Kevin Harvick chat transcript

February 16, 2001
5:07 PM EST (2207 GMT)

[NASCAR_Host1] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Kevin Harvick!

[Kevin_Harvick] I am glad to get the season going and I am ready to get racing! Thanks for joining me tonight on NASCAR.com.

[NASCAR_Host1] Do you feel a lot of pressure to better last year's awesome season?

[Kevin_Harvick] Not really, we can only do as well as we can do. If the circumstances aren't in our favor that day, then that is all you can do. Our goal is the Championship so we hope that will happen.

[NASCAR_Host1] [Eracer] #NASCAR -] Kevin you are running 7 races including the new track in Chicago. How and why were those tracks selected?

[Kevin_Harvick] Some of them were picked by the sponsor, and some we picked. I picked Sears Point. Everyone benefited from the schedule we proposed.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [slither] What do you want to get most out of this season?

[Kevin_Harvick] I think for the 7 Winston Cup races it is that we make the shows and gain experience for the year after. We want to win the Busch Series Championship. That is our main focus for this year.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [dholiday] What is it like to work under Richard? Is he as intense as he appears to be?

[Kevin_Harvick] It is nice working for someone that is down to Earth and has been in the sport a long time. It takes a lot of pressure off me because he doesn't let the pressure get to me. He has a great attitude.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [earnhardt_12] Will America Online be your major sponsor if you move up to Winston Cup or will AC-DELCO move up with you?

[Kevin_Harvick] It will be AOL. AC-DELCO already has a spot taken. We are AOL-bound in Winston Cup.

[NASCAR_Host1] Do you take anything on the road with you that reminds you of home?

[Kevin_Harvick] We just bought a motorhome, so there are a lot of things now. You have your own bed, toilet, dishes, etc. and my Playstation. I like to play Madden Football on Playstation 2.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [dmz6514] What do think about the Dodge cars?

[Kevin_Harvick] It is hard for me to tell because they aren't in the Busch Series. It looked like there was one sandbagging in the Shootout so we will have to see how they are on Sunday.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [mobilchick12] How did you end up with RCR? It seems like a dream ride that many would have wanted.

[Kevin_Harvick] It is a job that most people in the sport would kill for. I was fortunate to be in the right spot at the right time when he was watching the Winston West series. I was fortunate enough to have the luck.

[NASCAR_Host1] What do you feel about your chances at Daytona this weekend?

[Kevin_Harvick] I think our chances are good. RCR has awesome speedway cars, and we have a new car, so I am really looking forward to Saturday. I am looking forward to practice tomorrow and finally ending the winter, too.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [MrGoodwrenchMBSC] Kevin, do you think that the Busch Series is growing too big? The series did lose several of the smaller tracks like Myrtle Beach this year.

[Kevin_Harvick] There is always going to be a root of NASCAR and they are doing the right thing in making the All-Pro Series go to the short tracks. You really don't want to see it go away from that but the sport is growing and that is the way it is going to be.

[NASCAR_Host1] Many Busch drivers complain about Cup guys driving Busch. What is your opinion?

[Kevin_Harvick] I think they should quit whining and learn how to beat them, personally. The truth hurts, doesn't it! That is just how I feel about it.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [stewart] What are your goals for 2002?

[Kevin_Harvick] The main goal for myself is to be more patient during the season and earning points is important. We have to start the year off good and get every point we can to race for the Championship.

[NASCAR_Host1] Was winning the Rookie of the Year award as special as you had dreamed it would be?

[Kevin_Harvick] Yes, for the main reason that I beat guys like Ron Hornaday and Jason Leffler. To beat those guys and still finish 3rd in the points was great. You only get one opportunity to do that in each series.

[NASCAR_Host1] What do you see in the future for the Craftsman Truck Series?

[Kevin_Harvick] The Craftsman Truck series is a good place to teach people to race hard. It is an awesome training ground and it is great to learn the big tracks. If they leave it alone, the future is bright.

[NASCAR_Host1] Kevin, how hard is it going to be to catch and dethrone Jeff Green for the Championship?

Kevin_Harvick] That is going to be a tough task. Those guys have good notes. Even though they have different cars and different motors (and hopefully they will have double trouble), I think they will be tough again.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [joelewis] Kevin, does Dale Earnhardt ever give you any tips?

[Kevin_Harvick] Nope, just a lot of grief! hahaha

[NASCAR_Host1] What are your expectations about competing in Winston Cup at the new track in Chicago?

