Childress Returns to Daytona Podium with Harvick

Six years after Dale Earnhardt died of his injuries in a last lap, last turn crash, Kevin Harvick drove his Team Childress Monte Carlo to the front of the field in the 2007 Daytona 500, winning by only a hair over Mark Martin.

With the field spinning in their rear-view mirrors, Kevin Harvick dropped the hammer and creeped past Martin on the high side to win by a fender. The last moment crash was "the big one" and cost Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and others a top ten finish.

Young Kevin Harvick took over the black, Childress GM Goodwrench Chevy after Earnhardt died, having a tough time winning back the devoted, shattered fans No. 3 left when he departed.

In recent months, the Childress team has seen great strides forward in their effort to be competitive, while fending off super programs like Roush, Hendrick and Evernham, and second tier teams like Penske and Gibbs much like their own program. There's no shortage of competitive cars in this year's Nextel Cup, and the season is off to a fast start!

Picured is Bobby LaBonte, driver of the No. 42 Cheerios car owned by Richard Petty answering question s on media day during this year's Daytona Speed Week. Since leaving Joe Gibbs racing, the 42 team has seen a resurgence of success, along with teammate Kyle Petty in the No. 43 car.

Kart Season is Coming

February 15, 2007

Expectations are coming


As season’s open gets closer, I find myself planning and wondering how this first year will go. It will be my first year back after a two year layoff. I’m pensive about my finances, although this time there are more funds, they’re just as scarce as before. When my finances fell flat on their face in 2005, it wasn’t until late 2006 that racing became a legitimate fantasy again, a reachable one. In 2004, I built an elevated deck for a racer who traded a racing kart for my services. It is a 1998 Birel with a Yamaha 100cc motor, with clutch- no shifter. It will reach speeds of 80 mph, and this year I’ll see just what it will do. Previously, I'd raced at a local sprint track, and the top speed was around 55mph. My engine man is named Frank Newsom, a shop owner specializing in Yamaha kt100’s, and I’m fortunate to have someone of Frank’s experience so nearby. Frank, along with lifelong racer Colin Walker field a team of karts under the name Swift PPK. I hope to race alongside their team karts and learn from these two experienced veterans.
Opening race is at Texas World Speedway in College Station. It will be the second time I’ll have stepped foot on those grounds. The first was an unforgettable camping weekend at the Texas Twin 200’s. I was 9 or 10 years old and we saw AJ Foyt, Richard Petty, Johnny Rutherford and all the greats from that day competeing in Indy cars on Saturday and Nascar on Sunday. A Jackrabbit had to be cleared off the track on Saturday and we walked the 2.5 mile steeply banked oval Saturday night.
This race meeting will be mostly on an infield road course, but will race on the big oval for the start finish stretch, then entering a left hander at top speed which I hear will curl your hairs. Really looking forward to March 23. Mark your calendars.