona 500 |
30 |
28 |
| Auto Club 500 |
31 |
6 |
| UAW DaimChry 400 |
42 |
5 |
| Golden Corral 500 |
36 |
21 |
| Food City 500 |
13 |
1 |
| Advance 500 |
5 |
32 |
| Sam/RadSh 500 |
17 |
13 |
| Subway Fresh 500 |
10 |
19 |
| Aaron's 499 |
1 |
12 |
| Dodge Charger 500 |
24 |
14 |
| Chevy 400 |
7 |
5 |
| Coca-Cola 600 |
33 |
14 |
| RacePoints 400 |
7 |
25 |
| Pocono 500 |
8 |
8 |
| Batman 400 |
28 |
25 |
| Dodge/S. Mart 350 |
21 |
37 |
| Pepsi 400 |
7 |
24 |
| USG 400 |
9 |
19 |
| New England 300 |
8 |
22 |
| Penn. 500 |
10 |
6 |
| Allstate 400 |
14 |
19 |
| Sirius at the Glen |
13 |
15 |
| GFS Marketplace 400 |
42 |
22 |
| Sharpie 500 |
19 |
37 |
| Sony HD 500 |
18 |
14 |
| Chevy 400 |
1 |
10 |
| Sylvania 300 |
9 |
10 |
| RacePoints 400 |
17 |
19 |
| UAW-Ford 500 |
42 |
10 |
| Banquet 400 |
20 |
24 |
| UAW-GM Quality 500 |
35 |
28 |
| Subway 500 |
29 |
15 |
| Bass/MBNA 500 |
31 |
22 |
| Dickies 500 |
33 |
16 |
| Checker 500 |
8 |
23 |
| Ford 400 |
14 |
8 |
| Average |
19.2 |
17.4 |
|
|
January: Harvick skips Daytona testing February: Harvick, Nemechek nearly brawl after Duel crash March: Berrier suspended four races for illegal fuel cell April: Harvick sweeps at Bristol May: Harvick, Nemechek clash again June: Harvick denies move to Penske July: RCR makes changes in engine department August: Harvick's crash at Bristol ends Chase hopes October: Berrier suspended again After the season mercifully ended, Harvick was left with his second consecutive finish of 14th in the points. For a guy who shows up at Speedweeks every year with only one goal -- winning the Nextel Cup championship -- 14th is an off-year. Still, there were a few bright spots. "[The] 2005 [season] certainly was not the season we expected to have, but it was not a complete wash either," said Harvick, who turned 30 on Dec. 8. Harvick ended up with just three top-fives, the lowest output of his five-year career. All three of his top-fives came in the first 11 races. Despite the struggles, Harvick performed brilliantly on the short tracks, and team owner Richard Childress started working to improve the cars that were inconsistent on the critical downforce tracks. "Richard has taken steps to improve the organization as a whole, and I think that is going to show in 2006," Harvick said. "I've never been more motivated and ready to start a season. "We've fallen short on our goals and expectations. I am chomping at the bit to redeem ourselves." Ironically, Harvick's win at Bristol in the spring came in the first race after crew chief Todd Berrier was suspended following the Las Vegas spring race, where he was caught with an illegal fuel cell during qualifying. Berrier was suspended again in October after an unapproved aerodynamic modification and an unapproved fuel cell vent. He ended the season on probation. "You know, you have to learn how to get out of a hole," Harvick said after Bristol. "I think that's one thing that RCR has always been really good at, is recovering from being down. And they always come back stronger than what they were before." Harvick's season was going well until June. Harvick struggled at Michigan and dropped from seventh to 10th in the points, but the real backbreaker for the team came at Sonoma. |  | KEVIN HARVICK | |
|
Harvick had engine problems all weekend at Sonoma. He had to start in the rear of the field, and problems were compounded on Sunday when motor troubles sprang up again. The 37th-place run sent him to 13th in the standings and destroyed his momentum for the final Chase stretch. Harvick wasn't able to recover until the series returned to Pocono in July. By that time, it was too late, and Childress had already made sweeping changes in the engine department at RCR. | | ALSO | |
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Harvick ended up just short of missing a Chase spot for the second straight year. "Everybody wanted to be in it," Harvick said after Richmond, where he won the pole and finished 10th, "but we gave it everything we had and we'll just keep trying." | 
