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BY MATT DIFILIPPO, Staff Writer 07/19/2008

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READY TO ROLL: Kevin Harvick, a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, will race in Sunday’s TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

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OXFORD -- Sporting a black Coca-Cola cap, a two-day beard, a well-worn Zoo York T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, Kevin Harvick talked about why he wanted to race in Sunday's TD Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

"I didn't have anything to do," Harvick joked.

Turning more serious, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion added, "It's a pretty historic race in itself. I like going places that I hadn't been before, so it's just a unique experience to come be a part of it."

Harvick, who sits ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, is the latest NASCAR standout to spend his off week racing in Oxford, following drivers like Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven.

"It's gotta be fun. It's an off weekend from my normal job," Harvick said Friday afternoon from the track's press box. "That's first priority. Second priority is to make sure that we're at least competitive, and I think we're going to be OK in that part. But fun is the most important thing."

But there's a lot of fun in winning, too, and Harvick said he is competing with the goal of succeeding.

"We're here to race," Harvick said. "We're not here just to say we were here. So, hopefully, we can race like we need to race and go from there."

Harvick said he only had passing conversations with other NASCAR stars who have raced at Oxford, but said the consensus was that everyone races hard.

"A big race, no matter where it's at, is a big race, whether it's the Northeast or the Southeast," Harvick said. "I heard more stories about driving up here than I did about the race."

While John Linville, Harvick's late father-in-law, tried without success to qualify for the Oxford 250 several times in the 1980s, the idea of Harvick competing in Sunday's race came from another person who had his struggles at Oxford.

Shane Wilson, Harvick's crew chief, hails from South Royalton, Vt. As part of Mike Batchelder's crew in the mid-1990s, Wilson knew only frustration in Oxford.

"I lived in New England and raced at Claremont, Monadnock, Thunder Road, different places," Wilson said. "We'd come up here every once in a while and just not run good, and just never feel like I ever figured this place out. I always wanted to do good in the Oxford 250. That's kind of what drove us to do it."

Wilson pitched the idea to Harvick, and both said it was an easy sell.

"It was kind of an on-a-whim deal," Wilson said. "We got talking about it, he showed interest and I got excited, and it just went from there."

Added Harvick: "It's not very hard to talk me into going somewhere to race. You've got to talk more to my wife to talk her into it than you do me."

Wilson helped build the car Harvick will use in Sunday's race, complete with Harvick's familiar No. 29.

"The rules are a lot different than anything we would race anywhere else across the country," Harvick said. "The cars at home, they race on different tires, different engines, different everything, so you can't just build something that you had there."

Harvick also wanted a car that was comfortable for him. He has driven non-custom cars, but didn't want to risk that at Oxford.

"I do some of those deals where you sit in the seat and hope for the best when you get there," Harvick said. "There's too many cars to hope for the best when you get here."

Harvick got about an hour's worth of practice before the rain started Friday. He learned a little and will try to learn a little more.

"I've always been one of those people that likes to run on the bottom of race tracks," Harvick said. "They say in order to be passing somebody here, you've got to learn how to run in the middle.

"But I think it ran pretty good. It's kind of like dirt racing, to tell you the truth. You've gotta look for grip and keep a lot of momentum."

With Harvick's talent and experience and Wilson's know-how, maybe this team can finally show Wilson success at Oxford, and Harvick can have a little fun in the process.

"I believe once we run out here with the competition tomorrow, we'll know what we've got to do tomorrow night," Wilson said Friday. "It's just whether we can pick up the curb quick enough and get him what he needs. He's such a good short-track racer, the pressure's more on us at this point."

Matt DiFilippo -- 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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