Outspoken Harvick looks prophetic
The 2007 Daytona 500 winner was criticized for saying that open-wheel drivers would struggle competing in the NASCAR Cup series. After six races, many of the circuit rookies are finding it hard to kee
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."
Hornish followed the lead of Juan Pablo Montoya, another former Indy 500 winner and Formula One driver who joined Ganassi's Cup team last year.
Now, as a sophomore in the series, Montoya is 17th in points after six races but has yet to post a top-10 finish this season. He was 13th at Martinsville.
Harvick, meanwhile, has quietly climbed to second in the Cup standings, only 39 points behind series leader and his teammate, Jeff Burton. Harvick has four top-10 finishes - including two top-fives - so far this season.
latimes.com