No Love for Harvick

texastrophies

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texastrophies Monster Buck

texastrophies

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Re: No Love for Harvick

Here is an article about Richard Childress's week. (hunting and racing related)

LOUDON, N.H. -- The man behind the bottle couldn't stop smiling as the cork flew over the crowd and the champagne sprayed through the air late Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire International Speedway.

He also couldn't see missing this moment.

Richard Childress cut short his hunting trip in Alaska and flew nearly 4,000 miles on Saturday because he had a feeling one of his drivers competing in the Chase for the Nextel Cup would win the first of the 10-race playoff.

Kevin Harvick did, giving his boss a moment to remember.

Not only did he win the race, but he gave Richard Childress Racing the points lead for the first time since March 14, 1999, when Mike Skinner led after the fifth race.

That's a total of 270 races outside of the lead, not what one would expect from an organization that won six championships under the late Dale Earnhardt.

"It means a lot,'' said Childress as he wiped the champagne and sweat from his face. "Just to be in this Chase, for all the men and women that's worked so hard to get our company back in position to run for a championship, I can't tell you what that means.

"It just feels good to be back competitive and winning races.''

The win was Harvick's fourth of the season. Childress took great pleasure in signaling that with four fingers each time he and the rest of the No. 29 team switched hats for another picture in Victory Lane.

But the real sign he wants to make is No. 1, as in Harvick's first title and the first at RCR since Earnhardt's last in 1994.

"Like I told people earlier before we got in the Chase, if we make the Chase we'll be a contender,'' Childress said.

Childress' day was made even better by Jeff Burton's seventh-place finish that moved him to fifth in points, 64 behind Harvick.

"It's just unbelievable the feeling you get out of this,'' Childress said. "To see everybody's enthusiasm, to see a young driver like Kevin, how pumped up he is ... seeing how Jeff Burton and that whole group is pumped up ... this is why I'm here.''

Childress began last week by flying to Chistochina, Alaska, after Harvick's win at Richmond. The trip included two stops for fuel in his private plane, a stop in Anchorage, Alaska, to switch to another plane for an hour and a half flight, and a 30-minute drive to get on another plane for an hour flight.

Once there, Childress had to hike 14 hours up a mountain to an elevation of 8,000 feet.

"It was a long day,'' he said.

Fortunately for Childress, he didn't have to make many trips up the mountain. He bagged a trophy doll sheep that had 42-inch horns, perhaps an omen that good things were ahead.

"To get that doll was like winning the lottery,'' Childress said. "It was a huge deal to get that.''

Winning on Sunday was bigger.

Winning the championship in nine weeks would be even bigger, particularly for an organization that was so down a few years ago that Harvick said he should have been fired.

Childress laughed at the mere suggestion.

"I know that he's a championship-caliber driver,'' Childress said. "I told him one time we're going to go to the stage together in New York City. That's what we're going to do.''

And for the record, Childress plans to be there all the way.

"We could have taken a little bit of a right turn and ended up in North Carolina,'' he said of the decision to come to New Hampshire. "I want to stay as involved in this thing as hard as I can right now.''

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Bowhntr 6-Pointer

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Re: No Love for Harvick

Be careful handing the cup to Harvick just yet. It broke on Wind Tunnel last night that the 29 and 31 cars were running a wheel that allowed air pressure to bleed off as it got higher due to heat. Now the wheels weren't illegal just on the very fringe of a gray area. NASCAR will not fine them or any other type of discipline but they did tell them under no circumstances were they to run those wheels again. A consistent tire pressure would be a huge handling advantage....so with that gone from the 29 AND the 31 those two could struggle a bit with the list of handling tracks left to come.

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slugshooter Monster Buck

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Re: No Love for Harvick

In light of the revelation that Harvick and Burtons cars were found to be illegal, ok, they were in the gray area last week, and now the tire getup is illegal, but why don't I hear fire and brimstone coming down from on high calling the crew chief a cheater and calling for points reductions and damnation. If I remember correctly, the Hendrick cars were caught last year with shocks that amazingly worked in the opposite direction, in the gray area, and many on here were calling for fines, bans, suspensions, calling the crew chief cheaters and such. I guess when a team gets caught with something in the "gray area", as long as it's not a Hendrick car, then it's not really all that bad, and should be ignored.

