Richard Childress expects to have Sprint Cup points leader #29-Kevin Harvick signed to a new deal by the Coca-Cola 600 at the end of the month. “Yeah, we’re pretty far down the road,” the owner of Richard Childress Racing said of negotiations before Friday’s Cup practice at Darlington Raceway. “We’ve still got to get a few things finalized, but we’re looking forward to getting everything done by Charlotte or before Charlotte.” Harvick was not immediately available for comment, but did say in a recent radio interview that he hoped to have a deal in place soon. Sponsorship is among the details to be finalized. Shell/Pennzoil announced last month it would leave Harvick after this season and move to the #22 car of Kurt Busch at Penske Racing in 2011. Asked if Budweiser or Mobile I, big-name sponsors whose current deals are up, might be on the list, Childress said, “There are sponsors that are not even in the sport that are interested.”(ESPN.com)(5-7-2010)
UPDATE: Sprint Cup point leader Kevin Harvick has agreed to an extension with Richard Childress Racing, a source close to the situation confirmed on Friday. RCR has scheduled a press conference for Saturday at 3:15 p.m. at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Team owner Richard Childress said only that he planned to discuss several organizational matters. Harvick declined to acknowledge the deal, which Childress told ESPN.com three weeks ago would be completed by the end of May. “I don’t have anything new to report today,” Harvick said. “Soon as we get it all to report we’ll go ahead and do that. Nothing new to report today.” Among the details to be worked out are sponsorship. Shell/Pennzoil announced last month it would leave Harvick after this season and move to the #22 car of Kurt Busch at Penske Racing in 2011.(ESPN.com)(5-21-2010)
UPDATE 2: #29-Kevin Harvick will continue his partnership with Richard Childress Racing. Harvick signed a multi-year contract but sponsorship has yet to be finalized. RCR is talking to several potential sponsors but Budweiser appears to be the leading candidate. Another scenario presented for Harvick is the possibility of moving Budweiser to the #33 Chevy with Clint Bowyer and bringing General Mills to the #29.(FoxSports)(5-22-2010)
UPDATE3: Richard Childress Racing, which is expected to announce Saturday that it has signed Kevin Harvick to a contract extension, is making big pushes to land either Budweiser or UPS for next year, according to multiple sources in the Sprint Cup garage.(Ford Racing)(5-22-2010)
UPDATE 4: Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick have signed a multi-year contract extension for the 2007 Daytona 500 winner to continue his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving career with the 12-time NASCAR championship-winning organization. The announcement was made today in the infield media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I’m happy to be able to continue my relationship with Richard and RCR because, over the last 10 years, we’ve been through a lot together,” said Harvick. “Being able to put this piece of the puzzle in place couldn’t have come at a better time for me and this team because we can focus solely on winning this championship.”
“Kevin has been a big part of RCR for more than a decade now so it’s good to know our relationship will continue for years to come,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “The #29 Shell-Pennzoil team is leading the points and really working very well together this season. This new contract should only help build on their momentum.”(RCR)(5-22-2010)
