Outspoken Harvick Looks Prophetic
By James Peltz, Los Angeles Times Staff
Writer | April 2, 2008
Kevin Harvick told you
so.
The outspoken NASCAR Sprint Cup driver predicted in February that the
open-wheel drivers migrating to his series this year would face a tough road
and that they would do better by first driving in stock-car racing's minor
leagues.
 Harvick,
the 2007 Daytona 500 winner, mostly stood alone with his strong comments
before the season-opening Daytona 500. But the Bakersfield native looks smart
after the first six NASCAR races.
Former Indianapolis 500 winners Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti, along
with another longtime open-wheel racer, Patrick Carpentier, all are
struggling in the NASCAR Cup series. Jacques Villeneuve, another former Indy
500 winner, failed to even qualify for the Daytona race and then lost his
ride altogether.
"That's been my point from the beginning, you're just not going to jump in,"
Harvick said last week. "Everybody made a stink at Daytona that I was wrong,
but it's so much different than the forms of racing that they did."
Sunday's NASCAR race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway exemplified the challenge
facing the new drivers, who once piloted sleek, 1,600-pound open-wheel Indy
style cars and now wrestle with boxy, 3,400-pound stock cars.
Franchitti finished 22nd for his team of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix
Sabates, one lap down to winner Denny Hamlin, although he did climb from
starting last in 43rd place. Hornish finished 28th for Penske Racing and
Carpentier 29th for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, both three laps behind
Hamlin.
Of those three former open-wheel drivers, only Hornish is among the coveted
group of NASCAR drivers in the top 35 in series points, a group that
automatically qualifies for the next race Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. And
he's barely hanging on, in 35th.
Franchitti, currently 37th in points, and Carpentier, 45th, must post fast
enough speeds in time trials this week to grab one of the remaining eight
positions to compete in the Texas race.
"All those guys are great drivers," Harvick said, but "it's a very steep
learning curve. It takes time to figure out where the car is going to go and
anticipate it."
Harvick pointed to Scott Speed as an example of how to prepare for the Cup
series. Speed, a Manteca, Calif., native who spent 18 months driving in
Formula One, now drives in NASCAR's truck series and in the ARCA
developmental stock-car series in hopes of reaching the Cup level.
"I think Scott Speed is doing it the correct way," Harvick said. "Most of us
have raced these cars all of our life and to think that you're going to come
over and be competitive right off the bat, somebody is feeding you a line."
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