[Kevin_Harvick] Hopefully everyone will be on a level playing field. We will start out at the same level everyone else is. It will be an even playing field because it is at a track in a new market.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [earnhardtman] Do you go on any special diet or work-out plan during the season to keep in shape?

[Kevin_Harvick] Most of that is done during the offseason because I am so busy during the season. I have been in the gym ever since the end of Homestead last year, so hopefully I will continue that which will help me stay well in the car and continue to keep focused.

[NASCAR_Host1] OK Kevin, tell the truth. Are you an AOL member already or did you just sign up?

[Kevin_Harvick] Nope, I have been one since day one!

[NASCAR_Host1] With 5 teams coming out of the RCR shop, are you worried at all about getting the best resources?

[Kevin_Harvick] I don't think so. With as much research and development that goes into everything, you can't measure the differences. With everything coming out of the same shop, I don't think you can see the difference.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [MrGoodwrenchMBSC] Do you get the chance to do a lot of surfing on the web when you are on the road?

[Kevin_Harvick] Not on the road but when I am at home I do. I don't have a laptop computer yet, but when I am at home I spend a lot of time on the Web.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [AmericaOnLineracing] Kevin, what do you like to do before the race to get ready?

[Kevin_Harvick] I am probably one of the most laid back people in the garage. I just kick back, go with the flow, and not do a whole lot of anything.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [cman] Kevin, what did you first race before you got into trucks?

[Kevin_Harvick] I raced the Southwest Tour and the Late Model Stocks before I went to the Trucks and the Winston West.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [gatorraider] Are there any other sports you like to participate in, besides racing?

[Kevin_Harvick] Before I turned 16, I did baseball, basketball, and football. I will shoot basketball in the yard sometimes, or play golf when I can. This sport takes up a lot of my time.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [Silverbullet] Kevin, who do you think will be Rookie of the Year this year in the Cup Series?

[Kevin_Harvick] Hopefully it is Hornaday, but I don't really know all the ones going for it. Hornaday helped me so I am hoping for him. I am just glad I am not racing against him for it!

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [pepsi24chevy] Do you like superspeedways, short tracks, or road courses better?

[Kevin_Harvick] I like the road courses better than any of them, mainly because we don't get do to them that much. I have a Go-Kart background so that helps, but they are my favorite because we don't get to do them that much.

[NASCAR_Host1] How much of a culture shock was it moving to North Carolina from California?

[Kevin_Harvick] It was different, but it was for the better. I liked the atmosphere, trees, etc., in North Carolina, whereas we just had the desert in Bakersfield.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [hammerhead] If there were any changes you would like to see NASCAR make what would they be?

[Kevin_Harvick] That is a tough question right there ... I don't know. They do such a good job with everything, that is something that is hard to say. To keep the competition the same is just something NASCAR has to do for themselves. They have everything pretty close.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [mobilchick12] How do you feel about restrictor plates?

[Kevin_Harvick] It is something that they have to do with the Winston Cup Series. It is good on the speedways and now you can pass. If you took them off it would be too out of control and too fast. The new aero-package is good and the plate is just something you have to do.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [nascarwallace200] What is your opinion with the long racing schedule?

[Kevin_Harvick] It is not like any other sport but it is something it has grown into because of all the new markets. I know a lot of people don't like it, but coming into the sport it is just something you have to get used it. I would like to race every weekend if I could!

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [raceman15] How do you prepare yourself for the long season and what did you do in the offseason to prepare for the upcoming year?

[Kevin_Harvick] Pretty much just relaxed. By the end of the year you are pretty much burned out. We moved closer to the shop so I was there every day. I just went to the gym and tried to get myself in decent shape for the season and get ready to go at it again.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [AmericaOnLineracing] Out of the seven Cup races this year, which one do you think you will do the best at?

[Kevin_Harvick] Hopefully we will do good at them all, but I like Bristol. I have raced there quite a bit. If I looked at the schedule, and all things considered, that track we should run the best at.

[NASCAR_Host1] Question from: [joelewis] Do you think that the talent in the Winston West Series is underestimated?

[Kevin_Harvick] I think so. It is a series that is almost hidden. It doesn't get a lot of media attention and there are a lot of race car drivers out there that are starting to get recognized. There are definitely a lot of good drivers hidden out there.

[NASCAR_Host1] That's all we have time for today! Thanks for joining us for today's chat with Kevin Harvick on NASCAR.com. Keep checking NASCAR.com for upcoming chats!

[Kevin_Harvick] I just want to thank everyone for chatting with us tonight. Hopefully we will have a good run this weekend and a good year.