NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick beams at remarks being made by President Obama. [Joe Jennings Photo]
Washington, D. C. – Sports champions are traditionally recognized with parades and banquets and every so often, they are invited to the White House to be recognized by the President of the United States. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama toasted 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick in a colorful ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.
Walking to the temporary stage was the President and the NASCAR champion along with team co-owner Tony Stewart and crew chief Rodney Childers. The foursome faced a gathering of some 200. And nearby on display were the gleaming Sprint Cup trophy and the shiny Budweiser Chevrolet.
“It is always nice to have the NASCAR family here,” President Obama said. “We have huge fans in the white House and big fans in the audience, including members of Congress. It is great to have here crew chief Rodney Childers, Greg Zipadelli, Tony Stewart and the team from Stewart Haas Racing and the NASCAR leadership, including Brian France and Mike Helton.
“We are here today to honor Kevin Harvick. It was an exciting year for the No. 4 car. When the season started, Kevin had a new team and crew chief to adjust to and it takes time for a driver and crew chief to figure each other out. But it wasn’t long before Kevin and the team was firing on all eight cylinders. The season wasn’t without its ups and downs, but Kevin and Rodney stuck with it and by the time the Chase rolled around, they were ready. It was a season where Kevin picked up five wins, picking up his first Sprint Cup championship.”
The President also commended Kevin and DeLana Harvick for their foundation’s activities, which aids underprivileged youth excel as students and athletes and helping his hometown boys and girls clubs with their programs.
“Kevin, congratulations to you again for an outstanding season,” the President said in closing.
President Obama also expressed his condolences to the family of Fox Sports broadcaster Steve Byrnes, who succumbed to cancer Tuesday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family,” he said.
After the ceremony, many in the audience greeted the NASCAR stars and quite a few had their pictures taken with them.
To close out the day, Harvick, Stewart and Childers met with the media in a gathering alongside the White House.
“It is an honor to be here and for me, the most exciting thing is to see my team guys see and take everything in and experience what they have – the Capitol, the White House and to be here on the lawn with the car and the championship team is pretty special and something you will never forget,” Harvick said.
Commenting on his 2015 season, he added, “The season is going great, and it has been a lot of fun to work with Rodney and these guys for the last 1 ½ years. I told them at end of last year that we had a lot of room for improvement and we are seeing that now. It is still evolving and getting better each week. We learned last year how to handle situations better than in the past. We just try to keep our heads down and grind away at the things that make the race car go faster. It is special to be part of a group of guys like this.”
Asked what his most enjoyable experience he has had since winning the championship, Harvick said it was taking the Sprint Cup trophy to his Bakersfield high school so the students could see what hard work and dedication will do. “Being able to take that trophy and set it on the gym floor for 950 kids to see and telling them no matter how much money you have or where you grow up, you can live your dream. That was the most impactful things that sticks out in my mind and the neatest thing we got to do.”
Tony Stewart commented, “It is always an honor to come to the White House and to acknowledge what our team has done, including Kevin and Rodney. It is fun to come here and hangout with the President. It means a lot to us for him to take the time with us.”
Discussing his season’s performance, the clean-shaven driver said, “We are gaining momentum. I didn’t think it would be that hard to adapt to a different package. I am so accustomed to cars with low downforce and high horsepower and now we have a bunch of downforce and they keep taking away horsepower, but we are gaining on it. I never thought I would be happy with a sixth at Bristol, but I was pretty happy Sunday.
“When you are accustomed to winning, it is very frustrating. The hard part is that technology plays such a big part, and I haven’t been able to find the combination that works for me. When you look at all four of our cars, two are running great and Danica and I are making the biggest improvements.”
Regarding Patrick, Stewart paid her high praise for quickly adapting to the transition from Indy cars to the heavier stock cars. “She’s done a phenomenal job in a short period of time, and I think people underestimate the challenge to go from an open-wheel car to a stock car.”
Stewart couldn’t withhold his optimism about the upcoming Sprint Cup race at Richmond after completing a successful test.