Cup drivers finding unique balance as N'wide owners

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- While Sprint Cup drivers were relieved to wrap up the so-called "boring" test sessions in Daytona, a handful will turn right back around and do it again this weekend.

Only these drivers are on their own dime -- atop the pit box, not behind the wheel.

They are the small group of drivers who own their own Nationwide Series teams: Kevin Harvick, Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Robby Gordon. And their teams will take to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for its Preseason Thunder test session. About half of the teams are scheduled to test Jan. 18-20 and the remaining teams are slated for Jan. 20-22.

Confident challenge

At the end of last season, some questioned who would drive Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 99 in the Nationwide Series for 2008. Not David Reutimann.

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Each driver has different and unique perspectives as car owners.

Some are extensive, such as Earnhardt, whose operation at JR Motorsports expanded when he joined forces with the Hendrick Motorsports Nationwide fleet and a slew of employees as part of his contract with new boss Rick Hendrick. At the end of last season, Earnhardt left his late father's team Dale Earnhardt Inc. to drive for Hendrick in the Cup Series. His father was one of the first to own his own team and continue to Cup race.

"It's a great opportunity to have the wholesale support that Hendrick Motorsports is going to provide," said Earnhardt, listed officially as the owner of JR Motorsports. "Being a relatively new team owner in this sport, this is a huge step for me and everyone at JR Motorsports. It was never part of the equation when I was deciding where to drive next year, but it seemed to be a natural progression once Rick and I began talking about the transition into 2008."

Established in 1999, JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing series, including the Nationwide Series and USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series. In 2007, Earnhardt celebrated the grand opening of his new 66,000-square foot shop, which includes the JR Nation retail store and Dale Jr. Fan Experience.

Other operations, like Robby Gordon's, are less extensive. He won't field a Nationwide entry for the season-opening show in Daytona because the driver needs to focus on his own Cup entry. However, he makes up ground on Earnhardt with the long list of off-road racing events in which he competes.

But at the end of the day, no matter the size of their shops, they share similar stories on why they chose to add an insurmountable amount of financial constraint and accountability to an already full plate of responsibility in their Cup lives -- why they have become emotionally as well as economically entrenched in the sport by taking on million-dollar investments while trying to make millions behind the wheel.

Two-time Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick continues to grow and find success with Kevin Harvick Inc. He created the team with wife DeLana in 2001, initially fielding a ride in the Craftsman Truck Series as both owner and driver that same year.

In 2004, Harvick garnered a full-time sponsor for the team's first full season of competition. His company, the next year, expanded to a full-time Nationwide Series team in addition to the full-time Truck team. (Continued)