Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Dodge Dealers 400 – September 23, 2007
Venue: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Dover International Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 206 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is the same Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS Harvick drove to a 17th-place finish after suffering from two flat tires last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. Additionally, the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series champion drove it to a seventh-place finish two weeks ago at Richmond International Raceway.
Stat Facts … In 13 NASCAR Cups Series starts at Dover International Speedway, Harvick has earned two top-five and five top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 19.7 starting average and a 17.8 finishing average.
Finish it Off … Harvick and the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team have been running at the finish of every event in 2007. Harvick’s last Did Not Finish (DNF) came last September at Dover when his engine gave out with 34 laps remaining.
Made to Move … Harvick climbed one spot in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings after his 17th-place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway. The 2007 Daytona 500 winner now sits in 10th, 88 markers out of the lead.
On the Hunt … Harvick along with Bill Jordan, founder of RealTree and the host of “RealTree Outdoors” on ESPN2, are in the rugged Utah Mountains hunting Elk this Monday-Wednesday. Their hunt will be documented and shown on a later episode of “RealTree Outdoors.” “RealTree Outdoors” can be seen on Sunday morning’s beginning at 9 a.m. on ESPN2.
RCR at Dover … RCR team owner Richard Childress has earned four wins at Dover International Speedway, the latest coming last September when Jeff Burton drove the No. 31 machine to Victory Lane during the Dover 400. The other three wins came with Dale Earnhardt, who won both events at the “Monster Mile” in 1989 and the spring race in 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole, 20 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes at the high-banked concrete oval. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed three of those top 10s from 1976-1980.
Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover International Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, September 23 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will be telecast live on ABC. The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 28th of 36 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races will air live on ESPN2, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, September 21 at 3 p.m. EDT.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Is there any one track in the Chase that you are worried about?
“I think for us our weakest track in the Chase would be Charlotte. We’ve ran well there but it seems like something always happens to us. We’ve had two transmissions problems and have crashed in the last two races at Charlotte. So the last two years I haven’t had good results. We haven’t run terrible at Charlotte we just haven’t run great. Right now Charlotte is the track that we have the biggest question mark on.”
What are the keys to being successful at Dover?
“The key for us is just to keep everything running. The last three races at Dover we have had motor troubles. We really aren’t sure how well the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy would have finished last time because we only had seven cylinders. I felt like we were okay handling-wise, we’ve just need to make sure we keep it all together.”
Is Dover a tough track in the Chase?
“Dover is just Dover. It’s one of those places that if you make a mistake, you’re going to hit something most likely twice. So it’s not a forgiving race track but it’s a fun place to race.”
Do you think Dover is more like Bristol or Richmond?
“It is like a big Bristol. It is a place where you can lean on the banking a lot. You have to make your car turn and, as the race goes on, the track changes a lot as it takes rubber. You have to keep up with the race track as the rubber builds.”
