Delana Lynne Harvick (b. July 1973) is the wife of NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Kevin Harvick The two met during driver introductions at Michigan International Speedway in 1999 and were formally introduced by a mutual friend, Kevin's current crew chief, Todd Berrier, at a Christmas party for Richard Childress Inc.
Kevin and Delana secretly dated until they became engaged almost a year to the day of their first date. They were married on Feb. 28, 2001 in Las Vegas, in the middle of the week during the beginning of the whirlwind season that Kevin unexpectedly took over driving--and winning--for the late Dale Earnhardt.
Delana, a self-proclaimed "race brat," made her first trip to the track at three weeks old. Her father, John Paul Linville, was a racecar driver and tasked her with such duties as sweeping the floors at the shop and keeping score at the races. By age 14, Delana was a team manager and dabbled in driving herself, racing late models and legends. She also worked as a public relations representative for driver Randy LaJoie and Jeff Gordon.
Now, Delana is a car owner and manages the day-to-day operations of Kevin Harvick Inc., which opened for business in 2001 fielding Busch and Craftsman Truck series teams. Her focus is on licensing, merchandising and management of 50-plus employees.
Quoting this...
Delana: "Kevin and I are not only husband and wife, but we're best friends and we're business partners. I look back at some of my boyfriends and I think 'what would have happened if, what if?' I don't think I could have been as truly happy professionally and personally as I am. I think you're just destined to meet that person and for me that was Kevin."
KHI's first full time entry was NCTS in 2004 and in three years they have scored two top 5s and a top 10 finish in owner points. Also a top performer in the Busch series, the owners claimed the 10th spot in both 2005 and 2006, their first two full time seasons.
The #33 also drove to victory lane in the Busch series' Daytona 300 in its first two efforts. At the close of the 2006 season, Daytona International Speedway president Robin Braig made a special presentation renaming the historic track "DeLana International Speedway" for the day.
Quoting this...
Delana: "To be able to come back [to Daytona] and to have won the Busch race two years in a row, taking a look back to where I came from, I'm pretty proud of that. It means a lot to me. I'm really honored. How many people get to have their name on Daytona's walls?"
Delana holds an English degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. The couple currently resides in Delana's hometown of Kernersville, N.C. and have reportedly decided to delay having children until Kevin retires from driving.
Honors
In 2006, Delana was honored by KHI Sponsor The Hershey Company as one of four "Sensational Women" for her support of breast cancer awareness.
Flickr: Photo album|Slideshow
This post was updated Dec. 31, 2006.
