Down in the Pits: Harvick’s style not popular
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Kevin Harvick was told to stay on the track while most of the other leaders pitted, and that earned him a victory Sunday in the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
His victory wasn’t popular with everyone. Jeff Gordon, who also stayed on the track during the last round of stops and finished second, called Harvick’s driving “stupid.”
Jimmy Spencer said he still drives like an idiot.
When told of Gordon’s remark, Harvick said, “Jeff Gordon got second. Maybe if he had been a little braver he might have won. He thinks it’s a stupid move. I think it was cool.”
The first six at Chicagoland were from the young gun set.
Point standings are close at the halfway point of the season. Sterling Marlin leads Mark Martin by 49 points, Jimmy Johnson by 89 and Gordon by 95.
• Owner Jack Rousch will start a fifth team next year.
• Joe Gibbs Racing will switch to Chevrolet from Pontiac for the 2003 NASCAR season, and will run a limited number of races this season in the Chevrolet.
“We feel like starting next year, we’ll be in a better position as a race team where we can benchmark our cars against a lot of other good cars,” Gibbs said.
The switch leaves Johnny Benson, Stacy Compton and Ken Schrader as the remaining Pontiac drivers.
• After months of speculation, Michael Waltrip’s status with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Has been resolved, with the team and NAPA Auto Parts announcing a two-year deal.
• Ricky Rudd’s options for his future were shortened when his car owner indicated it was unlikely the veteran racer would be back in the No. 28 Ford.
“I won’t say none, but I’d say slim because I think his best situation would be if he goes somewhere that will be very competitive and pay very well,” Yates said. “In a way it’s sad, but I’ve looked at the numbers and they haven’t lied to me.”
In recent weeks, Rudd has said he’d like to stay in the No. 28, but only on one-year contracts. His current three-year deal expires at the end of the season.
“If I’m going to come back and start with a brand new team again, It might be time to look around,” Rudd said. “I don’t even know who the people are who are going to be working on the car next year, so how can I agree to sign?
“And that’s what it’s about — it’s about people… I identified key people who I felt were the heart of Yates Racing in my paper work and Robert said, ‘I cannot agree to the terms of that. I can’t guarantee that you’re going to have those people.'”
• The dumbest name for a race track is “Chicagoland.”
• It’s hard to imagine Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart becoming fast friends. It was still hard to picture them hanging out.
The two cracked up the crowd during a recent promotional appearance in San Francisco. Gordon made light of his ongoing divorce proceedings, and noted, “I don’t have the vehicles that I had six or eight months ago.”
“The whole point of having a Ferrari is to go slow so girls see you,” Stewart said.
“I don’t know about the girls and all that other stuff,” Gordon replied.
“Hey, this is getting a lot more fun as we go,” added Stewart. “He doesn’t like me to say this, but since he moved to Charlotte, he’s been a lot more fun to hang out with.”
“I guess just because maybe I’m not alienating myself as much, and maybe just opening up a little bit more to some people just because I’ve got the time on my hands to do that,” Gordon said. “I’m not sitting in my bus by myself. I’m kind of getting out there and not necessarily making new friends, just getting to know some people more so than maybe what I did before.”