Kevin Harvick
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Team Race Preview
NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 11 of 35 – Richmond (Va.) International Raceway

SHORT TRACK MAGIC: Kevin Harvick will be making his 15th career Nationwide Series start at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (RIR) Friday night. In 14 previous starts on the .75-mile track, Harvick has recorded four wins, one pole, nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. His last two starts at the track were in Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) entries, with his best finish for KHI being fourth last May.

Harvick is only the second driver to win three Nationwide Series races in a row at RIR, a feat he accomplished starting with the September 2005 race and ending with the September 2006 race. The last win for Harvick in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series at RIR came in September 2006 when he swept the weekend, the last driver to sweep a weekend at RIR. Harry Gant is the only other driver to have won three Nationwide Series races in a row at RIR, February 1991-March 1992.

200 STRONG: When two-time Nationwide Series Champion Kevin Harvick takes the green flag on Friday night behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet, it will be his 200th career Nationwide Series start. In 199 starts, Harvick has compiled an outstanding record of 32 wins, 16 poles, 102 top-five and 146 top-10 finishes. With 32 Nationwide Series wins, Harvick currently sits second on the all-time win list, 16 races behind Mark Martin.

HOT, COLD: For the first time, Rheem Manufacturing will appear as the primary sponsor on the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) entry. Rheem will also be on the car for the fall night race at Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Previously this season, Rheem was featured on the No. 77 KHI Nationwide Series entry piloted by Rookie of the Year contender Cale Gale.

BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:
Do you approach RIR as more of a short track or a speedway?
“It really is a little of both. I think you have to go in with the short-track mindset. There is more contact at Richmond than you have at a bigger track. I think sometimes drivers use the short track as an excuse to beat and bang, but as tight as the racing is there, it’s hard to not have incidental contact.”

Do you enjoy racing at Richmond?
“Richmond is one of those places where I really enjoy racing. You can move the car all over the race track. It seems like the groove moves around as the race goes on. I also enjoy racing at night and I think everybody enjoys the cooler temperatures and the night atmosphere. Richmond is one of those places I am really comfortable racing. We’ve come close this season to our first win at KHI and Richmond is one of the tracks I know I can win.”

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: For Friday night’s Lipton Tea 250, Harvick will carry an in-car camera, reporting live from inside the cockpit of the Rheem Chevrolet as ESPN’s in-race reporter and front tire carrier Jeff Roth will wear a crew cam throughout the race.

CHASSIS HISTORY: Chassis No. 041 will make its second appearance this season when the Rheem team unloads at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway for the Lipton Tea 250. Previously this season chassis No. 041 was used for testing at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway with drivers Harvick and Cale Gale before running the Bashas Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway where Harvick finished fourth.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Unloading at the high banks of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, the No. 33 Camping World team had high hopes as Rookie of the Year Contender and Mobile, Ala. native Cale Gale made his fourth start of the season in the Nationwide Series. Gale had a fast qualifying run placing him ninth on the starting grid, but the day ended with a hard fought 22nd-place finish after he was swept into a huge multi-car crash midway through the race.

QUICK NOTES
May 2, 2008
Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
Lipton Tea 250

Race length: 250 laps/187.5 miles
Banking: 14-degrees in turns
8-degrees on the frontstretch
2-degrees on the backstretch
Track layout: .75 mile
Shape: D-shaped Oval

Pre-Race Schedule:
Friday:
Practice: 8:45-10:55 a.m., ET
Qualifying: 5:05 p.m., ET

TV: The Lipton Tea 250 can be seen live on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m., ET.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 7:00 p.m., ET.

No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Monte Carlo Specs:
Chassis: 041
Engine: RCR