Kevin Harvick earned another $1 million payday Saturday night, winning the Nextel All-Star Challenge after Matt Kenseth got caught speeding and brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch took each other out of contention. That made Jimmie Johnson, a two-time All-Star race winner, the last driver for Harvick to contend with. But Johnson barely mounted a challenge, staying in line behind Harvick until the final lap at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Johnson made one attempt at a pass, Harvick blocked it, then drove off to his second win of the season. Harvick’s other victory also was a jackpot - he earned $1.5 million for winning the season-opening Daytona 500. Harvick, who was second to Johnson last season, scored his first All-Star victory in seven tries and gave car owner Richard Childress his first win in the non-points event since Dale Earnhardt in 1993.
It capped a hugely successful weekend for Childress, who said Friday he had formed an engine alliance with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Then AT&T won an injunction to get its logos placed on RCR driver Jeff Burton’s car. The car has been sponsored by Cingular, but AT&T has been fighting to get on the hood since the two companies merged. NASCAR denied the request, citing its exclusivity agreement with series sponsor Nextel, but a U.S. district judge allowed RCR to put the AT&T logo on the car Saturday morning.
Mark Martin finished third and was followed by Burton, Tony Stewart, Johnny Sauter and Kenseth. Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr., who got into the race by winning the Nextel Open, rounded out the top 10.