I would have loved to have seen the fallout on here if it had been a Hendrick car and one of them won the race with this setup.

And don't even try to say nobody would have said anything, because I know more than a few on here that would have. smirk.gif

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BowJoe Monster Buck

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Re: No Love for Harvick

What's funny is that NASCAR said that neither Harvick nor Burton used any type of bleeder system on their tires and it is illegal in NASCAR right now and then. They said on nascar.com that it would be impossible for them to use such a system and not get caught. The report on speed channel was wrong and the guy just lied to shed a better light on others in the chase. The tires are mounted by Goodyear and given randomly to teams as well as confiscated by Goodyear immediately following the race and dip tested for leaks and research. They have never been found to use tires any different than anyone else. I guess if Hendrick sucks one week (or more) then others had to cheat to beat them. Kinda like what you're complaining about there Sluggo.

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Chrud Monster Buck

Chrud

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Re: No Love for Harvick

[ QUOTE ]

In light of the revelation that Harvick and Burtons cars were found to be illegal, ok, they were in the gray area last week, and now the tire getup is illegal, but why don't I hear fire and brimstone coming down from on high calling the crew chief a cheater and calling for points reductions and damnation. If I remember correctly, the Hendrick cars were caught last year with shocks that amazingly worked in the opposite direction, in the gray area, and many on here were calling for fines, bans, suspensions, calling the crew chief cheaters and such.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, there is a difference. Did Harvick and Burton actually fail post-race inspection, or was there just a concern about their tires? I haven't found anywhere that it said they faild post-race tech. I found this at Jayski...

[ QUOTE ]

FoxSports/Speed's Bob Dilner reports: have learned that there was an issue with the winning car of #29-Kevin Harvick and also his teammate, #31-Jeff Burton, in postrace tech [at New Hampshire Intl Speedway in the Cup race]. That issue surrounded the actual [wheel] rim of the race car. The team apparently manipulated that rim to act as a bleeder valve to release air pressure from that rim. In English, it was performance advantage for the RCR team. Now, it was not against anything in the rule book so there won't be any fines or points penalties later on this week, but they have been told not to do it again.(more at FoxSports)(9-18-2006)

[/ QUOTE ]

The Hendrick cars that were thrown under the bus failed post-race (or qualifying for Daytona) inspection and had illegal parts. So, there is a difference. smirk.gif

Just remember...ya ain't tryin unless your cheatin and ya ain't cheatin unless your caught. wink.gif

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slugshooter Monster Buck

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Re: No Love for Harvick

[ QUOTE ]

I guess if Hendrick sucks one week (or more) then others had to cheat to beat them. Kinda like what you're complaining about there Sluggo.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, it's not like what I am saying. I am referring to the incident last year where the Hendrick cars had what are now illegal shocks. Everyone wanted to label them cheaters and such. Harvick and Burton gets caught, and barely anything is said. I suspect because of who they drive for. I'm not mad about the whole deal, because like Chrud says in the post above. Everyone cheats in NASCAR to some degree, it's just a matter of time before they get caught. But when the Hendrick cars get caught with something that is in the "gray area", I don't want to hear any crap about how they're cheating and getting max fines, when this is the same issue and nothing is being said.

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Chrud Monster Buck

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Re: No Love for Harvick

I think a reason that some folks jump all over the Hendrick cars (JJ in particular) is because they've been caught several times. Knaus has been busted for illegal parts/failed inspection several times...it was posted once before but I don't remember where.

The Childress cars were busted earlier this year. CASHCAR had plenty of time to put a rule in place about bleeding the tires. If they still haven't put a rule in place, why not try it again?

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Chrud Monster Buck

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Re: No Love for Harvick

Yes, I remember that and he and his team got quite the penalty for it. Really too much for something that had no effect on the race.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...why penalize someone race points they earn for something they do that has nothing to do with the race? Like a qualifying infraction or Junior dropping an s-bomb at Dega. They took points away from Harvick that day, but not from the 48 when he was busted. I know it was the first race of the year, but they could have taken points after the race. Not too consistent.

By the way, that penalty on Junior was the biggest joke in CRAPCAR I've seen in a long, long time.

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