Race 2 Win: Sam's Town 300 - Kevin Harvick Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Sam's Town 300 - Kevin Harvick Notes

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

Event/Date: Sam’s Town 300 – March 11, 2006
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 052 from the Richard Childress Racing Stable. This is the same Coast Guard Chevrolet Harvick won with last fall at Texas.

Points Leader … Harvick currently leads the NASCAR Busch Series drivers’ point standings and the No. 21 Coast Guard team finds itself in fourth position in the series owners’ standings. The No. 18 team, with driver J.J. Yeley, leads the owners’ standings by 45 points over the No. 21 team. The 2006 season will see five teams, each utilizing two or more different drivers, as serious contenders for the owners’ title: The No. 21 Coast Guard team (Harvick and Jeff Burton), the No. 33 team (Harvick, Tony Stewart, Ron Fellows and Ron Hornaday Jr.), the No. 66 team (Scott Wimmer, Ken Schrader, Michael Waltrip and Jorge Goeters), the No. 64 team (Jamie McMurray and Steven Wallace) and the No. 90 team (Elliott Sadler, Matt McCall and Stephen Leicht).

Former Winner … Harvick is a former winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, claiming victory in the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series Sam’s Town 300. Testing, testing … Harvick and Team Coast Guard tested Las Vegas Motor Speedway Feb. 6-7 in preparation for the Sam’s Town 300. Harvick also tested his No. 29 GM Goodwrench/Reese’s Nextel Cup car at Vegas Jan. 30-31.

Vegas 2005 … Harvick’s last Busch Series trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway was an exciting one. Harvick started 12th, and within 30 laps, Harvick had the No. 21 Chevrolet in the top-five and was charging for the lead. After leading 26 laps, Harvick relinquished the lead, but would remain in the top-five through the end of the race. Harvick fought David Stremme for second until the end of the race. He finally overpowered Stremme for second in the final stretch.

Double Duty Again … This weekend marks the third of 35 weekends in which Harvick will pull “double duty,” driving in both the Busch Series and Nextel Cup races. Harvick will compete in four races behind the wheel of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevy and the remaining 31 races behind the wheel of either the No. 29 or No. 21 Richard Childress Racing entry.

The U.S. Coast Guard … After Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on Aug. 29, 2005, the world watched rescue and recovery operations take shape on the Gulf Coast. It saw the dedicated men and women of the Coast Guard taking the lead. The figures are there to prove it: More than 33,500 people were saved or moved to places of safety by the Coast Guard in the first week of rescue operations, and not one person was lost or injured during the course of rescues in Katrina’s aftermath.

You May Kiss the Bride … Las Vegas was the site of Kevin and DeLana Harvick’s wedding. The two were wed on February 28, 2001- two days prior to his first career NASCAR Cup Series top-10 finish (eighth – Las Vegas Motor Speedway)

Up to Speed … The Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speeday will be televised live Saturday, March 11 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FX. The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will also carry the race broadcast live. Qualifying for the Sam’s Town 300 will air on SPEED Saturday, March 11 beginning at 4:30 p.m. EST.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

Do you consider Las Vegas to be one of your favorite tracks?
“I really enjoy running in Vegas. I always seem to run really well there, and I did win the NASCAR Busch Series race there in 2004. I also enjoy running in front of the hometown crowd.”

What do you and the Coast Guard team have to do this weekend to win?
“The two biggest things we have to concentrate on in Vegas are tire wear and track position. If I can keep the No. 21 Coast Guard Chevrolet near the front of the pack and my pit crew continues with the fast pit stops, you will see us in victory lane on Saturday.”

How was your Busch test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
“We tested really well. We were awesome off the truck. We did a few things during the test to make it race better. If the car is anything like it was in the test, we will be one of the cars to beat on Saturday.”

What are your thoughts about NASCAR’s movement West?
“I think NASCAR needs to always be looking at making the sport bigger and better. Anytime you stand still, you fall behind. There are fans in parts of the country that don’t get to see races and I think we need to look at those cities and see if they make sense in the long term for our sport.”