Mike Harmon will drive the Winston Cup car in 1999 for Richmond-based NASCAR owner Junie Donlavey. OK, that’s great but….who is he and what has he done? From the Times-Dispatch story today – Harmon, who turns 41 in January, spent the past seven seasons competing in NASCAR All Pro Series, BGN and short-track races. He ran 11 All Pro races in 1998 and a full schedule in 1997. He will be a candidate for 1999 Winston Cup rookie of the year. Harmon approached Donlavey in July and hammered out his deal with a sponsor earlier this month. Harmon learned the sport at the Fairgrounds Raceway in Birmingham, AL, the track that produced NASCAR standouts Bobby Allison, Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett and Red Farmer. He won a pair of track championships there and one at the Heart of Dixie track, also in Alabama. The Birmingport native has always run cars out of his hometown shop. Harmon posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes on the All-Pro circuit last season. In 1997, he closed the season fifth in points with nine top five finishes. He ran seven BGN races in a row in 1996 before his sponsor bailed out of the deal and ended his season prematurely.(Times-Dispatch/TNN), also found a page about Harmon at the Unofficial Birmingham International Raceway Site: Mike Harmon , no stats, but an images and a story.(12-16-98) (12-16-1998)
