Race 2 Win: Meijer 300 presented by Oreo

NASCAR Busch Series

Meijer 300 presented by Oreo - Kevin Harvick Notes

Kevin Harvick
No. 21 U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Meijer 300 – June 17, 2006
Venue: Kentucky Speedway – Sparta, Ky.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Kentucky Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 026 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stables. New for 2006, Chassis No. 026 made its debut at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, starting fifth and finished eighth.

Pinch Driver … Randy LaJoie will sub for Harvick this weekend at Kentucky Speedway during Saturday’s practice sessions. LaJoie is a two-time NASCAR Busch Series Champion (1996 and 1997). Additionally, he has tallied 15 wins, 62 top-five and 118 top-10 finishes in his career.

Inaugural Winner … Kevin Harvick won the inaugural NASCAR Busch Series race held at Kentucky Speedway on June 14, 2001. He won this event with a back-up car after Mike Bliss wrecked his primary car during practice.

Repeating History … Harvick won the NASCAR Busch Series Championship in 2001, which was the first and only time that a driver has driven full-time in both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Busch Series and won a championship. He competed in 70 races, accumulated seven wins, four poles, 27 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes. Harvick is well on his way to repeating history with his 272-point lead over Carl Edwards in the NASCAR Busch Series standings.

RCR at Kentucky … In 10 previous Busch Series races at Kentucky Speedway, RCR has posted one win (Harvick 200), four top-five and five top-10 finishes. RCR cars have also led 174 laps.

From Start to Finish … Harvick improves from start to finish more than any other driver in the top 10. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has an average starting position of 13.1 and an average finish of 5.1. His average finish of 5.1 is better than any other driver; his closest competition for the lead in this category is Greg Biffle, who has an average finish of 9.0.

Did you Know … “Happy” Harvick has been running at the finish of 138 of 146 NASCAR Busch Series starts. Additionally, he has finished on the lead lap 111 times.

Gaining Positions when it Counts … According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Harvick leads all Busch Series drivers with 30 positions gained in the last 10 percent of races.

Double Duty … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 21 Coast Guard Chevrolet at Kentucky, Harvick, a six-time race win in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will drive the No. 29 Reese’s Caramel Cup Chevrolet in the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway Sunday, June 18. The race will air live on FOX beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Harvick currently sits eighth in the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point championship.

Up to Speed … The Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway will be televised live Saturday, June 17 beginning at 7:35 p.m. EDT on FX. The Motor Racing Network and XM Satellite Radio will also carry the race broadcast live. Qualifying for the 16th of 35 NASCAR Busch Series events will take the green flag at 4:10 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 17.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Your only race at Kentucky was in 2001, and you won. What do you remember about that win?
“I remember that Mike Bliss was practicing my primary car and got into a wreck. When I arrived at Kentucky, they told me that my primary car was wrecked and I was going to have to qualify the back-up car without any practice. We qualified the car 11th and went on to win the race. That is where our favorite car got the name “The Punisher.”

Why was it called “The Punisher”?
When they told me that my primary car was wrecked, I said that it didn’t matter because we were going to punish them anyway. So when we won that race we just decided to start calling that car “The Punisher.”

CREW CHIEF SHANE WILSON QUOTES:
The 21 team seems unstoppable in the Busch Series this year. What do you contribute most to the success of the team?
“We haven’t made a whole lot of costly mistakes. We have been putting ourselves in a position to win week-in and week-out. We are slowly getting the car better every race. Some weeks we have a third-or fourth- place car and win. Other weeks we have a fifth-to 10th-place car and finish in the top five. All in all, it has been a really good year and we have only had one mechanical problem. We have had good racing luck and haven’t got into anyone’s wreck. We have been very fortunate that our cars are coming back with little to no damage each week. That helps us prepare for the next week instead of restoring our fleet.”

What has been your most memorable moment of this season so far?
“I think winning Richmond was my most memorable moment this season. Richmond is a place where I have always tried to run well and haven’t had much success. Richmond is a really cool place and is an important stop for the Busch and Cup Series schedules. We had a great time that weekend. We ran really well right off the bat and had a dominating car. We just had that feeling all weekend that we were going to win the race.”