Road rage: after becoming the first NASCAR driver suspended for his aggressive antics, will the talented but troubled Kevin Harvick learn to curb his temper?

Auto Racing Digest, August-Sept, 2002 by Larry Woody

KEVIN HARVICK DIDN'T HAVE to run that Craftsman Trucks race at Martinsville Speedway any more than he needed to run the Busch race at Bristol Motor Speedway a couple of weeks earlier. But he's a driver and there was a race going on. It was as simple--or as complicated--as that.

Harvick's aggressive behavior in those two lower-tier races this spring netted him an unprecedented one-race NASCAR suspension, a "parking" that kept him out of the Martinsvlle Winston Cup main event and left many wondering about the future of the bright, talented racer.

Success may have come too quickly for the 26-year-old California transplant, who has already won more than $5 million in his short Winston Cup career. Last season, in a remarkable motor sports marathon, Harvick captured both the Busch Series title and the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Award. He became the first driver in NASCAR history to earn both honors in the same season.

Harvick was hand-picked by prominent team owner Richard Childress to take over Dale Earnhardt's car after the legend perished in last year's season opener. The youngster responded to the challenge by winning two Cup races--the first of which came in only his third career start--and finishing an impressive third in the points standings in 2001.

This year, the aggressiveness that made Harvick so successful in 2001 is undermining his talent. Harvick, who had a number of run-ins with other drivers last season, accosted Greg Biffle following the aforementioned Busch race at Bristol and was placed on probation. Two weeks later, after he slammed into Coy Gibbs in a trucks race at Martinsville, he was suspended.

Even when Harvick has been on the track, his head hasn't always been in the race. He finished in the top 20 in only three of his first 10 starts this year. In addition to his one-race suspension, Harvick remains on probation. He will race the rest of the season under the NASCAR magnifying glass, and he can't afford any more slips.

If Harvick realizes this, it's not apparent from his attitude. The driver was stunned by his suspension: Before his comeback race at Talladega Superspeedway, he sounded neither contrite nor apologetic. Instead, he came across as defensive and defiant "I don't know that anybody wants or needs an apology," said Harvick, who insisted that the Gibbs incident was blown out of proportion.

But Harvick `indicates that he got NASCAR's message. "The most important lesson I learned is that I was not looking at things the same way NASCAR was," he says. "That's something I have to do in order to succeed in this sport I can win races, but unless I can walk into that NASCAR trailer and have a normal, decent conversation with them, I'm not going to get anywhere, I'm still learning how NASCAR officials work and what is involved in the decisions they make."

Harvick received almost no support from his fellow drivers. "He's lost the respect of a lot of people because of his childish behavior," says Ward Burton. "I'm not going to sit here and say I'm perfect or that I haven't lost my temper, but Harvick loses his every week."

"You gotta draw the line somewhere, and NASCAR finally drew it," says Jimmy Spencer, who has had his own problems controlling his temper.

Harvick didn't respond well to his critics. "They're not worth wasting my time on," he says. "I have the support of the people whom I respect in this sport."

Bobby Hamilton, who had problems with Harvick last season, theorizes that because the youngster was chosen to drive Dale Earnhardt's car, he also tried to assume the late legend's aggressive persona. "He may be driving Earnhardt's car, but he ain't Earnhardt," says Hamilton. "He'd better learn that as quickly as possible."

"I think if you're going to drive Earnhardt's car, you need to do what he did," adds veteran crew chief Bill Wilburn. "And 9996 of the time, Dale just kept his mouth shut".

Childress argued that because the infractions occurred in other divisions, Harvick's punishment should not have involved Winston Cup. He claimed it was "not fair to punish" the Cup team and its sponsors, but NASCAR ruled otherwise. "A NASCAR license is valid in all events, and probation isn't limited to a specific series," said Winston Cup director John Darby.

Childress, who says Harvick's aggressive style and competitive nature are among the qualities that make him an attractive racer, warns that the driver has to be careful not to step over the line. "This attitude doesn't work," says Childress. "This is Winston Cup racing. You have to step back and take a few deep breaths and realize how important this is to a lot of people. Kevin is going to have to approach things differently. He'll have to bite his lip."

Childress is even considering disallowing Harvick to run Busch or Craftsman Trucks races in order to reduce the driver's chances of tempting fate--or NASCAR officials.

NASCAR had tried fines, warnings, and probation to curb Harvick's behavior before finally resorting to the suspension. Three-time Cup champion Darrell Waltrip believes drastic action was required to get Harvick's attention. "I spent five years on probation," says Waltrip, now a Fox broadcaster. "So what? What does that mean?"