Kevin Harvick has a history for stepping in and taking up for his Richard Childress Racing teammates.
We saw it last fall at Dover International Speedway following Denny Hamlin’s comments about Harvick teammate Clint Bowyer’s penalty in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. So what we saw early on in the Pocono race Sunday was Kevin’s way of throwing a rock Kyle Busch’s way for what happened between Kyle and Richard Childress, who is Kevin’s car owner.
We saw NASCAR step in early, give a warning and then it never became an issue for the rest of the race.
I love Kevin to death. He is an awesome race-car driver, but he just doesn’t let stuff die. So Sunday might have been his way of showing his displeasure of what happened with Kyle and Richard.
As everyone knows, I worked for Richard at one point in my career as a crew chief. I don’t know that he actually expects or promotes that kind of reaction from his drivers. In the same breath, I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t promote it. What I can say is Richard always has stood up for what he believes to be right. He also stands behind his race teams when they stand up for what they believe is right.
A few weeks ago, Richard got upset at his grandson’s ARCA team for not sticking up for their driver. His grandson, Ty, won the race and was in Victory Lane when he was confronted by fellow driver Frank Kimmel, who came to voice his displeasure over an on-track incident with Ty. Evidently, the team didn’t step in for their driver and Richard was pretty ill about it and let them know it.
Richard has always stressed professionalism. He maintains treating people the right way but he also makes it clear you can’t let people run over you, either. That said, I still don’t think this whole situation is over. There is definitely something there between Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Let’s face it, Kyle has had issues with Kevin, Richard and Jeff Burton in the past. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin have had their share of run-ins. Kevin and Gibbs driver Joey Logano had an issue a year ago at Pocono. I don’t know that we will ever be able to bang the gavel and say this is completely over.
I have always maintained that feuds and rivalries are good for our sport. It’s the same way whether it’s the NFL, NBA, MLB, tennis, golf and on and on. It’s the reason why so many people watch the Dallas Cowboys play the Washington Redskins. It’s the reason why so many people watch when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox play.
Now sure, we have to keep our feuds and rivalries in check. I think that’s why NASCAR levied such a huge monetary fine on Richard Childress after what happened at Kansas when he had an altercation with Busch in the Truck garage. NASCAR sent a message that “boys have at it” is one thing, but this is the 21st century, not the Wild West.
Pocono happenings
So Jeff Gordon got his second win of the season and moved to 11th in the points. My belief is that despite what happens to his points, I think that second win all but guarantees Jeff will be in the 2011 Chase. Jeff also made NASCAR history by tying Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for third on NASCAR’s all-time win list with 84 wins.
I felt so bad for Denny Hamlin. The man dominated the race. He led 76 laps and then the tire literally came off and ruined his day. The best he could salvage was 19th place, so unfortunately the 2011 Denny Hamlin trials and tribulations continue.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., despite having a few issues along the way, had another solid run and brought the No. 88 home in sixth place. What a weekend it was for Kurt Busch. He sat on his second consecutive pole. He led a number of laps and finished second.
We had anticipated transmission issues and we weren’t let down in that area either. Marcos Ambrose, Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart all had problems. I also think Tony’s teammate, Ryan Newman, was running on borrowed time on his at the end.
Roush Fenway Racing hadn’t had an engine issue all year long, but then Carl Edwards had one Sunday. He was our points leader going into the race and the team thrashed to get him back out there to keep from having a DNF. Now, however, our top four drivers are only separated by 11 points.
So things are tight. The guys in the top 10 want to stay there and there are guys just outside the top 10 that want in. Then you have another set of guys who know they probably won’t make it into the top 10 by the September cutoff following the Richmond race, so they know they have to win some races to hopefully get one of those two wild-card spots.
It makes things interesting.
