What a year

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It was the theme song for countless numbers of baby boomers, one that that meant so much and marked so many milestones in so many lives – from the theme for hundreds of proms to the recessional at even more high school and college graduations. It's doubtful that the artists who both wrote and sang it, bearded Jim Seals and mandolin-playing Dash Crofts, knew to what level that the message or the meaning of "We May Never Pass This Way Again" would ultimately grow. But to many of us in our 40s and 50s, it was more than a song; it was a capsulization of some of the greatest days of our lives. What does all this have to do with NASCAR? For Kevin Harvick, it has everything to do with it, for Saturday night's Ford 300 here at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the final chapter in awesome Busch Series season – made especially meaningful by the fact that Harvick does not plan to run the complete Busch schedule in the future. After Saturday, Harvick and the Busch Series truly will never pass this way again. But what a trip it has been – or as the song says, "I'm the journey and you're the journey's end." Harvick's journey reached its end Saturday when he finished sixth at Homestead. He'll significantly cut back his Busch appearances next season, running maybe half of the 35 events, if that. "We probably won't ever get to do what we've been able to do this year again," he said. "It's probably the last time we'll ever run both series." It will be hard not to recall the kind of season Harvick had in 2006, the second-best ever in Busch annals. Just look at the numbers: nine wins – the second-most of any driver in any one year since the Busch Series began in 1982 – 23 top-fives and 32 top-10s in 35 races. Ironically, Harvick came into the season not even planning to run the whole year. But when one win became two and then three in the first 11 races, and with increased sponsorship from the U.S. Coast Guard, he decided what the heck, he'd go the full year. Only one other driver has had a better single season in the Busch Series than Harvick, that being Sam Ard. In just three seasons on the circuit, Ard was a picture of sheer domination, most notably in the 1983 season when he won an incredible 10 races and collected 23 top-fives, 30 top-10s and 10 poles in 35 events en route to the championship. At the advanced racing age of 44, no less. Earlier this season, Harvick, who turns 31 early next month, considered Ard's mark unreachable. But after winning four of the previous six races heading into last week's race at Phoenix, he suddenly had a chance to do it. But his second-place finish in the Valley of the Sun ended that dream. The best he could hope for was to tie Ard's single-season mark, but he fell short here Saturday. But that's OK. Harvick gave all of us a season to remember. The way he dominated and romped at times, coupled with the close finishes that invariably came out in his favor, was something to marvel at. Harvick was so good as the season went on that it got to the point where it was news when he didn't win. It was almost ridiculous that he clinched the championship at Charlotte with four races remaining in the season. Still, he had to wait until Saturday night before he could officially be crowned champion. Harvick's 26 series wins puts him third on the all-time series ledger behind Mark Martin (47 wins) and Jack Ingram (31). He also is fifth on the all-time money list with over $7 million in earnings. Sure, he'll still have plenty of opportunities to add to those totals next year and years to come as a part-time driver in the series, but it's unlikely he'll ever come close to equaling what he did in 2006. "We've just tried to enjoy it," he said. "How you remember it is, you know, up to you." Ironically, Harvick wasn't even born when the Seals and Crofts song was riding high on the charts back in 1973, but it's meaning certainly is not lost upon the 2006 Busch Series champion, who officially – and finally – accepted his rightful crown after Saturday night's race. "I think from our standpoint, we're just happy to be where we are and have done what we've done," he said. "So I guess I should just say it: I don't care how anybody remembers it. If they want to, they can come look at the trophy." Harvick may never pass this way again in the Busch Series, but we're all better for it that he did. Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR columnist. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.