Kevin Buskirk spent two years at Robert Yates Racing before coming over to RCR. Credit: Autostock

Harvick's success can be linked to Buskirk hiring

Success has followed No. 29 team's engineer for several years

Kevin Buskirk is a name known only to the most die-hard of NASCAR fans.

His appearance is just an anonymous. Tall. Lanky. Usually wearing a shy grin. He blends in with the best of them, and he likes it that way.

	RYAN SMITHSON •   E-mail Ryan •   Opinion archive

And yet, Buskirk, 53, has to be given credit for playing a major role in one of the most dramatic team turnarounds in NASCAR history.

Like I said, you've probably never heard of the guy. He is the race engineer for Kevin Harvick, but that simple term doesn't nearly define the broad scope of his job.

Buskirk came to RCR in March 2006 to assist Todd Berrier, longtime crew chief for Harvick. Right away, it was evident that Buskirk was Berrier's right-hand man -- someone given the authority to make certain pit calls. In a world where inter-team politics can get nasty, Buskirk is decidedly non-partisan.

Buskirk came to RCR from Robert Yates Racing, where he was interim crew chief for Elliott Sadler for much of the second half of 2005.

An intensely well-liked man, Buskirk was named Employee of the Year for Robert Yates Racing in 2004, mainly because of the job he did working with Sadler, who scored two wins. Buskirk joined the team before that season, and Sadler enjoyed a career year.

It is probably no accident that Harvick is enjoying a similar renaissance in his first season with Buskirk. As soon as Buskirk joined the No. 29 team in March, Harvick immediately began to run better, and that spread to RCR's other teams.

"He'll have an impact, I promise you that," Harvick said when Buskirk was hired.

Kevin Harvick nearly has as many victories this year as he had in the previous four years. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Kevin Harvick's stats with and without Kevin Buskirk   With Without Years 1 5 Wins 4 5 Top-5s 12 30 Top-10s 15 66 Poles 1 4 Laps Led 634 1,624 Avg. Start 14.6 18.5 Avg. Finish 12.7 16.4 Note: Dating to 2001 season Elliott Sadler's stats with and without Kevin Buskirk   With Without Years 2 1 Wins 2 0 Top-5s 9 1 Top-10s 26 7 Poles 4 1 Laps Led 637 76 Avg. Start 12.9 17.7 Avg. Finish 16.8 21.3 Note: Dating to 2004 season

He was right.

It was also not coincidental that RYR began to struggle as soon as Buskirk left. A major part of their engineering help had left to a rival team, leaving RYR dangerously low on engineering expertise.

In today's NASCAR, having the right people is the difference between a Chase berth and a 20th-place spot in the owners' standings. It is an incredibly fine line, and a mere change of engineering help can be the push a team needs.

It was certainly a shot in the arm for RCR that Buskirk became available, and team owner Richard Childress seemed surprised that he was able to snag him.

"We knew that he was available so we went after him when we knew he didn't have a contract and was going to be available," Childress said. "We have a good engineer in Andy Street, and we needed one more to strengthen that team."

In short, Buskirk was the final piece of the rebuilding puzzle for RCR. The team's turnaround is probably the biggest surprise of the season, and Tony Stewart's win at Kansas last Sunday was the first time RCR had been beaten in a month.

It is obviously huge that RCR has three proven drivers, all of whom are either in or about to enter the prime of their careers. That is where a guy like Buskirk can make them even better.

A former champion driver in his home state of Pennsylvania, Buskirk pays particular attention to how the chassis acts in the critical turns, and he relays that feedback to the teams.

"He was a race driver himself," Childress said. "I think that is where he has brought so much to the race teams.

"He has that calming effect, if we are a little off, he will be getting corner speeds and he will be coming and telling the guy, 'Hey, you need to work on [Turn] 1 and 2 a little more,' and people will listen to him, because he does have so much experience."

Buskirk is locked in with RCR for at least a couple of more years, and if the organization is able to keep the team of Harvick, Berrier and Buskirk intact, the No. 29 will be a championship contender well into the next decade.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.