Race 2 Win: Busch Series Race Notes

NASCAR Busch Series

Nicorette 300 - Kevin Harvick Notes

Kevin Harvick
No. 21 AutoZone Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Nicorette 300 – March 17, 2007
Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, Ga.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 060 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Chassis No. 060 won its NASCAR Busch Series debut last season at Kansas Speedway.

Looking to Turn the Corner … Atlanta has been a bit of an Achilles Heel for RCR. In 14 starts, dating back to 2000, RCR has scored just one top-five and four top-10 finishes at Atlanta, though the one top-five finish was Jeff Burton’s win last March in the No. 21 Chevrolet.

Harvick in the Loop o Top Rated Driver … With just three starts in the 2007 NASCAR Busch season, Harvick is third in NASCAR’s Driver Rating after his seventh-place finish at Las Vegas. The Driver Rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The Driver Rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator. o Now that’s Quality … Strong performances by Harvick in his first three starts have definitely shown as Harvick is rated fifth in the quality passes category. Harvick has passed 132 cars while running in the top 15 under green-flag conditions. o Miles Leader … Harvick has led 155.5 miles, placing him second behind Matt Kenseth.

First Win … Atlanta Motor Speedway was the site of Harvick’s first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series win. He claimed the win by .006 seconds over Jeff Gordon, the third closest margin of victory at Atlanta, on March 11, 2001.

Media Opportunity … Harvick will be available outside the No. 21 AutoZone transporter to field questions from the media Friday, March 16 at 1:50 p.m.

What a Record … With his seventh-place showing last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Harvick has 21 consecutive top-10 finishes, a streak that dates back to Daytona International Speedway in June 2006.

Busch Series Schedule … This weekend marks the third of 26 weekends in which Harvick will pull “double duty,” driving in both the Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup Series. Harvick will compete in a total of 12 (No. 33. – eight and No. 77 – four) races behind the wheel of a Kevin Harvick Inc. entry and the remaining 14 races behind the wheel of the No. 21 RCR entry.

Double Down … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 21 AutoZone Chevy, Harvick, an 11-time race winner in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, will driver RCR’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet in the Kobalt Tools 500 Sunday, March 18. The race will air live on FOX beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Up to Speed … The Nicorette 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be televised live Saturday, March 17 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EDT on ABC. The Performance Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio will also carry the race broadcast live. Qualifying for the Nicorette 300 will air live on SPEED Saturday, March 17 beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What kind of a track is Atlanta?
“Atlanta is fast, very fast. You can race all over the racetrack, from the white line to the wall, and still be competitive. You have to have the complete package to contend for the win there. Horsepower is always important. It’s a lot of fun to race on but very fast. I struggle with finding the right feel for me to be comfortable. It is just something that I need to get better at and really focus on getting my car right.”

What is your Busch Series schedule like this season?
“I am going to run 14 races in the AutoZone car and 12 in my own car. I am really excited about how everything worked out. I am going to race at Montreal because I really enjoy road racing. The rest of the races will be companion events. I really like to be in the car when I have the opportunity. Hopefully, we can win a couple of races and do somewhat as good as we did last year.”

What do you remember about your win in 2001?
“The circumstances that we won the first race under… we won’t ever forget that moment just because of everything that went on. When I start thinking about it, it brings those same chills back that I got at that particular time of winning my first race. I know that I can’t do that again and that’s obviously because of the circumstances. Those are the kind of situations as professionals that you dream about. You look for that opportunity to take those moments and try to capitalize on them.”

Are you thankful that you are not running a full Busch schedule this year?
“I think so. The grind was actually really fun last year. It was relatively easy because we didn’t have any weather problems and everything was so well organized. The odds of doing that again are probably slim to none. I just need to not race on the off weeks so I can focus more on the Cup schedule and winning the championship.”