Richard Childress and #29-Kevin Harvick are close to a deal that would keep the driver with Richard Childress Racing well beyond the 2006 season. “I think (a deal) is real likely,” Childress said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. “We hope to get it done in the next couple of weeks.” Harvick, in the final year of his contract with RCR, was considered a major target for Toyota, which is entering NASCAR’s Nextel Cup series in 2007, especially after he voiced concerns late last season that his current team was not capable of winning a championship. Childress said he met with Harvick earlier this week and got most of the deal worked out.(Associated Press)(4-29-2006)
UPDATE: look for an announcement soon that Harvick has signed to stay with RCR thru 2009.(4-30-2006)
UPDATE 2: announcement could come as soon as Friday as RCR has a press conference scheduled at Richmond.
AND As Kevin Harvick and car owner Richard Childress continue their contract talks, teammate Jeff Burton hopes Harvick will stay at RCR. “I want Kevin to stay. Kevin is valuable to our effort. Obviously his talent speaks for itself. Kevin to me has proven to be a good teammate and I don’t want Kevin to go anywhere.” Burton says he hasn’t been the middle of the discussions because “It’s about what they want to do, it has nothing to do with what I want to do. I think Kevin’s only hang up is…can we do as a company what we need to do to be successful and to compete for championships. It’s nothing personal, it’s all just about performance. Kevin is talented enough and good enough he deserves to have a chance at the very best equipment he can get his hands on because if he has it he can be highly successful. I can speak from experience…he won’t go somewhere else and see a whole lot more than what he can see right here.”(PRN’s Garage Pas Radio Show)(5-3-2006)
UPDATE 3 RCR, Harvick Agree to Contract Extension: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Kevin Harvick have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will see Harvick as an RCR driver through the 2009 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. Harvick drives RCR’s #29 GM Goodwrench/Reese’s Chevy in the NEXTEL Cup Series and RCR’s #21 Coast Guard Chevy in the Busch Series. Harvick’s career statistics include six victories and 70 top-10 finishes in the NEXTEL Cup Series and 19 victories and 98 top-10 finishes in the Busch Series. “Kevin is an important part of the RCR organization and we’re happy that will continue,” said Richard Childress, President and CEO of RCR. “He has done a great job in both the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series and we look for that to continue over the next several seasons.” Harvick is currently seventh in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup Series point standings with one win and four top-10 finishes. He leads the Busch Series standings by 274 points, ahead of RCR teammate Clint Bowyer in second place, with two wins and nine top-10 finishes. “I’m looking forward to the next three years at RCR,” said Kevin Harvick. “We’ve made a lot of changes over the past year that have really helped point the organization in the right direction. The chemistry feels right between the drivers, the crew chiefs and the teams. Above all else, there is a long relationship at RCR that Richard and I have. I feel like it would take time to recreate what we’ve built over the last seven years.”(RCR PR)(5-5-2006)
