Kevin Harvick explains contract saga with Stewart-Haas Racing

In February, Stewart-Haas Racing announced it would change manufacturers for 2017, and almost instantly rumors began swirling that Kevin Harvick would sign with Hendrick Motorsports so he could continue driving Chevrolets.

That speculation proved unfounded. Not only did Harvick intend to remain with SHR, which is switching to Ford next season, he never had any contact with Hendrick about joining Chevrolet’s flagship organization. Additionally, SHR held a two-year option on Harvick’s services, precluding such a move from occurring anyway.

But as SHR worked to solidify Harvick’s contract behind the scenes, scuttlebutt continued that Harvick was looking elsewhere and likely to end up with Hendrick where he would replace Kasey Kahne. Speculation grew so rampant that Harvick sought Kahne out to assure him he wasn’t taking his job.

“I actually went to Kasey Kahne and I said, ‘Look man, here’s what’s going on,’” Harvick said Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I told him, there’s not been one person that’s called me from your organization and I want you to have the trust in your team. I want you to believe in your team. I want you to keep working on the things that you’re working on, but here’s where it’s at. Here’s what I’m doing. Here’s what I see. Here’s how it’s going to go.”

Kahne’s status as driver of the No. 5 Hendrick car has come under question after consecutive underwhelming seasons. He failed to make the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff and his most recent victory occurred Aug. 31, 2014, at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

With Kahne seemingly facing an uncertain future and Harvick believed to be unhappy with SHR’s switching manufacturers, Harvick thought Kahne should know that despite rumors to the contrary, he wasn’t set to sign with Hendrick.

“I feel like I have a good relationship with Kasey,” Harvick said. “I felt like it was important for him to know where his organization stood and the talks and situations that had been there were never even talked about.

“I knew that there was a lot of pressure on that particular side of things to get where they have been and where they’re performing better and doing the things that they’re doing on the race track.”

Kahne confirmed on Twitter he and Harvick spoke the weekend of the March 6 race at Phoenix International Raceway.

“Pretty cool of him,” Kahne tweeted.

As contract negotiations between himself and SHR continued over the past couple of months, Harvick reaffirmed his commitment to the team co-owned by Tony Stewart multiple times. He told reporters in March he would be “foolish” to leave the organization with which he won his first-ever championship in 2014 and nearly a second one last season.

Nonetheless, rumors lingered that Harvick was leaving SHR. That prompted him to bristle on social media Tuesday at how the media has covered the situation.

On Thursday, SHR formally announced Harvick signed a “long-term” contract extension that both parties had been working on for months.

“I think it’s probably been a distraction at the shop and to the guys on the team a lot more than it has me,” Harvick said. “I don’t mind getting in the middle of some of these games. At this point, we weren’t even really trying to play a game, but unfortunately it kind of turned into just a spiraling out of control rumor.

“It’s just been some crazy rumors that however they got started, they got started.”