FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Kevin Harvick Won't Be Driving a Lame Duck in New Hampshire

When Kevin Harvick announced recently that Kevin Harvick Incorporated would be shutting down in 2012, three Camping World Truck teams and two Nationwide teams with numerous haulers, parts and jobs became expendable.

Harvick will be joining Richard Childress Racing in a Nationwide venture that will field at least a two-car operation.

The season is not over, but Harvick’s decision to inform employees now was a move that gives them a chance to find a new home. The new team with RCR will not be able to employ all of KHI’s present team members.

Harvick will be racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series No. 2 JEGS.com Chevrolet as well as his Sprint Cup duty as points leader in NASCAR's top series.

Given the knowledge of the imminent shutdown, many might think that Harvick’s ride might be more lame duck than charging lion, but a closer look uncovers two significant realities. KHI’s sponsor for the NCWTS race, JEGS.com, are pleased to honor their commitment. Some employees will be retained for the new team, making remaining race days opportunity days as well.

Scott "Woody" Woodruff, JEGS Director of Media and Motorsports, commented in regards to the role of JEGS.com on Harvick’s No. 2 NCWTS Chevrolet.

"New Hampshire will likely be one of, if not the, last truck race for Kevin Harvick...and JEGS is along for the ride. Kevin is a competitor on and off the track and will want to end on a high note. He will give it everything he has behind the wheel and maybe a little more in New Hampshire.”

Still, our economic world is all about jobs, jobs, jobs lately—from countless worried citizens to politicians seeking votes.

Team employment in the NASCAR garage may not be exactly like the NFL—Not-For-Long—but teams shut down and start up on a routine basis. The shifting of teams and employment is frequent for many team members. Active teams are often on the lookout for employees they think will be a better fit in their organization.

Harvick understands.

“The people part is the hard part,” Harvick said. “As we go through the process through the end of the year, obviously there will be a number of jobs that come available at RCR and they will all have the opportunity to go about those jobs.”

Harvick is an intense competitor and many of his team members will want to follow him to the new NNS team.

Bruce Cook is crew chief on the No. 2 KHI truck and offered comments shortly before the Harvick revelation.

"Obviously we’ve won this year,” Cook said. “We won three races in a row. The bad part is there's going to come a time when you don't win. You're going to run second. But that's what racing is, a roller coaster. If you don't like riding, you better get off.”

Gas man Randy Armstrong of KHI has skills that will transfer and defined his role over the wall before knowing the full fate of KHI.

"It's a lot harder than you think,” Armstrong said. “There's very little tolerance for error. The older system was a little bit better as far as tolerance for error. This deal has to be a lot more precise now when you couple it and when you uncouple it or it will get hung in there. You see a lot of guys on TV, the jack man will let it down before they are anticipating it and it will get hung because the tolerance of the fit is so close.

"It's really just repetition, it's like playing football. If you hike the football enough times the quarterback will know what the next play is. You do it enough you get used to what you're working with. It's all about knowing how your tools work."

Don Tarantino, a team mechanic, explained before the closure notice what fans might not visualize about their work.

"I think they just see the glory end of it,” Tarantino said. “They see the wins. They see the TV time. They don't see the work that actually goes into it and how hard it is to be away from your family as much as we are. Just to try to get along with 10 different people all at the same time to make everybody happy. Probably the biggest thing they don't see."

Anthony Alonzo also spoke freely before Harvick's KHI statement.

“I'm a tire specialist,” Alonzo said. “I sort and measure tires and put them in sets for a race and practices. I check air pressures and tire temperatures.”

“I get to travel every week. It's fun going to different places week in week out. It's a lot of work. It's not as easy as everybody perceives it.”

The crew welcomed the sponsorship by JEGS for the NHMS race.

Bruce Cook: “I’ve been a JEGS fan my whole life. I ordered a lot of parts when I raced out of JEGS.”

Randy Armstrong: “I like drag racing so it's cool to have a sponsor that you're interested in.”

Don Tarantino: "It’s great to have them as a sponsor. When we short track raced, we bought from JEGS.”

For the sake of motorsports it is hoped JEGS returns to NASCAR sponsorship, perhaps in Nationwide Series next time, and that the KHI employees quoted here find a new home for their special skills.

Commerce with jobs makes the economy flow for all.

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained from official release materials provided by NASCAR and team representatives.