Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Kevin and DeLana Harvick are looking for someone special. Can you help?

   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana, met a special person on a recent visit to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. But they never caught his name.

    They posted the following note Tuesday on Facebook:

    "Okay Fort Bragg followers, we need your help. A few weeks ago when DeLana and I were in Ft. Bragg, we came in contact with a solider as we were leaving the Soldier & Family Assistance Center.

    He told us that he and his friend were huge Kevin Harvick fans. Soon after watching the Daytona 500, he and his friend were out on patrol, in Afghanistan I believe, and his friend was killed. He gave me a pin from his friend’s uniform. Before we could process what had just happened, between the tears, soldier was gone.

    We never got his name…

   We've been working with the folks from Ft. Bragg since that day with no luck. It would mean so much to us if anyone has any information about this particular solider we met in Ft. Bragg and how we might be able to contact him.

    We’ve got something we want to get to the soldier and are hoping we can get the word out via social media. There are no pictures, video, etc of our meeting… so we are asking for any help in this matter!"


   Go here to see Harvick's Facebook page.

Will Nationwide always be on NASCAR's side?

   Nationwide Insurance has extended its exclusive negotiating window with NASCAR, giving the company through the end of the summer to determine whether it wishes to renew its title sponsorship of NASCAR's second-tier series, according to a report in the Sports Business Journal.

   The original agreement gave Nationwide until the end of June to negotiate exclusively with NASCAR but the company requested more time so it could take into consideration what TV network would be broadcasting the series' races.

   Sources told the Observer on Tuesday that Fox Sports, perhaps in conjunction with its new Fox Sports 1 brand which debuts later this summer, may be making a play for the series' TV rights. The series is currently broadcast by ESPN/ABC.

   ESPN/ABC has not yet started negotiations with NASCAR on extending its TV deal covering the series but is expected to by next month.

   Asked if the network wanted to retain the rights, ESPN spokesman Andy Hall said, "We have a good relationship with NASCAR, it's good programming for us and we'd like to continue."

   According to the SBJ, media has been one of Nationwide’s primary vehicles for getting a return on its $10 million to $12 million deal to title sponsor NASCAR’s secondary series. The company, which became the series’ sponsor in 2008, spends more than $5 million on media with ESPN, and it has used NASCAR-themed ads over the last five years to connect with fans and raise brand awareness, so the series’ future television deal is something sources said Nationwide officials wanted to evaluate before committing to a renewal.