SCR: But didn't you still owe DeLana a honeymoon?
Harvick: Yeah, but she didn't get it. Seriously, she didn't want it either because staying at home over the winter was something she really wanted to do too. DeLana was as content to stay at home as I was because she was on every plane ride and went to every race with me last year. It's been as hard on her as it has on me.
SCR: Outside of racing, what's a perfect day in the life of Kevin Harvick?
Harvick: Really, just spending time and relaxing. I like playing with the dogs and my radio controlled cars. I also have an arcade downstairs at home, so I like messing with that, too. If I've got time off, I just like to kick back and not do a lot.
SCR: How do you explain your driving style?
Harvick: It's aggressive and always has been. I was always pushed to figure out why I wasn't winning even when I finished second. Doing what you have to do to win is how I was taught to race. That's how my father taught me to race, with a "do what you have to do to win" attitude because nothing else matters.
SCR: Sometimes your driving style ruffled the feathers of your fellow drivers. What's your take on that?
Harvick: That's OK with me. If you're going to dish it out, you have to be willing to take it, too. Some of the guys like to complain about people driving rough. I just give it back to them on the track. I can dish it out but I can take it, too. Those guys complaining about me aren't going to change me, so I'm going to continue doing what I have to do to win races.
SCR: After winning the Busch Series title, you made the comment that you realized you'd made some mistakes. What did you mean by that? Were you maybe at times too aggressive?
Harvick: I don't think most of my mistakes were made on the track. Most of my mistakes were made after the races when my emotions were running high. I guess I need to learn to compose myself a little bit quicker. I think over the course of last year, I learned to become a lot better at that. Just knowing when to say what at the right time and when not to say something at the wrong time is probably the biggest thing I learned last year. But as far as on the track, I don't feel like I need to change too much.
SCR: Following the fall Winston Cup race at Martinsville a fellow driver said you were trying to fill Dale Earnhardt's shoes and driving over your head. How do you take that?
Harvick: All of us would give back everything we did last year if we could have Dale Earnhardt with us, but we can't do that. I didn't ask to be put in this position, but I think a lot of people don't realize that I have to be in this spot in order to keep going. Racing is how we as a team eat and pay our bills. This is our way of life and we have to somehow keep it going. I think comments like those are almost made out of resentment because I'm only 26 years old and doing good. They're looking for the easiest way to excuse themselves of getting beat by a 26-year-old. To me, those were some cheap comments.
SCR: Do you fear being labeled as an overaggressive driver by your peers?
Harvick: That doesn't bother me in the least.
SCR: What's the biggest thing you learned last year?
Harvick: Richard told me that Winston Cup racing was going to be different, and he didn't quite know how to explain it. He told me I was just going to have to experience it and he was exactly right. It's something that's so big, no matter what you do is huge. The biggest thing I learned was how to deal with all that and being under the microscope. I feel like the lessons I learned last season are going to take me long into my career.