Harvick Maintains Lead In Washington Post Online March Madness
Celebrity Challenge Heading Into Final Four Weekend
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 1, 2008) – Kevin Harvick is nobody’s fool.
Although he trails his Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton by 39
points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, Harvick stands alone
atop the Washington Post’s Online March Madness Celebrity Pick challenge.
Harvick leads former University of Maryland basketball standout Byron Mouton
by a single point heading into the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend.
Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, leads three other
NASCAR drivers in a 22-person celebrity field that also includes Washington
Wizards Antawn Jamison and Spencer Haywood, who are in third and fourth
place, respectively; as well as other personalities from the world of sports,
politics and journalism.
 “I
think it’s pretty cool that I am winning the celebrity NCAA tournament
challenge over some great basketball players like Byron Mouton and Antawn
Jamison. It’s also pretty funny that Mr. Basketball, Jeff Burton, is close to
last place. If my calculations are correct, I will win this deal if UNC beats
Memphis in the finals.”
Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Stanley Tools/Best Buy Dodge, has crept
his way up in the standings into tenth place; Brendan Gaughan, who drives the
No. 10 MaxxForce Diesel Ford in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, slipped to
unlucky 13th after his University of Georgetown Hoyas lost in third round
action; and Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet, and
current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader heading into this weekend’s
action in the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, as well as the butt of
Harvick’s barb, is 19th.
“I am glad to see at least three of my Final Four picks have made it there,”
said Sadler. “In watching how good North Carolina has looked through the
whole tournament, I am more than confident they can go the distance. Kansas
and Davidson had a great game and Davidson was really on a roll there the
last few games. I give them credit for what they did and they should be proud
of what they accomplished.
“But now Kansas has to deal with North Carolina and I feel my Tar Heels are
going to go the distance. I see ol’ Happy Harvick didn’t pick Kansas to make
the Final Four, but still has three of his in there and he also picked N.C.
to win it all. We’ll just see how it goes this weekend in San Antonio.”
Indeed, if North Carolina defeats Memphis in the final game, Harvick will
edge out Jamison (who has the same final picks) for the title, proving that
early consistency goes a long way in March, and hopefully for Harvick in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, in November.
Sadler also has an opportunity for a final weekend climb into the top tier of
the standings as he also has North Carolina, but has them beating UCLA in the
final game, making the semifinal matchups very pertinent.
To view the overall standings heading into Saturday’s Final Four action in
San Antonio and track the celebrity picks until the end of the tournament, go
to:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/ncaa/madness/standings/celebs/. |
|
|
