Kevin Harvick Wins Magical First Race For Dale Earnhardt
Kevin Harvick got the ride he didn't want to get when Dale Earnhardt died at the Daytona 500. He even admits this has been "the hardest situation" of his life. But maybe he got some help from an unexpected ally. Driving the newly numbered No.29 GM Goodwrench Chevy Monte Carlo owned by Richard Childress, Kevin won the Cracker Barrel 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. To make the story even more amazing, he won by literally inches over fellow Chevy driver, Jeff Gordon, who had battled back after losing a lap when he ran out of gas.
There seemed to be plenty of magic in the air. As fans held up their hands with three fingers up for a third lap honoring of Earnhardt, 7000 black balloons were released-1000 for each of the seven Winston Cup titles Earnhardt won. Also on lap three, was a yellow flag for the third straight race. This was also the third Winston Cup race for Kevin. The threes were starting to add up.
After all that settled down and the race progressed, the Chevys looked strong all day but at the line for the win it was the white No.29. Car owner Richard Childress said, "I just keep praying there at the end-praying for Dale to help us-and he did. I'm speechless."
After making a Polish Victory Lap (invented by the late Champion Alan Kulwicki where the driver circles the track in reverse direction to salute the fans) and holding out three fingers to the emotional crowd, Harvick drove into the pits to find a reception line of crewmembers waiting to salute him. When he finally made it to Victory Lane, one of the first things out of his mouth was, "All I can say is that this is for Dale Earnhardt and his whole team. They stood behind me, and I gave it all I got." He went on to say, "I think Dale Earnhardt was in the passenger seat of this car today. Somebody was making me go a whole lot better than I was." The teary-eyed crew posed for winner's photos, and someone asked Kevin if he believed in magic. "Somebody should" was his reply.
Even Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got caught up in and said, "The competitor in me is a little jealous. But I'm real happy for Richard and especially for the team because I know how much my father meant to those guys. And it really makes me feel good to go home tonight knowing those guys have something to celebrate."