 | | Kevin Harvick's Nextel Cup Series future is expected to be known in April. Credit: Autostock |
By David Newton, NASCAR.COM
March 6, 2006
11:51 AM EST (16:51 GMT)
MEXICO CITY -- Kevin Harvick got out of Mexico City in a hurry, leaving Sunday's Busch Series race without coming to the media center for post-race interviews as is customary for third-place finishers. According to a NASCAR spokesperson, there were security issues with crowds leaving the garage and Harvick opted to catch a plane instead of dealing with them. Whether Harvick returns to Richard Childress Racing next season will not be totally up to the 2001 Nextel Cup rookie of the year. A source close to the organization said there is concern over whether Harvick is focused enough on his Cup career to be given a long-term contract. Harvick already owns teams in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, and is believed to be a target of Toyota as a driver and perhaps owner when the Japanese-based manufacturer enters NASCAR's top series in 2007. Harvick and team owner Richard Childress have set an April deadline for determining whether they will remain together past this season. Childress has maintained he would like Harvick back. He also admitted the decision is not one-sided. "It's got to be right for both of us,'' said Childress, who attended Sunday's race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. "It can't be right for just one. It has to be a deal that both of us believe we can win races and win championships. "If we believe in each other in that way it will be good for both of us.'' Harvick, the points leader in the Busch Series, is ranked 19th in Cup after two races. That places him third among RCR drivers, behind rookie Clint Bowyer (eighth) and Jeff Burton (14th). Harvick has won only once in the past 89 Cup races, that a victory last spring at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has finished 14th in points the past two seasons since finishing fifth in 2003. He was 21st in 2002 and ninth in 2001, when he took over the Goodwrench Chevrolet in the second week after Dale Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the Daytona 500. That fall, Kevin and his new bride, DeLana, ran their first race in the Craftsman Truck Series under the umbrellas of Kevin Harvick Inc. In August of 2004, they opened a 70,000 square foot facility in Kernersville, N.C., where they field a full-time Busch and Truck Series team. Harvick has proven to be more than formidable in the Busch Series, winning 17 races since 1999 and nine during the past three seasons while running a limited schedule. He showed his talent in Sunday's race despite what almost was a costly mistake by NASCAR. Running third behind eventual winner Denny Hamlin and Todd Kluever on a restart with 23 laps remaining, NASCAR ruled that Harvick passed Kluever before crossing the start-finish line. The replay showed Harvick clearly did not pass, which Childress argued to officials that already had penalized Harvick a pass-through penalty. NASCAR officials finally admitted the mistake and put Harvick back in third place on the restart during an ensuing caution. Now Harvick must convince Childress he wants a long-term deal at RCR. "Hopefully, we'll get something put together,'' Childress said. "Kevin is one of the most talented drivers out there. I'd like to see him drive for us.'' | 
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