JACKSON, TN -- Liberty Racing co-owners Jim Herrick and Brad Daugherty announced today the appointment of Kevin Harvick as the driver of the Porter-Cable Power Tools Ford for the 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

"This is a great day for the Porter-Cable Racing team," said Herrick. "We wanted a talented young driver capable of growing with our team, therefore we put a tremendous amount of time into the selection process. Liberty Racing has made great strides to improve our team this off-season by adding Roland Wlodyka as crew chief and going to Signature Racing Engines for our motors. The addition of Kevin Harvick as our new driver is the final piece of the puzzle needed to rejoin the elite teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) in 1999. We had one of the best young drivers in NASCAR two years ago with Kenny Irwin and with Kevin Harvick we feel that we again have the young talent it takes to win races."

Harvick comes to Liberty Racing fresh off an impressive 1998 season that saw him claim the NASCAR Winston West Series (NWWS) championship, as well as finish 17th in the NCTS standings after competing in 26 of 27 events. Harvick posted impressive numbers during his NWWS championship campaign with five victories, five pole positions, 11 top five, and 12 top-10 finishes in 14 races. During the 1998 NCTS, he scored three top fives and five top-10 finishes, with a top finish of fourth at Texas Motor Speedway, while missing one race due to a scheduling conflict with the NWWS. Harvick, the 1995 NASCAR Southwest Tour Series Rookie of the Year, also won the 1998 NASCAR Southwest Series race at Mesa Marin Speedway in Bakersfield, Calif.

"I am really excited about joining Liberty Racing because of the opportunity they offer to advance my racing career," Harvick said. "Being associated with a great sponsor like Porter-Cable and a premier team like Liberty Racing is a great honor. I strongly believe this will be a successful year for all of us."

To kick off the new relationship, Harvick, who celebrated his 23rd birthday in December, will carry the Porter-Cable Power Tools logos for the first time this weekend as he competes in the NASCAR Southwest Tour Series race at Tucson Raceway Park, Sunday, January 10. The race will be telecast nationally on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.

Porter-Cable Corporation, a subsidiary of Pentair, Inc. (NYSE: PNR) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of portable electric and cordless professional power tools. Porter-Cable products are distributed through professional industrial distributors and retail home centers throughout the United States and Canada. In addition, Porter-Cable products are available in Europe under the FLEX brand name. More information about Porter-Cable is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.porter-cable.com. To locate the Porter-Cable distributor nearest you, call 1-800-4US-TOOL.

Source: Porter-Cable
Posted: 1/6/99