12-29-11 A look back at the 2011 King of the West 410 Sprints Royal Court Driver Number 13- “The Iron Man” Pat Harvey Jr.

By Gary Thomas

Rio Vista, CA – December 29, 2011…Dedication and tenacity are a couple of great words to describe Grass Valley, California racer Pat Harvey Jr., who even despite a grinding crash at the end of 2010, came back this season to complete the entire Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series schedule.

Harvey is the owner of Nevada City Auto Service in Nevada City, CA and has been following the state’s premier 410 sprint car series over the last few years. Affectionately dubbed the “Iron Man” Harvey is also the father-in-law of fellow KWS driver and former series champion Jason Statler.

“I think it was a fun year overall in the grand scheme of things,” said the recently turned 65-year-old competitor, who has been racing for over 30-years. “The previous season ended in a pretty rough fashion so to have everything finish on a much better note this year was nice.”

The 2010 Golden State 410 Series finale saw Harvey get upside down in a big way during the main event and it had left the veteran wondering if it was time to hang up the racing shoes. “That was a pretty major accident at the end of the year and I had thoughts of calling it quits,” he said. “But when the season rolled around I was ready to get back at it.”

Harvey also has a unique aspect about his racing efforts, which is the fact that he campaigns the KWS 410 trail with a home-built engine under the hood of his Nevada City Auto Service No. 15 sprinter.

“I actually didn’t know that Pat built his own engines until a couple years ago,” said King of the West Sprint Car Series operations manager George Hague. “Pat is truly one of the backbones of the sport and has been one of the biggest supporters of 410 racing out here over the last few years.”

Since becoming a regular with the Golden State tour, Harvey has logged a number of miles up and down California and wanted to recognize some people for their support. “It’s not an easy thing to travel around as much as we do,” said Harvey. “I want to thank my son-in-law Jason Statler and my girlfriend Kay because she puts up with a lot. I also want to thank Bill Winkle, Ray Clarke and Mario Landy, who also help me out.”

Harvey was also the subject of a short “Behind the Wheel” segment earlier this year produced by the KWS production unit and it can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/20565564

The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints would like to thank the following companies for their support this season: Goodyear Racing Tires, Pit Stop USA.com, Kaeding Performance, Hoseheads.com, Grant’s Fine Art, Auto Meter Products Inc., Contingency Connection, Maxim Chassis, Amerikote, Abel Chevrolet, Bully Dog, Red Horse Performance, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Hunt Magnetos, Weld Racing, Racing Optics, Butler Built Performance, HoservilleCA, Angellos ATV Rental, Rogue Regency Inn, Williams Motorsports, DES Inc. and Simpson Percherons.