Ownership brings calming influence to fiery Harvick

Three years ago, such a drought would be cause for blasting teammates, bosses, NASCAR officials and anyone else who dared cross him. These days, he’s quietly finishing in the top five most weeks and settling in at No. 2 in the points as he pursues an elusive series championship.

The difference? His time as a team owner is certainly part of the answer.

‘I think you can see a more mature Kevin on the track. I do,’ said DeLana Harvick, his wife and co-owner of Kevin Harvick Inc. ‘I can see a more mature Kevin when he relates to other drivers.’

The man who stepped into Dale Earnhardt’s ride after his death struggled with the role of replacing a NASCAR legend.

He had an early handle on the winning part, getting three of his 11 career victories as a rookie in the top series. He wasn’t quite so smooth off the track, where his feuds were frequent, messy, public affairs.

It’s safe to say DeLana Harvick watched uneasily when her husband and Juan Pablo Montoya had an on-track confrontation after a wreck at Watkins Glen last year.

‘I was sitting there thinking, ‘All right, is he going to punch him? What’s he going to do’? DeLana Harvick said. ‘And you know what? He had a heated discussion with him. A couple of years ago, he probably would have put a choke hold on him and kind of gotten out of control.’

Harvick’s desire to win hasn’t changed. That’s part of why the two-time Nationwide Series champion decided two years ago to drive one of his own cars on that circuit.

But his perspective has changed. He understands better why an underperforming car can’t be scrapped in the middle of a race weekend, and why some decisions must be made with more than the driver in mind.

The biggest beneficiary of Harvick’s hobby is his boss on the big circuit, Richard Childress, who picked him to replace Earnhardt and nearly lost him two years ago when Harvick’s contract was up and the team was struggling.

‘It helped my relationship with him to understand from another aspect other than just the greedy driver that wants everything for his team right now,’ Harvick said. ‘In the end, you have to run it like a company. It is a business, and it all has to add up.’

Sprint Cup Point Standings

1. Jeff Burton, 915

2. Kevin Harvick, 876

3. Greg Biffle, 855

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 846

5. Kyle Busch, 831

6. Tony Stewart, 811

7. Kasey Kahne, 786

8. Denny Hamlin, 758

9. Jeff Gordon, 749

10. Jimmie Johnson, 746

11. Ryan Newman, 741

12. Clint Bowyer, 740

13. Martin Truex Jr., 695

14. Carl Edwards, 686

15. Matt Kenseth, 677

16. Kurt Busch, 669

17. Juan Pablo Montoya, 633

18. Brian Vickers, 631

19. David Ragan, 628

20. Elliott Sadler, 626