Kevin Harvick says timing and sponsorship could lure Kevin Harvick Inc. to Cup
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Kevin Harvick Inc. team owner Kevin Harvick says that, with factors aligned correctly, he would consider owning a NASCAR Sprint Cup team.
Jerry Markland
Getty Images for NASCAR
Kevin Harvick doesn’t know if or when Kevin Harvick Inc. would become a NASCAR Sprint Cup team, but Harvick will be ready if the right time – and the right sponsor – comes for his organization to make that step.
Harvick admits the time could be soon, especially considering the current economic climate and the merging of several teams leaving the door open for a young program to make races and establish itself.
“You’re going to see some people come into the sport because it's an opportunity to try to get your Cup team started and try to make it work,” Harvick says.
Do those people include KHI, which has competed in the Truck series since 2002 and in Nationwide since 2004?
"You never can say no,” Harvick says. “I don't have any interest in driving my own car, I know that for sure, but I think it's something that you always think about."
If Harvick and his wife, DeLana, do opt to go Cup racing, they will keep the same philosophy they've used in building their organization. They won’t field a program unless it has funding. Harvick did run some Truck races during the organization’s first year just to get the company off the ground but has resisted the urge to field a car without financial support.
That has been part of Harvick’s success. KHI has 17 wins and the 2007 title in Trucks as well as three wins in Nationwide.
“It’s just going to take the right opportunity to get in [to Cup] from a sponsorship standpoint,” Harvick said. “I think the Trucks and the Nationwide cars have built a foundation for us to do that if the right opportunity ever came about.
“With the people and our shop – all the things are there to do it. It just has got to be timing and I’m not going to do something that is not right [with sponsorship]. Right now, you might have to beef a couple of things up but the foundation is laid for all that stuff.”
For now, Harvick will listen to potential opportunities while also making sure that KHI continues to be run frugally.
“[We’re] just making sure that we're competitive in the market, to put a competitive, affordable program together for our sponsors,” Harvick said. “I think that's probably the biggest thing we've done is adjust a little bit there on pricing.
“When you do that, it effects all the way down and that's how many people you have, how much you're paying for hotel rooms, and it goes from all the way down to the bottom to make sure when you lower that price, you've got to lower your overhead.”
Harvick has watched what has happened to other teams in the garage. He has seen traditional teams such as Dale Earnhardt Inc., Bill Davis Racing and Petty Enterprises merge and virtually lose their identity.
Watching those traditional owners struggle is not a deterrent to owning a Cup team for Harvick.
“From a DEI and a Petty circumstance, you’ve kind of seen the deterioration of those teams coming and this was just the final straw that broke the camel’s back,” Harvick says. “From the outside looking in, I look at opportunity. That’s how we’ve always approached things.”
Those opportunities in this day and age of Cup racing include interested investors in race teams.
“A hedge-fund guy is probably not going to be the right guy to come in the sport,” Harvick says. “The solid owners are the ones who are racers and those are the kind of things that we need in our sport.”
But even a racer such as Richard Childress has an investor, and Chartwell Investments gave Childress the financial means to expand his shop and revitalize his team.
Childress didn’t relinquish control and still is the face of the race team. If Harvick had to stomach and take an investor, it likely would have to be in a fashion similar to that of Childress. Harvick doesn’t seem too interested in going Cup racing if he isn’t in control of the team.
“Everything that we’ve done, we’ve done on our own in our particular organization,” Harvick says. “Cup racing is expensive, but I would hate to give up something that I built. I wouldn’t give up any control. I wouldn‘t do it.”
Popular News
-
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Which Sprint Cup star will snap his long winless streak first?
Comments (188) -
For Dale Earnhardt Jr., life as an Earnhardt is not easy, especially when you're not winning
Comments (139) -
Jeff Owens: Should RCR’s black No. 3 return to NASCAR’s Cup series?
