HARRISBURG, Pa. – Kevin Harvick ditched the victory burnout for a sloshy slide into home plate.
With rain coming down, Harvick took off his socks, turned his hat backward and slid headfirst into all three bases, before taking one final big bellyflop into the plate Wednesday night. The NASCAR star has was challenged to make the soggy run by Mark Butler, a co-owner of the Harrisburg Senators.
Harvick and Clint Bowyer were scheduled to throw the first pitch after they played in a softball game between members of Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway.
Harvick and Bowyer good-naturedly joked about the idea during a media availability. Butler then offered to donate $5,000 to charity. Bowyer balked at running. But Harvick got a few hundred fans to return to their seats to watch him splash and dash around the tarp like former Baltimore Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey.
Butler says he'll donate the money to the Kevin Harvick Foundation.
Harvick ran at Metro Bank Park. The Senators are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.