NASCAR Cup

A numb arm ruins Harvick's night

Driver Kevin Harvick is usually a force to be reckoned with at Bristol Motor Speedway. In seven starts, Harvick had finished in the top ten six times, and never worse than 24th. This event, however, saw the tide turn for Harvick. Just past the ...

Published: Aug 29, 2004, 2:47 PM

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Driver Kevin Harvick is usually a force to be reckoned with at Bristol Motor Speedway. In seven starts, Harvick had finished in the top ten six times, and never worse than 24th.

This event, however, saw the tide turn for Harvick. Just past the midpoint of the event, Harvick radioed his crew and informed them that his right arm was numb and he wanted to exit the car. It took another fifty or so laps, before Harvick finally exited the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, being replaced by Kyle Petty - who was involved in a wreck earlier in the evening and thus free to take over the wheel.

"My arm just fell asleep during that long green flag run," explained Harvick. "My seat was pinching a nerve under my left bicep and it just went numb. I tried to bring it back to life after that pit stop. But once we went back to racing, it fell right back to sleep.

"I knew the only thing to do was have someone replace me because I knew I couldn't drive the car with one arm."

It was a real disappointment for the 29 team, who is struggling to remain in the top ten to be contenders for the chase for the championship. With just two races to go, Harvick can't afford to give up any precious points. He entered Bristol eighth in points, with just a 40 point cushion between himself and the tenth place contender.

The lengthy pit stop to remove Harvick from the race car, and get Petty in; placed Harvick several laps down, an unrecoverable deficit at a short track. They wound up finishing 24th.

Due to some of the other top ten contenders experiencing problems, he managed to remain eighth in standings, but his cushion has narrowed. Bobby Labonte (9th) moves within one point of eighth, and Ryan Newman (10th) is now just five shy of catching Harvick.

Harvick was treated for dehydration and left bicep numbness by the RCR team physician.

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