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Kevin Harvick won the season-opening Daytona 500, the biggest race a stock car driver can win, edging Mark Martin at the finish line.

Now, Harvick and the rest of the series return to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Pepsi 400 to kick off the second half of the Nextel Cup season.

“It was such a big deal for us to win the Daytona 500, and knowing everything that goes along with that now means so much,” Harvick said. “To win the biggest race of the year is something we’re all pretty excited about. So to go back, we’re all pretty pumped up to roll in there and see how it feels.”

Of course, there is a big difference between the Daytona 500 and the Pepsi 400, aside from the 100 miles. It will be extremely hot in Daytona Beach this weekend and there always is high humidity and rain.

“The track gets hot and slick during the races in July,” Harvick said. “The handling characteristics become magnified. We are shooting for a good-handling race car. We are willing to knock a little speed out of the car for it to handle better.”

Change at Evernham

Josh Browne, crew chief for Elliott Sadler and the No. 19 car for Evernham Motorsports in the Nextel Cup series, resigned from that position this week.

Browne has returned to the company’s engineering department. Scott McDougall, former crew chief of Evernham’s No. 98 Truck/ARCA team, will be the interim crew chief.

“Josh is better suited to help the organization as a whole from an engineering perspective and our efforts in that area,” team owner Ray Evernham said.

Roush and the Red Sox

The Roush Fenway Racing team enjoyed the perks of its association with Red Sox owner John Henry last Friday when the drivers and team owner Jack Roush attended a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

The drivers did not arrive early enough from New Hampshire International Speedway to take batting practice, but they were introduced to the Fenway Park crowd, and they wore Red Sox jerseys and hats while sitting near the dugout.

“I wasn’t able to have any beer, which I think is part of a baseball game,” driver Greg Biffle said. “But I had a Fenway Frank.”

Quotable

Jeff Burton on winning for the first time at Daytona International Speedway in the 2000 Pepsi 400: “Daytona is so entrenched in NASCAR’s history. There’s no question the (Daytona) 500 is the bigger of the two races, but I won’t give my 400 trophy back.”