July 6, 2010
By Allen Madding
During the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Kevin Harvick and the Richard Childress No. 29 crew were struggling. The car was not as fast as the competition and to magnify problems it seemed that every time Harvick brought the Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet to pit road for service, the team would lose positions due to a slow pit stop.
Richard Childress and team management did not sit on their hands. Dynamometers ran day and night to find horsepower. Chassis specialists, shock specialists, and team engineers continued to meet and evaluate car setups. The pit crew and training specialists reviewed pit stops and continued to train.
By the fall race at Atlanta, tire changers from other Childress teams were doing double duty on pit stops to try and improve their times. Harvick managed to get to the lead pack in the race, but slow pit stops continued to lose him positions on the track.
By season’s end, Harvick had failed to post a win. He recorded only five top fives and nine top ten finishes in the 36 event 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, finishing a disappointing 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship chase.
Things seemed to change over the off-season. When the checkered flag waved on the 2010 season opener, the Daytona 500, Harvick was seventh. In the following two events, the Auto Club 500 at Fontana, California and the Shelby American at Las Vegas, Harvick recorded second place finishes.
With his outstanding performance, Harvick was leading the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points. When the series competed at Talladega in the Aaron’s 499, Harvick qualified fourth and won the race.
Harvick and company showed their strength Saturday night at Daytona. During the Coke Zero 400, Harvick led 28 laps. On several occasions, when he brought the Richard Childress No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala to pit road for tires and fuel, the pit crew snapped to action and sent him out ahead of the competition – actually gaining positions on pit road.
Harvick won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona with smart moves on the track bump-drafting, effectively communicating with his crew who then made proper suspension adjustments, and by taking advantage of well orchestrated pit stops.
The changes at Richard Childress Racing this year have equated to tuning of a large symphony orchestra. Not only are the changes notable with Harvick’s No. 29 team but all the Richard Childress Racing teams. Harvick’s teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer spent a great deal of time Saturday night in the top five and top ten positions competing for the win. Burton captured a fifth place finish while Bowyer finished 17th after being involved in a crash.
Harvick increased his lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship points standings while other proclaimed restrictor plate specialist were mired around 20th position. All eyes have been on Jimmie Johnson and the number of wins he has racked up in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Lowe’s Home Improvement Chevrolet and the impact those wins would have on the title chase.
Harvick commented several times that to have any chance at the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, he was going to have to scores some wins. Harvick and the Richard Childress crew did just that Saturday night at Daytona. It is quite apparent that Harvick intends to give Johnson a run for his money for the championship.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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