Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Bank of America 500 - Kevin Harvick Notes

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

Event/Date: Bank of America 500 – October 13, 2007
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 151 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet saw action earlier this season in the Pocono 500 (St. 19, Fin. 11) and the Pennsylvania 500 (St. 23, Fin. 17). Additionally, this chassis saw action in the 2006 NASCAR All-Star Challenge where the Bakersfield, Calif., native started ninth and finished second.

A Hurdle to Jump … Though he won the 2007 All-Star Challenge in May, the 31-year-old driver has only scored one top-five finish in a points-paying race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has an 18.2 starting average and an unexpected average finish of 20.2 at the famed 1.5-mile Concord, N.C. quad-oval. In May, Harvick was collected in a lap 52 melee but still managed to soldier to a 21st-place result.

Keep on Rolling … Harvick has yet to record a DNF (did not finish) in 2007. He and fellow teammate Clint Bowyer are the only two Chase drivers to have finished every race this season. Harvick has been running at the end of every race dating back to Dover last September, a steak of 38 races.

RCR at Charlotte … In 93 starts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, RCR has earned four points-paying victories – all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Harvick also recorded an impressive win at the All-Star Challenge in May to go along with Earnhardt’s three victories at the annual all-star showcase, giving RCR eight total Cup Series checkered flags at LMS. Additionally, RCR boasts 16 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile oval with six different drivers including Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Mike Skinner, Harvick and Jeff Burton. Richard Childress, a former driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit, contributed two of those top 10s from 1978-1979.

Points Check … Harvick remains in the fifth spot in the NASCAR Cup point standings after his 20th-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. The 2007 Daytona 500 winner is 202 markers out of the lead and just 48 markers out of the fourth-place spot.

Making the Rounds … Lowe’s Motor Speedway marks one of 13 tracks where Harvick has raced in all three of NASCAR’s elite Series (NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series). His first NASCAR sanctioned race at the 1.5-mile track was in 2000 behind the wheel of the No. 2 RCR Busch Series entry. He started 39th and finished eighth.

Fan Day at RCR … RCR will host a special fan day on Friday, October 12 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All RCR drivers, Bowyer, Burton, Harvick, Tim McCreadie and Scott Wimmer, along with team owner Richard Childress will be on hand to sign autographs beginning at 9:30 a.m. In addition to the autograph sessions, there will be museum tours, pit stop ride-a-longs, product discounts, food and live music. Get to RCR early to get your ticket for the autograph sessions, and stay all day!

Pit Crew Signing… On Thursday, Oct. 11, pit crew members from RCR’s three NASCAR Cup Series teams will sign autographs. The No. 07 Jack Daniel’s crew will sign from 9:40 a.m. – 10 a.m., the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil crew from 11:40 a.m. – noon and the No. 31 AT&T crew from 2:40 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Austin Across the Street … On Wednesday, October 10, Austin Dillon, son of RCR’s Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon and grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will compete at the Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when the World of Outlaws Late Model Series visits Charlotte for the Jani King Southern Showdown. Dillon notched a win at the four-tenths-mile clay oval in May, capturing the checkered flag in the 25-lap Goodyear Fastrak Late Model Challenge event. Gates open at 5 p.m., hot laps are at 6:45 and heat races are slated to begin at 7:30. Tickets are available in advance for $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

October is for Birthdays … Two members of the Shell-Pennzoil Racing team will celebrate birthdays this month. Spotter and Brake Specialists Bill O’Dea turns 41 on October 24 and Scorer and Travel Coordinator Leslies Britton turns 52 on October 19.

Up Close and Personal … The No. 29 team will be one of five teams featured this weekend on DIRECTV’S NASCAR HOTPASS. With a channel dedicated solely to the Shell-Pennzoil Racing team during the running of the Bank of America 500, fans will be able to watch all the action through DIRECTV’s multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry and listen to in-car audio communication.

Double Down in the Queen City … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick returns to the seat of the No. 33 Dollar General Stores Chevy for this weekend’s Busch Series event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Live coverage of the Dollar General 300 will take the green flag Friday, October 12 at beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 31st race on the 2007 Busch Series calendar is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN2 the same day at 4 p.m. EDT.

Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, October 13 at 7 p.m. EDT and will be telecast on ABC. The event will also be broadcast live on the PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for 31st of 36 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races will air live on ESPN2, PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Thursday, October 11 at 7 p.m. EDT.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
You are 202 points out of the lead, which is a lot better than most of the other guys in the Chase. Can you talk about your approach to the final six races?
“Our approach hasn’t changed. We go and try to be as aggressive as we can every week and make our car run as fast as we can to put ourselves in a position to win. If you can’t do that, then you have to make the best day possible out of the days that you’re having.”

What are you thoughts on Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
“Charlotte seems to be a track where we just haven’t had the finishes we need. We have always run pretty well there but just haven’t been able to put everything together. During the Coca-Cola 600 we were running pretty good and just got caught up in a wreck. We have to find a way to keep everything together. If we can do that, I think we can leave Charlotte with a top-five finish.”