2001 Cracker Barrel 500: An angel among us

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Rarely had Richard Childress found himself in such dire straits.

	Kevin Harvick edges Jeff Gordon by inches.

When Dale Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash three weeks ago at Daytona 500, Childress lost his best friend, his most powerful business partner and the foundation of his professional existence.

Childress had always viewed himself as hardcore and rugged, with impenetrable emotions. Then suddenly, Dale Earnhardt was gone. Suddenly, he felt fragile, and wondered whether his race team would ever again be the staple of dominance it had always been.

Sunday, he was given a resounding yes in the form of Kevin Harvick's first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory.

The rookie drove one of Earnhardt's most potent racecars to Victory Lane in just his third career Winston Cup event. No driver has ever taken the checkers quicker -- not even Big E.

"This is great," said Childress, now in his 29th year as a car owner. "With everything that has happened to this race team since Daytona, it's been an emotional deal for all of us. It's been the toughest thing ever and Kevin has made it much easier on our whole race team."

Harvick is viewed by some as cocky, brash and selfish. However, since Earnhardt's death on Feb. 18, he has been nothing if not unselfish. He's driving two racecars full time and juggling between two series full time when his sole purpose at the beginning of the year was to drive the No. 2 Chevrolet to the NASCAR Busch Series title.

"He came over there Tuesday or Wednesday night (after Earnhardt's death), and he said he'd do whatever he could to help the race team," Childress said. "He stepped in and it took away a lot of the pain as far as not having to worry about how the car was running and how we were doing at that racetrack. That was just a huge burden off of me."

Three weeks later, Harvick, a 25-year old newlywed fresh off his honeymoon in Vegas, has folks thinking the No. 29 Chevrolet could vie for the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

He currently ranks 11th in points, and that includes nothing from the Daytona 500. He wasn't given Earnhardt's points, so he started at zero in Rockingham. He finished 14th there in his first-career start, then followed that up with an 8th-place effort last week at Las Vegas.

Now, he's a winner.

"I don't know of anyone else who could have stepped into this situation and handle it how he has," Childress said. "I remember last year at Bristol when he won (in the Busch Series). We were all nervous, and he just sat in the car like he knew he belonged there, like 'hey, I just won a race.'"

As Harvick crossed the finish line, folks far and wide wept tears of joy. Even Childress shed a few tears.

"It's just very emotional," Childress said. "I didn't think I was very emotional, but I've found out lately how soft I really am."