Harvick

	Johnson

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- They are both from California, they both watched the Daytona 500 on television last year and they each spent time sleeping on fellow racer Ron Hornaday's couch when they moved to North Carolina.

Those aren't the only similarities shared by the two drivers that form the front row of the Daytona 500. Rookie Jimmie Johnson won the pole for his very first Daytona 500 and established himself as the leading contender for the 2002 Rookie of the Year Award.

The driver starting on the outside of the front row is last year's top rookie, Kevin Harvick. This also will be his first Daytona 500 after he took over at Richard Childress Racing following the death of Dale Earnhardt in last year's race.

The two 26-year-olds represent the changing face of Winston Cup racing -- no longer just a sport for Southern-bred racers.

"Jimmie and I are from the same side of the country -- he lived in El Cajon and I lived in Bakersfield, which is about four hours apart," Harvick said. "We are from the same part of the country and we are fortunate enough to have Ron Hornaday take both of us under his wing and he is part of the reason why we are both sitting up here today.

"I think I was living on Ron Hornaday's couch and Jimmie was getting ready to live on his couch. In 1998, I was racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Ron was getting ready to move up to Busch and later the Winston Cup Series. He took me under his wing and I stayed there for probably six months living on his couch. There are a lot of stories Jimmie and I could share, but none that would probably make it in the newspaper."

Johnson followed Harvick into the NASCAR Busch Series and that meant a trip to Hornaday's couch in Mooresville, N.C.

Hornaday may own the most famous couch in racing after Saturday's qualifications.

"I moved out in 1997 and I had met Ron at a Chevrolet function in Detroit," Johnson said. "Ron said that if I ever needed a place to stay to call him. I landed at the Charlotte airport and called him to see if I was still welcome. He wouldn't let me move out until I could buy a house and that was not possible. He even helped me find the house we bought.

"I stay there for about two or three months, but I was back and forth racing the off-road trucks in Wisconsin. Lots of people stayed there. I called it Camp Hornaday."

Even though Harvick finished in the top seven in points and was the series' top rookie, this is his first Daytona 500.

"They keep joking with me telling me they are going to put a yellow stripe on my bumper saying my rookie year is not over yet," Harvick said. "I might show up with a yellow stripe on my bumper. But it's really neat that Jimmie is on the front row and Jeff Gordon is third. Jeff Gordon was in Jimmie's position at a younger age and Jeff is slowing going into Rick Hendrick's position as a team owner at a really young age.

"You get to see all these different moves and Jimmie is in the same spot I am in my driving career. It's a pretty neat deal to see how it all changes. I'm enjoying everything that has happened. I'm on the front row and right now, life can't be any better."

Johnson and Harvick also are spearheading a youth movement in NASCAR. As the demands of the sport increase, the competition level has become younger as they attempt to keep up with the grueling pace of the sport.

"Everybody talks about change and how the drivers are changing and how everybody is a lot younger," Harvick said. "I think the change is a lot deeper than just the drivers. You are seeing the age of the crew chiefs become a lot younger; you are seeing the age of the crews become a lot younger. You are seeing a much different way than everything is formed."

Harvick races for RCR, one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history. There is only one driver in history that followed a Rookie of the Year Award with the Winston Cup title the following year -- Earnhardt. Harvick is hoping to repeat that accomplishment this season.

"We set our goals at RCR to go out and win races and be in contention to try to race for a championship," Harvick said.

Harvick and Johnson have gone from watching last year's Daytona 500 on television to grasping the reality of starting on the front row of the biggest race in NASCAR.

"I always preached about last year how I didn't have time to prepare for anything and didn't really have time to think of anything," Harvick said. "This year, I've had a couple months to sit back and realize we were getting ready to go to the Daytona 500. I've been jacked up about that for two months.

"Now that we are on the front row, it's something we really didn't expect. That's a pretty big accomplishment."