| | | | | | TOOK CHARGE | Harvick finally got the better of Charlotte in '07 all-star race | |
|  | | CIA Stock Photo | Harvick and his No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team had struggled at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway, with only three lead-lap finishes in 12 starts before last year’s all-star race. | | SceneDaily Staff Kevin Harvick’s victory in the 2007 all-star race was as stunning to him as it was to just about everyone else.
Harvick and his No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team had struggled at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway, with only three lead-lap finishes in 12 starts before last year’s all-star race – and two of those were in his rookie year.
But despite finishing 14th or worse in his six previous races at Charlotte, Harvick led every lap of the final 20-lap segment to win.
“Charlotte is notoriously a place where we don’t run very well at, but we ran really well at the all-star race last year,” Harvick said. “We had a good test there last year and this year. We ran good at the 600 for the first 75 [laps] before the big accident. It’s just been one of those places that’s been hard for us to get a hold of.
“To win at Charlotte was pretty big event for us, and to win the all-star race is one of those races where we all want to win, and we all want to have that on our resume. To win there is something that we’re all pretty proud of.”
Harvick qualified fourth for the 2007 race, which uses a unique format to position the cars for the start of the event. Instead of one all-out qualifying lap, all-star qualifying includes a four-tire pit stop.
Getting his No. 29 RCR crew involved is important to Harvick.
“If we win the race, we’ll take all the money and split it up between the guys because they are really part of the reason why you win,” Harvick said. “They’ve worked just as hard for this race, if not harder, than they have at any other race. It means a lot to them, too.”
The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race means a lot to the fans, too, Harvick said, and with no points on the line, drivers go all out to win.
“I think these races are very important,” Harvick said. “It’s our all-star event. You have to win a race throughout the year to get in, and it’s the best of the best competing against each other. That makes it a lot of fun for us and the fans. We tested there a couple weeks ago, and I really feel we’re ready to defend our all-star win.”
| | Posted May 16, 2008 , 3:09 am EST
Last Updated May 16, 2008 , 3:10 am EST | | | | | | | | | | |
