Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Dodge Avenger 500 - Kevin Harvick Notes

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Dodge Avenger 500 – May 12, 2007
Venue: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Darlington Raceway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 190 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new this season, this is the same “Car of Tomorrow” Harvick raced to a seventh-place finish last weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (started 27th). The Bakersfield, Calif., native also drove this chassis to a fourth-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (started 40th), a 10th-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway (started eighth) and a 41st-place finish after suffering from a fuel line problem at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (started sixth).

Back in Yellow and Red … After showcasing the bright orange Reese’s paint scheme last weekend at Richmond, the No. 29 Chevy will return to its traditional yellow and red Shell-Pennzoil color scheme this weekend in Darlington.

Stat Facts … In 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series starts at Darlington, Harvick has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 16.7 starting average, 19.4 finishing average and has led 14 laps.

Chase for the NEXTEL Cup … Harvick climbed one spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings after his seventh-place finish at Richmond International Raceway. Harvick now sits in the eighth position, 149 markers out of the top five.

RCR at Darlington … Richard Childress is tied for third with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers for car owner victories at Darlington with eight wins – all of them coming from Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, RCR boasts 21 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes at the egg-shaped, South Carolina oval with four different drivers including Earnhardt, Harvick, Jeff Burton and Robby Gordon.

Testing One, Two, Three, Testing … Harvick and the No. 29 team tested this Monday and Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in preparation for the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600. This was the fifth of seven tests allowed under NASCAR’s 2007 testing policy. The remaining tests available to teams in NASCAR’s top division will be conducted at Dover International Speedway (May 14-15) and Talladega Superspeedway (Sept. 10-11).

450 for Burton … Harvick’s RCR teammate, Burton, is set to reach another career milestone when he takes the green flag at Saturday’s Dodge Avenger 400 at Darlington Raceway for his 450th start in NASCAR’s premier series. In his 15th year of NASCAR Cups Series competition, Burton has captured 19 victories, including his first at Texas Motor Speedway’s inaugural event in 1997, back-to-back wins at Darlington Raceway in 1999, two Coca-Cola 600 wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999 and 2001, and under the lights at Daytona International Speedway in 2000. So far this season, the South Boston, Va., native has earned one win (becoming the first repeat winner at Texas Motor Speedway), five top-five and six top-10 finishes, in an effort to clinch his second berth in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup.

Friday Night Lights … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick, a 27-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive the No. 21 AutoZone Chevrolet in the May 11 Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway. The race will be televised on ESPN 2 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 12th race of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series will be televised live on SPEED the same day beginning at 5 p.m. EDT.

Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway will take the green flag Saturday, May 12 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and will be telecast live on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 11th of 36 points-paying NEXTEL Cup Series races will air live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, May 11 at 3 p.m. EDT.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What’s your impression of Darlington?
“Darlington’s tough but I like it. It’s a very narrow, fast race track that has a lot of history and is a very prestigious race to win. It’s one of those places where I’d like to win a NEXTEL Cup race. Keeping the car off the walls is a key factor when you go to Darlington. You’ve got to get in a rhythm there and be consistent over the long runs. You have to take care of the fenders, tires, and sides of the car.”

How well does your team perform at Darlington Raceway?
“It seems like Darlington is feast or famine for our team. When we avoid trouble, we always run in the top 10. However, if we get into the wall or struggle mechanically, then we never seem to be able to fight our way back. The one thing I have seen this year is that my team is willing to fight back and get the best finish we can. Hopefully, we can stay out of trouble and run up front all night long. That’s what championship teams do week-in and week-out.”

Do you think Darlington is going to be a big challenge for the Car of Tomorrow?
“I think Darlington is going to be the biggest wild card. We haven’t had a chance to test at Darlington, and we only race there once a year. We just really don’t know how the Car of Tomorrow is going to handle at a high-speed track like Darlington. I do know we fight grip issues every time we go to Darlington and it seems like rear grip has been an issue pretty much everywhere we have raced the Car of Tomorrow. If it is that way everywhere else, then it is going to be a major factor at Darlington.”

Is there ever an easy lap at Darlington?
“It is constant work at Darlington. You always wear your tires out and you always slow down a bunch from the beginning of the run to the end of the run. You really never know how much you can get out of your car until you have run a lot of practice and race runs to get your rhythm. It is hard to know how far you can push it, which is why you have a lot of cars that get into the wall.”