Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 – September 8, 2007
Venue: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 206 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is a new Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS.
Stat Facts … In 13 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup starts at RIR, Harvick has earned one win, one pole, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 20.4 starting average, 12.5 finishing average and has led 646 laps of competition.
Points Check … The 11-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race winner sits 12th in the championship point standings, the last Chase-eligible driver. Currently, 128 points separate Harvick and 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Only 38 points separate him from his RCR teammate Clint Bowyer who sits in ninth-place.
Making the Chase … Harvick can clinch a spot in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Chase if he finishes 32nd or better, regardless of how anyone else performs.
RCR at RIR … Richard Childress is tied for fourth with Robert Yates for car owner victories at Richmond with six wins – five with Dale Earnhardt and the most recent coming last fall with Harvick. Additionally, in 98 starts, RCR boasts 28 top-five and 45 top-10 finishes at the three-quarter mile Virginia oval with nine different drivers including Earnhardt, