By David Newton
ESPN.com

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. — The door to the conference room cracked just a hair and a Chihuahua wearing a knit sweater ran in. The man at the head of the table plucked up the tiny dog in mid-sentence and gently cuddled it in his arms as he talked about the recent death of another pet and destroying the kitchen while preparing a seafood dinner for his wife.

“I tried to get it all cleaned up before she got home, but it didn’t work out,” Kevin Harvick said as he stroked Lo’s head.

This hardly is the image one normally has of the man whose steely-eyed stare behind the wheel of a stock car or truck is as intense as that of a boxer trying to intimidate an opponent before a bout.

He’s so focused at the track that autograph-seeking fans and even friends often are passed without him realizing they’re there. He’s sometimes so short with reporters that one recently wrote he hates the media.

It’s not hate. Harvick is just so intent on being the best that everything outside the car is an unnecessary distraction that he doesn’t deal with as well as others. It’s a passion that stirred some controversy last season when there were reports that he wanted out of his contract with Richard Childress Racing because the performance of the organization was underwhelming.

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