RELATED: Harvick inks new deal with SHR
CONCORD, N.C. — Kevin Harvick is used to hearing loud noises at the track. But when the churning of the NASCAR rumor mill increased from a murmur to a low roar this week, it was a difficult commotion to tune out.
Harvick said Friday that he had met face-to-face with Kasey Kahne approximately two months ago to address the rumblings about the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champ potentially replacing him in Hendrick Motorsports‘ No. 5 Chevrolet. He also told Kahne that no one from the Hendrick organization had approached him regarding a ride next season.
Yea Kevin and I talked back in Phoenix. Pretty cool of him https://t.co/GkfTsTlYNG
— Kasey Kahne (@kaseykahne) May 20, 2016
Thursday, Stewart-Haas Racing shut down the rumor racket with a solid announcement, that Harvick would return as driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet with a new multiyear contract. During a rain delay at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, the eve of the annual NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Harvick explained in detail how he tried to clear the air on the unsubstantiated reports.
“I think as you look back, and it got so out of control that I actually went to Kasey Kahne and I said, ‘look man, here’s what’s going on,’ ” Harvick said. “And I told him there’s not been one person that’s called me from your organization and I want you to have the trust in your team. I want you to believe in your team. I want you to keep working on the things that you’re working on, but here’s where it’s at. Here’s what I’m doing. Here’s what I see. Here’s how it’s going to go. And here we are up until last week still running around.”
The possible fulcrum behind any notion of Harvick potentially searching for a new home was Stewart-Haas Racing‘s surprise announcement in February that it would switch from Chevrolet to Ford for the 2017 season. Harvick is in his 16th year in NASCAR’s top division, and all of his 550 Sprint Cup starts have been with Chevrolet’s backing.
But Harvick reiterated Friday that his intent all along was to stay put, keeping his successful pairing with master crew chief Rodney Childers intact. He said that Stewart-Haas had an option for a two-year extension on Harvick’s contract, but that both sides agreed to restructure the deal, extending both the length of his SHR term and their partnerships with sponsors.
“I never even worried about having to take phone calls or place phone calls or put our team in a position to go out, my personal team, in a position to go out and talk to other people. That was never the case,” Harvick said. “It was just extending an extension that needed to be put in place because in the end it’s like I’ve said several times, I feel like I’ve got the best crew chief in the garage. Our team has been performing well and doing the things that they need to do and I like the challenges that face us in the future. That motivates me to have those things in place.
“And so, it’s all been good. It’s just been some crazy rumors that however they got started, they got started.”
Harvick said he typically handles deals in “four- or five-year chunks,” but this week’s multiyear extension prompted the question if this might be his last driver contract. He turned 40 last December, but has enjoyed a career resurgence with SHR and Childers, winning his first Sprint Cup championship two seasons ago and accumulating nine of his 32 career victories since joining the No. 4 team in 2014.
Harvick joked he wasn’t willing to commit to Mark Martin-level longevity, referencing the Hall of Fame nominee who ran his last NASCAR race at age 54. But he also said he didn’t have a specific number in mind, either.
“I’m not going to sit up here and say I need to retire at this particular age,” Harvick said. “I’m going to quit when I feel like I’m not having fun anymore or I’m not competitive. It’s way too much fun right now being competitive and having fast cars and you feel like you’re making up for a little bit of lost time at the beginning. So, it’s been fun to kind of have that rejuvenated the last three years and really be excited about it and love being part of the team and organization and all the things that come with what we have right now.
“So, it’s just a lot of fun and it’s going to have to be pretty painful for me at the end of this one to just say I’m done because I’ll still be in my mid-40s. I’m not going to commit to quit before it’s too soon.”