Kevin Harvick hasn't finished worse than 11th in a Cup race since Sonoma in June. Credit: Autostock

Harvick won't run both series full time in 2007

Defending champ or not, he will 'probably' run companion races

FONTANA, Calif. -- Kevin Harvick is a virtual lock to win his second Busch Series title, but he said on Friday that he won't do the Nextel Cup-Busch double in 2007.

Harvick leads the standings by a whopping 519 points with only nine races left.

	Kevin Harvick is trying to become the first driver to win the Cup and Busch titles in the same year. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Kevin Harvick's synchronized success in two series   Cup Busch Wins 2 5 Top-5s 10 16 Top-10s 13 23 Poles 0 2 Laps Led 384 716 Avg. Start 15.1 13.1 Avg. Finish 12.7 5.2 Rank 3 1 Note: Stats after 24 Cup races and 26 Busch races

Harvick said that he will "probably" just run all the companion events in 2007, and he will not run the inaugural Busch race at Montreal.

The 2007 Busch Series schedule should be released in about two weeks, and the Montreal event will likely be held in July at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which would become the series' third road-course race of the year.

In 2007, traveling to Canada becomes more difficult, as passports will be required for all U.S. citizens traveling by air to Canada.

"All the logistics are already worked out," said Harvick, who owns a pair of Busch teams. "Passports and all, all the stuff they need to go out of the country, so it really will not be that big of a deal.

"It will be good for the series and good for the guys to get into a new environment. It is more expensive than going to Martinsville, but it is just part of what we do, and I am sure the purse will be good.

"I don't think it will be as bad as going to Mexico."

Harvick has an excellent chance to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the Busch and the Cup titles in the same season.

He has scored more points in the last 10 Cup races than anyone else (1,463), and he hasn't finished worse than 11th since June (Sonoma, 24th).

Harvick struggled here at Fontana in February, finishing 29th. But RCR's 2-mile program has dramatically improved since then.

"We have not been too excited to come here, but we ran well at Michigan which is probably our second-worst track compared to this one," Harvick said. "Everything has been better this year, so hopefully we can have a good weekend."