|
COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Kevin Harvick is filling the void left by Dale Earnhardt's death in more ways than one
Nobody has what Kevin Harvick has.
For starters, he has Dale Earnhardt's ride, complete with the pressure and scrutiny reserved for the successor to auto racing's biggest star.
Harvick figuratively has jumped in the car, stomped on the gas and hasn't let up since.
Since taking over for Earnhardt, he has raced a complete schedule of Winston Cup and Busch races, a more challenging agenda than anyone has tried before. Few drivers, if any, will try to duplicate it.
He jolted the Winston Cup world by winning his third start, at Atlanta, and he also won at Chicago. His consistency and ability to avoid wrecks have him eighth in the Winston Cup standings.
But something else has happened along the way. Harvick, who had driven aggressively in other series, has begun to exhibit the emphatic, get-out-of-my-way driving style made famous, or infamous, by his Winston Cup predecessor.
So, yeah, nobody has what Kevin Harvick has. He has Dale Earnhardt's ride, and now he has the makings of--don't be afraid to say it--Earnhardt's intimidating track presence.
Harvick, 25, was hardly a can't-miss phenom when car owner Richard Childress thrust him into a Winston Cup ride after Earnhardt was killed at the Daytona 500 in February.
But this season racing fans have seen a driver who looks eerily familiar.
"You close your eyes ... you almost see a Dale Earnhardt of 20-something years ago," says...
Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.
|
Bookmark this article
Print this article
Link to this article
Email this article
Digg It!
Add to del.icio.us
RSS
