Author: Zach Albert
Date: Dec. 1, 2014
After career year, Las Vegas experience will be different for 'Happy'
The speech Kevin Harvick gave at the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards captured the veteran driver at a career crossroads, leaving Richard Childress Racing for his new digs at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Though he wrapped up a lame-duck final season, Harvick called his third-place result "anything but lame." One year later and with a new life chapter in the books, things keep getting less and less lame.
Harvick will be the toast of Las Vegas this year at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week, a season-ending celebration culminating with Friday night's banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas. He'll be afforded the luxuries befitting a champion, sitting at the head table and getting more than the customary few minutes to address the NASCAR community.
Harvick raced to his first championship in NASCAR's premier series with a victory last month in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, topping the new-look Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs with a winner-take-all moment at the checkered flag. For Champion's Week, he'll accordingly be first in line for a full schedule of fan-friendly events.
Tuesday, Harvick will be the featured guest on a special interactive broadcast of "NASCAR Live" with the Motor Racing Network's Eli Gold at the Wynn. The event is free and fans are invited to participate in the program. A free fanfest presented by nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway kicks off the Wednesday festivities, giving fans a chance to get up close with all 16 Chase qualifiers from last season.
Three events -- all streamed live on NASCAR.com -- fill up a huge Thursday slate. The day opens with the National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Awards luncheon (2 p.m. ET). The quote-unquote dessert will be the NASCAR Victory Lap (6:30 p.m. ET) with this year's Chase drivers thundering down Las Vegas Boulevard, performing burnouts in the heart of Sin City.
Thursday evening, the Chase drivers sit down in the sold-out After the Lap (8 p.m. ET), an off-the-cuff, unfiltered forum made famous by Jeff Gordon's impromptu breakdancing routine in 2011. The event -- sponsored by Ford, Coca-Cola and Sprint -- will feature a performance by country recording artist Cassadee Pope.
The NASCAR industry gussies up for one last send-off to the 2014 season in Friday night's black-tie awards event (9 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1), hosted by comedian Jay Mohr. This year's top performances will be honored and musical interludes by Lady Antebellum, Aloe Blacc, and Lennon and Maisy Stella will highlight the evening.
For Harvick, sitting up on stage with his team and family at the head table will be anything but lame.
To view this article as it appears on NASCAR.com, click here.