NASCAR Hotheaded Harvick resurfaces

The effects of a humbling suspension have worn off.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick seemed to have it all working.
He was funneling his intensity into his pursuit of the Winston Cup championship, and he wasn't a regular in NASCAR's big red truck getting reprimanded for his behavior on or off the track.
But the Harvick who had won accolades from other drivers for learning from a humbling suspension a year ago vanished Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, and the old one -- the hothead -- returned.
"Emotions run high in this sport and, needless to say, mine were running very high after last Saturday night's race," he said in a statement released by his team Wednesday, two days after NASCAR fined him $35,000 for his latest flip-out.
With nine laps to go in the Chevrolet 400, Harvick was running second but hit the wall after being nudged from behind by Ricky Rudd, who went on to finish third.
Harvick, who lost a possible sixth straight top-five finish, was furious after winding up 16th. He drove his battered car to pit road and banged into the side of Rudd's car.
Mangled hood
Several of Harvick's crew members also ran onto pit road and began banging on Rudd's car, mangling the hood. Harvick climbed on the roof of his car and began shouting at Rudd, who remained in his car.
Officials quickly calmed the situation, eventually ushering Harvick and members of both teams to NASCAR's red hauler.
"He's a fiery guy and there's nothing wrong with that, but he's got to control his emotions so he's not inciting his team," NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter said. "We like having our guys show their emotions in a professional way."
Harvick also was placed on probation through the end of the year. Several members of his team were fined and placed on probation for damaging Rudd's car, and two others were suspended until Sept. 17.
Unlike his first two seasons, Harvick is contending for the series title this year, trailing only Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. His finish Saturday hurt his chances in the points race. He went from probably gaining points to losing them, dropping from 415 behind Kenseth to 441 back.
"I felt like we had a strong finish in our run for the Winston Cup championship taken away for no reason," Harvick said in the statement. "I believe I had every right to be upset, but I do regret that what happened after the race reflected poorly on GM Goodwrench and my other sponsors and may have been offensive to some."
Reputation turnaround
The outburst also hurt the reputation of Harvick's team, which had been improving lately with help from a focused driver who has the talent to be a champion.
It had been a turnaround, many felt, that started in April 2002 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway after NASCAR officials "parked" Harvick's Chevrolet for a Winston Cup race, making him the first driver ever sent to the sideline for rough driving.
"I think Harvick learned a valuable lesson at Martinsville, the same lesson that we all learned," said Jimmy Spencer, another powerful personality in racing who drew a one-race suspension last month for punching Kurt Busch in the face after a race.
"I think Kevin realized, 'Hey, man, I'm sitting home and this race is going on and I'm not in it,' " Spencer said. "He was a changed person."
During a promotional appearance at Richmond, Harvick spoke candidly of the change, and how he'd learned over time to make better choices.
"I've done a lot of growing up, just understanding how the sport works. I became a bit of a politician on the side," he said.