Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Auto Club 500 – February 25, 2007
Venue: California Speedway – Fontana, Calif.
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at California Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 174 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new in 2006, this is the same car Harvick raced to a third-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This car also saw action last year in October at Charlotte (started fifth – finished 18th).
Turnaround Continues … After a turnaround season in 2006, which included 18 wins in NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series, RCR shows no signs of faltering. Harvick’s dramatic victory in last Sunday’s Daytona 500, coupled with his teammate Jeff Burton’s third-place finish, puts RCR back on the fast track for 2007. Additionally, it was Harvick’s first win for new sponsor Shell-Pennzoil, which took over this season from longtime sponsor GM Goodwrench.
Special Caller … Harvick received a call from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday to congratulate him on his Daytona 500 win.
Whirlwind Tour … Prior to his arrival at California Speedway for the Auto Club 500 race weekend, Harvick spent Monday-Thursday participating in the Daytona 500 winner’s media tour. Harvick made appearances on Good Morning America, David Letterman, Live with Regis and Kelly, Fox News, SportsCenter, ESPN News, ESPN Radio, Best Damn Sports Show, ROME is Burning, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE and other top-25 media outlets.
California Boys … Harvick is the third consecutive California native to win the Daytona 500 behind 2006 series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2005 Daytona 500 champion Jeff Gordon.
California Truck Trifecta … In addition to his usual NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series obligations, Harvick will run his first Craftsman Truck Series race in two years, behind the wheel of the Kevin Harvick, Inc.-owned No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado. The San Bernardino 200 will be televised live on SPEED and also broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, Feb. 23 beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
RCR Rocks Daytona … Harvick’s Daytona 500 win was the second in RCR’s history; Dale Earnhardt won the other in 1998. Dating back to 1986, RCR has won seven poles and owns 24 victories at Daytona International Speedway, including 10 straight (1990-1999) Twin 125 wins with Earnhardt.
Did you Know … By winning the Orbitz 300 and the Daytona 500, “Happy” Harvick became only the fourth driver to win both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Busch Series season-opener.
Photo Finish … The 31-year-old driver won the Daytona 500 by two one-hundredths of a second. It was the closest finish since electronic scoring started in 1993.
Bushing It … On Saturday, Feb. 24 Harvick will make his first of 12 appearances behind the wheel of a Kevin Harvick Inc. NASCAR Busch Series entry. He will drive the No. 33 RoadLoans.com Chevrolet in the Stater Bros. 300 which takes the green flag at 7 p.m. EST live on ESPN2 and also broadcast live on MRN and Sirius.
Points Leader … By winning the Daytona 500, Harvick grabbed the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points lead. This is only the second time in “Happy’s” career that he has led the points in NASCAR’s top division.
Young Gun … Timothy Peters, the latest addition to RCR’S stable of drivers, will make his 2007 NASCAR Busch Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 21 AutoZone Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Peters competed in one Busch Series race last season for RCR, starting 10th and crossed the finish line 13th at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park.
Media Opportunity … Harvick will be available outside the No. 33 RoadLoans.com transporter to field questions from the media Friday, Feb. 23 at 9:45 a.m.
Catch the Action … The Auto Club 500 will be televised live Sunday, Feb. 25 beginning at 3 p.m. EST on FOX and broadcast live on MRN and Sirius. Qualifying for the Auto Club 500 will air live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Friday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. EST.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
How do you treat racing in Fontana near family and friends?
“It is nice to go out there, but I don’t treat it as time to get to see my family and friends. I treat it as a job and go out like everybody else. We get there the day before everything starts on track, so I don’t spend a lot of time with them. It is cool to have time out there and obviously we are supported well there, but we still have to go out and make it happen.”
Does your season start after Daytona?
“I think it does. After the weeks of Daytona, it is almost a breeze to go out to California and have a regular race weekend. There is not as much pressure and you can get back to your normal week to week grind. It is just such a different pace from Daytona.”
Why do you seem to struggle at California?
“I don’t know. It just seems like it’s hit-and-miss. Atlanta has become our worst track for some reason. Just one of those places where I can’t seem to get the car like I need it to. I just struggle 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 and know how I need it to drive in practice to focus on the race.”
You were really excited when you unveiled the new car with the Shell and Pennzoil sponsorship in Talladega. Now that you won the Daytona 500, how big is that in developing the new footprint for RCR?
“I think it’s important. This is obviously a new chapter in our book. Things change and things move forward. To have Shell and Pennzoil be involved is very exciting for us. It’s a huge global company. To see the way they support everything is a lot of fun. They had hundreds of people at the Daytona 500. John Hoffmeister, the president of Shell, and all the different people involved in the program were there. It was a lot of fun to win for them their first time out.”
RICHARD CHILDRESS QUOTES:
What does it feel like to win the Daytona 500?
“It’s great. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and scream. It was unbelievable to see the moves that Kevin made. I’ve seen a lot of these Daytona 500’s, and this had to be the wildest one I have ever watched. I am just proud of everybody at RCR and Kevin and Shell-Pennzoil, everybody that’s involved, Todd Berrier and his group … our restrictor plate engine guys did a great job, as well.”
