Kevin Harvick has won two of the last three races. Credit: Autostock

Harvick a changed man, and at just the right time

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- When a blown engine ended the Dover 400 prematurely for Kevin Harvick last Sunday, he returned to his motor home to learn that Jeff Burton was a threat to win. Elated, he stuck around, wouldn't budge, couldn't tear his eyes away from the television despite the frustration of an early exit.

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Seems elementary, the concept of one teammate waiting it out a few extra laps to applaud another -- especially in the case of a five-year drought quenched, the feel-good story of the year, a man's rise from a quagmire of mediocrity to waves of prominence.

It's not that simple.

That Harvick was in Victory Lane is a simple episode. Its impact, however, is tremendously complex.

See, two years ago he'd have been long gone, airborne, halfway to Charlotte and largely disinterested in the goings on in the rearview mirror. And bitter. He'd have been bitter.

But this is a new man, fully engaged, noticeably more mature, a true teammate that revels in Richard Childress Racing's organizational success, not just his own.

He wanted to congratulate Burton. Had to. Off to Victory Lane he went.

"That meant a tremendous amount to me, and it meant a tremendous amount to everyone at this company that, on a day when Kevin could have easily left and no one would have questioned him, he chose not to," Burton said.

"On a bad day for him, he celebrated a good day for us. And it takes a special group of people to do that -- to celebrate someone else's accomplishments on a day when you had something bad happen to you."

Kevin Harvick sits fifth in the standings heading to Kansas. Credit: Autostock

Chase for the Nextel Cup Heading to Kansas (3rd of 10 races) Pos. +/- Driver Behind 1. +4 Jeff Burton Leader 2. +2 Jeff Gordon -6 3. -- Matt Kenseth -18 4. -2 Denny Hamlin -18 5. -4 Kevin Harvick -54 6. -- Mark Martin -75 7. -- D. Earnhardt Jr. -102 8. +1 Jimmie Johnson -136 9. -1 Kasey Kahne -182 10. -- Kyle Busch -224 • Complete standings, click here RCR BACK AGAIN It's been 12 years since Richard Childress Racing won its last Cup title. But after changes in the team's attitude and personnel, things are looking good again.  •   Complete story, click here Fantasy ReportMarty Smith and Danielle Frye share their picks for Kansas FedEx PreviewNASCAR.COM's Duane Cross previews the action at Kansas Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

It was a seminal moment, indeed.

"It was huge," team owner Richard Childress said. "I doubt he'd have done that a couple years ago."

"Absolutely not," Harvick added.

So why now? What's different? What's changed?

Where to begin ...

There's team ownership, and with it professional clarity. And there's new teammates, and with them respect for the power of cohesion. And there's exploration of alternate frontiers, and with it added self-worth.

And then there's the truest piece, one largely untold -- the loss of a hero, his father-in-law, John Paul Linville, and with that an examination of the bigger picture.

Kevin Harvick is a changed man. Still assertive, certainly, but better understood.

"His approach has changed, without a doubt," Burton said. "The great thing about Kevin, which Mark Martin's the same way, is that they're brutally honest. This is how I feel -- boom."

Enter Burton.

Same message, smoother delivery.

"The people around you, when you're like that, have to be accepting of that," Burton said. "And not only did Kevin change, the people around him became more accepting of his approach.

"They started realizing that he wasn't looking for an excuse, he was trying to explain his side of why they weren't running well."

Past years produced internal competition. The mantra was beat the competition. And your teammates. Now it's beat the competition. Together.

"We have internal drive, but it's not, somebody's mad because you won the race or you beat them," Harvick said. "Everybody's happy when everybody's succeeding."

That's it, right there. That's the new message.

"Kevin has matured a lot, and it's really helping this company a lot, with direction," Burton said. "He has found a way to have his opinion heard and have his opinion accounted for, and then to some action taken based on his opinion.

Kevin Harvick replaced Busch driver Burney Lamar in KHI's No. 77 Chevy for this weekend. Credit: Autostock

BIG DECISIONS KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Crashes in each of the last two Busch races were the main reason Burney Lamar was removed from his duties as driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet, team owner Kevin Harvick said on Friday.  Lamar was replaced for this weekend's event at Kansas by veteran Bobby Labonte, who will drive the remaining companion events. Lamar's final race for the team this season will be at Memphis on Oct. 28.  "Everything has been tore up and we have to have a direction with what we need to do with our cars going into next year," Harvick said. "Wherever we are, we just need to know."  Harvick does not know who will drive his Busch cars for next season but he said that he has not ruled out using multiple drivers to fill one seat.  Before the season, Harvick was able to attract Dollar General to fund his extensive Busch Series plans. Lamar started the season with three top-10s in the first eight races, but he hasn't finished better than 12th since then.  "Obviously, [Lamar] is a good guy and we all like him, but this is a performance-based business," Harvick said. "Things have not progressed to where they need to be and the car has got to run better than that."  -- Ryan Smithson

"That's something that is really important for any team. Kevin has taken a real role in leadership within his own team as well as at RCR.

"His help to the company over the last eight, 10 months has been his ability to be part of the rebuilding process, to be part of, when things aren't going well, being part of the solution. That's where Kevin's brought a lot to the table."

Driving ability aside, of course.

"Don't even have to talk about it," Burton added.

Team ownership, however, is worthy of analysis. It's had considerable influence on Harvick's methodology.

"Kevin, by owning race teams, sees the things that go on and sees a lot of commitments he has to ask his drivers for," Childress said.

"Being a team owner is good for some people and bad for others. There's always the concern of a distraction," Burton added. "I believe, in Kevin's case, it has helped him a tremendous amount to see both sides of a situation."

Burton added that Harvick's decision to survey the landscape has played a role.

"Kevin's decision to go out and look at his options was really good for Kevin, too, because number one, it let him know that he was indeed a valuable commodity, that he was indeed somebody people had interest in," Burton said.

"And number two, [it showed] that we had the tools at RCR to be successful with, but we had to find a better way to use them. That was really big for Kevin and Richard both, to go out and look at their options and get recommitted, rededicated to each other with a truer understanding of what else was out there.

"They both realize the other could offer a lot to the table. It reconfirmed that they could be successful together."

And successful they've been. Despite last weekend's setback, Harvick doesn't hesitate when asked to assess his chances in the Chase.

"I think we can beat any of them, to be honest with you," he said.

Supremely confident. Supremely content. Supremely engaged.

Kevin Harvick is a new man, indeed.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.