In February of 2001, Kevin Harvick was thrust into a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race car one week after the sport lost the lead voice of the garage area — Dale Earnhardt.
On his Wednesday SiriusXM Happy Hours show, Harvick talked about how in the wake of controversial comments from Kyle Busch and team owner Bob Leavine about the current rules package, he feels the drivers just aren’t being listened to when it comes to what the sport needs to put on a better show.
“From a driver’s standpoint, in the past we started the driver’s council and that has kind of faded away this year and there’s a little frustration on the driver’s side because it has fallen on deaf ears over the past couple of years,” Harvick said. “I think a lot of Kyle’s (Busch) frustration and what he’s saying bleeds over to other drivers. You don’t feel like your voice is being heard. … The driver’s voice is not being heard very much on things when it comes to competition, especially when it comes to this particular style of rules package, and then you get to Dover and it boils over after the first 11 weeks.”
Harvick then explained how the sport doesn’t have that lead voice, like it did when Earnhardt was Alice.
“Before Dale Sr. passed, he was the kind of guy NASCAR trusted, could go to and say things and the drivers all trusted and said we’re on board with him,” said Harvick. “I don’t really feel there’s that type of communication since Dale Sr. left. There’s no guy and no one really in the very top of the NASCAR executive side of things that has the experience inside the car that can relate to the drivers and say this is what these guys are feeling, what they’re saying and I understand their frustrations.
“It’s a very tough, tough position that everything is in right now, after all this stuff is laid on the table by the race winner, (team owner) Bob Leavine and Kyle Busch. There’s a lot of things to digest here.”
