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NASCAR FLASH! Harvick Leads by 140 with Ten to Go!

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

June 25, 2010 8:49 am UTC 3 Comments

Arguably, the three greatest current NASCAR drivers in the Sprint Cup Series have been trailing a lame-duck driver who doesn’t even wear the “fire suit” in his own family for the whole bloody season.

Jimmie Johnson – winner of 4 consecutive Sprint Cup championships is 140 points back.
Kyle Busch who has won 71 races in the top three NASCAR touring series. He trails our guy by 141.
Denny Hamlin – the new anointed one of NASCAR. Winner of five 2010 Sprint Cup races is 151 back.

Kevin Harvick is the guy they all trail.

Before the 2010 Sprint Cup season started, and well into it in fact, Harvick looked to be a man without a, for sure, future ride. Harvick’s relationship with his boss Richard Childress looked iffy. The talk was mostly about where Happy would end up, and the speculation was not leaning to RCR.

It seems now that the Harvick/Childress partnership will continue. The fact that Kevin has been the Sprint Cup Series points leader for most of the 2010 season seems like it would be a factor. But Harvick himself looks like a different driver to me.

Harvick has been solid everywhere. In a year of other spectacular drivers getting the headlines, he has stayed up front. Harvick won at Talladega and has been relentlessly finishing high in points, avoiding so far the big ones, little ones and pit lane miscues that have cost his pursuers.

Can he hold on? History says that the 140 point lead, with ten races to go to the Chase, will hold up. To actually win the Chase and the Cup, Harvick needs more wins and the bonus points that they bring. He’s capable. So is the team. I just wonder if anyone else thinks so.

Besides Delana.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, jimmie johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Delana Harvick, Race to the Chase, rcr

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Monday Morning Crew Chief: Does This Commercial Make Me Look…

by Charlie Turner

May 24, 2010 9:46 pm UTC No Comments

Are NASCAR drivers athletes? What stopped Kevin Harvick’s divorce? Why is Office Depot dumping Tony Stewart a good thing?

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It’s all about relationships. Except for that athlete thingy. Mindy Monday’s latest Monday Morning Crew Chief video is up. Watch it now. Then tell her what you think.

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Diversity and NASCAR, Kevin Harvick, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, NASCAR video, Richard Childress Racing, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Mindy Monday, NASCAR humor

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How are NASCAR Drivers paid?

by Charlie Turner

December 3, 2009 4:05 pm UTC 2 Comments

Do you want to know how your favorite NASCAR driver gets paid? I think that question is asked of us On Pit Row more than any other.

We have speculated about it. But what do we know.

So, when we got the opportunity, thanks to Shell Gasolines, to talk to Richard Childress recently, we asked him that question. How do you pay NASCAR drivers like Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer? I mean, besides really, really well.

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So here is the interview from the show, in its entirety. Find out about Richard Childress’ relationship with Kevin Harvick. Steve asked if four cars were too many in 2009 too. And what’s in store for grandson Austin Dillon. More drives in the no. 3 car?

Filed under: Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, Richard Childress Racing

Tagged with: austin dillon, How are NASCAR Drivers paid, NASCAR owners, On Pit Row interview podcasts, Richard Childress

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Over My Dead Camel!

by Charlie Turner

October 17, 2009 7:48 am UTC No Comments

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Mindy Monday is back and better than ever. The Monday Morning Crew Chief is looking forward to in-car radio chat between Tony Eury Sr and a certain future NASCAR rookie. And she doesn’t miss an opening when she gets a chance to tell it like it is about certain teams. Watch it now.

Filed under: Danica Patrick, JR Motorsports, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, NASCAR video, Nationwide Series, Richard Childress Racing

Tagged with: Mindy Monday, Tony Eury Sr

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Last Sprint Cup Off Weekend Leads to Decisions for Kevin Harvick and Yates Racing

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

September 1, 2009 7:06 am UTC No Comments

NASCAR puts the final Cup SeriErikes off weekend behind themselves as the final push to make the playoffs begins.

This is usually the height of NASCAR’s “silly season”; a time for teams to put together their deals for the next season. This is the time for speculation to run rampant.

But what have we seen this week? Kevin Harvick will remain at Richard Childress Racing for 2010 and Bobby Labonte will be out of the #96 Hall of Fame Racingride for seven of the final twelve races. Labonte was a guest ON PIT ROW last week and made no mention of the move. The sad state of the sport is that if there is no money to race; you don’t go racing. In the case of HOF Racing, their sponsor had only committed to the final five of twelve events and were not willing to fund the other seven races.

In steps Erik Darnell of Roush-Fenway Racing, who fields the cars for Yates Racing who partners with HOF, and brings sponsorship money with him. So while the number may be the same for those seven races, the car will not be a HOF Racing entry at all. In essence HOF Racing is loaning its number to Roush-Fenway to give one of its rookies and one of Ford Racing’s prospects some seat time.

This week’s ON PIT ROW will include an interview with Harvick, who had been rumored to be looking for a new ride. Harvick has made no excuses for the poor performance of his race team and the entire RCR effort. With the way things are in NASCAR today, Harvick may well have decided that knowing what he was dealing with was far less scary than entering a new and possibly worse situation.

This leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

If a driver is out of the Chase and moving to a new team the following year; should he be allowed to move in the current season?

Let us know what you think and we could use your response on this week’s radio show. Listen live to ON PIT ROW every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET. Call the show with your opinion and you could win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if your call is deemed The Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call of the Day.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Ask.com Racing, Bobby Labonte, Hall of Fame Racing, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Richard Childress Racing, Roush Racing, Yates Racing

Tagged with: Bobby Labonte, erik darnell, Hall of Fame Racing, Kevin Harvick, Roush-Fenway Racing, Yates Racing

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Rex White vs Jeff Burton: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Match Up

by Charlie Turner

March 26, 2009 11:22 pm UTC 7 Comments

The Cup Series champion from 1960 goes up against one the steadiest and fastest of today’s Cup series regulars in a first round game in the Bench Racing region of the NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Rex White won 28 NASCAR Cup series races and grabbed 36 poles in just 233 starts. In his 1960 championship season he finished over 3900 points ahead of runner-up Richard Petty. Rex was a top ten championship finisher in six of his nine seasons. Only had one superspeedway win. White is one of only six owner-drivers to win a championship.

Jeff Burton has 21 Cup wins and six poles in 511 career races. His best finish was third in the 2000 Sprint Cup Series championship. Won a career high six races in 1999. Burton is one of the most respected drivers currently racing in the Sprint Cup Series and is a championship contender with Richard Childress Racing today.