Comments (120) -
Hendrick Motorsports’ Mark Martin more prepared mentally and physically for 2010
Comments (105) -
Dale Earnhardt Inc. plans for Jeffrey Earnhardt still in flux
Comments (96)
Recent Headlines
-
SEASON PREVIEW: Mike Skinner optimistic about 2010 prospects
Comments (1) -
SEASON PREVIEW: Camping World Truck Series top-20 rankings
Comments (3) -
Josh Wise to drive in Nationwide Series for Specialty Racing
Comments (2) -
HBO’s ‘24/7 Jimmie Johnson’ documentary series expected to shift into high gear tonight
Comments (27) -
SEASON PREVIEW: Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards hungry to regain place among Sprint Cup’s elite
Comments (15)
Poll PositionView All
After qualifying and the Budweiser Shootout, who is the favorite to win the Daytona 500?
Promotions
-
Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.
-
Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.
Comments
15 responses to "Kevin Harvick says timing and sponsorship could lure Kevin Harvick Inc. to Cup". Post a Comment.
Howard Englishman said:
Jan 24, 2009 at 7:35 PM,,,
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportHerb Phares said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 8:54 AMthis really isn't a surprise. I'm just surprised that he is still at RCR considering he is a very average driver in good cars who has under acheived because he is just average.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 10:17 AMHey Herb, if Kevin is a average driver so is all the rest that started around the same time Kevin did.Kevins avg. finish is 15th in 286 races,Jimmies is 14th in 255 races, Matts is 15th in 32 races, Ryans is 20th in 260 races, and Dales is 16th in 327 races. I quess there all just lucky to keep there jobs then.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportDarrel Jenner said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 10:25 AM+=
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportDarrel Jenner said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 10:27 AMtest
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportPat Draper said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 10:57 AMSo far all you guys have just wasted a lot of space on nothing but then that's all Howard does anyway. Kevin is a good driver not great like tony or jeff but good. And let give credit where credit is due he does own 2 truck teams and a nationwide team and they seem to be doing well. I can see Kevin going into cup not for a while thats for sure with sponsorship so hard to come by. For now he should just do what he's doing win more championships in the lower two series until the time is right.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Reportoink jackson said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 11:26 AMI personally dont like Kevin but i would say he is better than average.
Report as AbuseThere are alot of little things like some idiot wrecking you or a bad set of tires that change the outcome of Howards statistics its called luck. luck comes in two varieties.
Report Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportHerb Phares said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 3:12 PMHarvick hasn't won a race since NASCASR gave him his win in Daytona over Mark Martin. Granted he usually makes the Chase because he does get a hot start. He had his first solid chase this season. In all of teh previous chase's he never really was a factor in the Championship. But then again he wasn't this year either.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportAndrew Briscoe said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 4:43 PMI think that Harvick could bring his team to Cup and be somewhat sucessful. He'd most likely be an RCR satellite like SHR is with Hendrick, and if you've got RCR behind you, you really can't go wrong can you? He might have a year or two at the start that would be rough, but I think that if he got the right driver (himself maybe?) and sponsor, he would have a successful team.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportBernadette Motherway said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 7:01 PMIf Tony can do it, I think Kevin can do it. He needs to keep that special relationship with Childress, though.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 7:46 PMdon't like Harvick, but i will give him credit for bringing something back to the sport by starting his own team...
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportBernadette Motherway said:
Jan 25, 2009 at 8:05 PMHey, Darrel, did you think you posted something off color?:-)
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportBill Reschke said:
Jan 26, 2009 at 7:28 AMLike Kevin or not he and his wife run a very sucessful and competitive operation.
Report as AbuseThey have all the makings of a viable Cup team and are the future of NASCAR. Good luck Kevin!
Report Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportDarrel Jenner said:
Jan 26, 2009 at 8:46 AMBernadette some of my posts wern't gettin through. i cant image why. cause i dont like harvick either?
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportRob Beasley said:
Jan 26, 2009 at 1:57 PMI think it important to mention that Kevin has become a real smart business man. Racing at this level has become very costly, and if you do not run it as a business, making a profit, you will not be around. The days of out of control expense has left the building with the over charged corporate sponsors. as a corporation do I lay people off so I can afford to sponsor a car, or do I take care of my employees? who do I serve. Kevin is on the right track and he should thank MR. Childress for caring about kevin and mentoring him. you always put back somthing in a business that has given you so much.
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report