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Log inHarvick wants fun, competition at TD Banknorth 250
Harvick wants fun, competition at TD Banknorth 250
by Outspoken on Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:13 am
Harvick wants fun, competition at TD Banknorth 250
BY MATT DIFILIPPO
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
OXFORD -- Sporting a black Coca-Cola cap, a two-day beard, a well-worn Zoo York T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, Kevin Harvick talked about why he wanted to race in Sunday's TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.
"I didn't have anything to do," Harvick joked.
Turning more serious, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion added, "It's a pretty historic race in itself. I like going places that I hadn't been before, so it's just a unique experience to come be a part of it."
Harvick, who sits ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, is the latest NASCAR standout to spend his off week racing in Oxford, following drivers like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven.
"It's gotta be fun. It's an off weekend from my normal job," Harvick said Friday afternoon from the track's press box. "That's first priority. Second priority is to make sure that we're at least competitive, and I think we're going to be OK in that part. But fun is the most important thing."
But there's a lot of fun in winning, too, and Harvick said he is competing with the goal of succeeding.
"We're here to race," Harvick said. "We're not here just to say we were here. So, hopefully, we can race like we need to race and go from there."
Harvick said he only had passing conversations with other NASCAR stars who have raced at Oxford, but said the consensus was that everyone races hard.
"A big race, no matter where it's at, is a big race, whether it's the Northeast or the Southeast," Harvick said. "I heard more stories about driving up here than I did about the race."
While John Linville, Harvick's late father-in-law, tried without success to qualify for the Oxford 250 several times in the 1980s, the idea of Harvick competing in Sunday's race came from another person who had his struggles at Oxford.
Shane Wilson, Harvick's crew chief, hails from South Royalton, Vt. As part of Mike Batchelder's crew in the mid-1990s, Wilson knew only frustration in Oxford.
"I lived in New England and raced at Claremont, Monadnock, Thunder Road, different places," Wilson said. "We'd come up here every once in a while and just not run good, and just never feel like I ever figured this place out. I always wanted to do good in the Oxford 250. That's kind of what drove us to do it."
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/5246131.html
AP photo
BY MATT DIFILIPPO
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
OXFORD -- Sporting a black Coca-Cola cap, a two-day beard, a well-worn Zoo York T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, Kevin Harvick talked about why he wanted to race in Sunday's TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.
"I didn't have anything to do," Harvick joked.
Turning more serious, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion added, "It's a pretty historic race in itself. I like going places that I hadn't been before, so it's just a unique experience to come be a part of it."
Harvick, who sits ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, is the latest NASCAR standout to spend his off week racing in Oxford, following drivers like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven.
"It's gotta be fun. It's an off weekend from my normal job," Harvick said Friday afternoon from the track's press box. "That's first priority. Second priority is to make sure that we're at least competitive, and I think we're going to be OK in that part. But fun is the most important thing."
But there's a lot of fun in winning, too, and Harvick said he is competing with the goal of succeeding.
"We're here to race," Harvick said. "We're not here just to say we were here. So, hopefully, we can race like we need to race and go from there."
Harvick said he only had passing conversations with other NASCAR stars who have raced at Oxford, but said the consensus was that everyone races hard.
"A big race, no matter where it's at, is a big race, whether it's the Northeast or the Southeast," Harvick said. "I heard more stories about driving up here than I did about the race."
While John Linville, Harvick's late father-in-law, tried without success to qualify for the Oxford 250 several times in the 1980s, the idea of Harvick competing in Sunday's race came from another person who had his struggles at Oxford.
Shane Wilson, Harvick's crew chief, hails from South Royalton, Vt. As part of Mike Batchelder's crew in the mid-1990s, Wilson knew only frustration in Oxford.
"I lived in New England and raced at Claremont, Monadnock, Thunder Road, different places," Wilson said. "We'd come up here every once in a while and just not run good, and just never feel like I ever figured this place out. I always wanted to do good in the Oxford 250. That's kind of what drove us to do it."
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/5246131.html
AP photo
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
