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*Harvick, RCR Rise To Occasion Kevin Harvick Victory Propels RCR Team To Top Of Standings DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 19) -- The resurgence of Richard Childress Racing took another giant step Sunday at New Hampshire International ...

Edited: Dec 11, 2006, 4:17 AM

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*Harvick, RCR Rise To Occasion

Kevin Harvick Victory Propels RCR Team To Top Of Standings

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 19) -- The resurgence of Richard Childress Racing took another giant step Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Kevin Harvick's (No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet) dominant performance in Sunday's Sylvania 300 moved him atop the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings for the first time in his career. It was also the first time a Childress-owned car has led the standings since Mike Skinner on March 14, 1999.

More impressive than the fact that Harvick won the race was the fashion in which he won. Harvick led 196 of the 300 laps, had an Average Running Position of 1.490, ran 100% of all Laps in the Top 15 and had 63 of the Fastest Laps Run (25.8%). That all resulted in Harvick compiling a Driver Rating of 148.9 -- a score of 150.0 is considered perfect.

The win is Harvick's second in a row, and third in the last six races. He has out-scored all other drivers in the past 10 races by over 100 points. All of this without taking into consideration Harvick's recent performance in the NASCAR Busch Series.

The Bakersfield, Calif.-native has led the point standings in the NASCAR Busch Series since the second race of the season. He has finished outside the top 10 three times all year. And his on-track success is finally carrying over to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

If Harvick can find a way to win the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship, and hold on to his NASCAR Busch Series points lead, he will become the first driver to ever win two national series titles in the same season.

Leaving New Hampshire in first place bodes well for Harvick's title chances. In each of the first two seasons of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the eventual champion had at least a share of the points lead after New Hampshire.

-credit: nascar

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