Kevin Harvick
No. 77 Dollar General Stores Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Team Report
NASCAR Busch Series Race 11 of 35—Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
TALLADEGA (ALA.) SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE RECAP:
Dollar General and Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) visited victory lane at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway Saturday afternoon following the NASCAR Busch Series race. Bobby Labonte pushed teammate Tony Stewart to the lead during the green-white-checkered sprint to the end and then passed Stewart by a car length to win the Aarons 312 Busch Series race. Tony Stewart finished second, 0.052 seconds behind Labonte, giving Kevin Harvick Inc., its second one-two finish in a NASCAR Busch Series race.
The first one-two finish for Kevin Harvick Inc., was at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in the season-opening NASCAR Busch Series race in 2006. Driving the No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet, Tony Stewart led the No. 77 Dollar General stores Chevrolet to a one-two KHI victory.
RICHMOND (VA.) INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY FACTS & STATS:
LUCKY NO. 13 FOR HARVICK: Kevin Harvick will make his 13th NASCAR Busch Series start at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (RIR). For the first time in Harvick’s Busch Series career he will make a start at Richmond in his co-owned car for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI). Harvick’s previous RIR Busch Series starts have all been for Richard Childress Racing.
NUMBER CRUNCHING: In 12 Busch Series starts at RIR, Harvick has an average starting position of eighth and holds an average finishing position of sixth. He has four victories to his credit along with eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
LAP BY LAP…BY LAP…: Harvick has finished 99.9 percent of all laps, totaling 3.002 of the scheduled 3.006 laps in 12 Busch Series starts at RIR. Harvick has led 497 laps around the 3/4-mile track.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING: If Kevin Harvick pulls off another win at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (RIR) this weekend, he will become the first driver to win four consecutive Busch Series races in the 25-plus years that the series has been in existence. Harvick has won the September 2005 event, the May 2006 event and the September 2006 event. After celebrating his last victory at RIR, he was tied with Harry Gant as the only drivers to win three consecutive NASCAR Busch Series races at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
CREW CHIEF CORNER WITH WALLY ROGERS:
THOUGHTS ON RICHMOND: “Well, we have Harvick back in the car and he’s won the last three races at Richmond. I feel very confident with the Dollar General stores Chevrolet that we have loaded to take to Richmond. It’s the same car that we raced at Bristol [Tenn., Motor Speedway] with Bobby [Labonte].”
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
COULD HARVICK MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW?: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway posted a story explaining the details of Kevin Harvick’s history at the track. If Kevin Harvick wins the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) race, he will become the first driver to win four consecutive NBS races at Richmond in the history of the track.
“I don’t think there is any added pressure. Any time I get in a race car I get in to win. I’m not really superstitious, so breaking records and things like that don’t get to me. I just go drive and do the best that I can. If we were be able to win four in a row, it would be really special because it would come in a KHI car. I’ve never won in one of my own Busch cars and that would definitely be special to me.”
HARVICK’S DRIVING STYLE: “I have always liked Richmond from the first time I saw the place. It just suits my driving style.”
FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR…RICHMOND: “Sparks, night racing and Victory Lane.”
QUICK NOTES:
Race Info
Date: May 4, 2007
Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
Event Name: Circuit City 250 Presented by FUNAI
Race length: 250 laps / 187.5 miles
Banking/Turns: 11-degrees
Track layout: 3/4-mile
Shape: D-Shaped Oval
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice—Friday at 8:30 – 9:40 a.m., ET
Final Practice—Friday at 10:10 – 11:10 a.m., ET
Qualifying—Friday at 4:05 p.m., ET
Broadcast Times:
TV – NASCAR Countdown pre-race coverage can be seen live on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Followed by the Circuit City 250 Presented by FUNAI on ESPN2 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Radio – The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast pre-race coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET.
No. 77 Dollar General stores Monte Carlo SS Specs
Chassis: 018
Car History: Raced previously in 2007 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway to an 11th-place finish.
Engine: RCR
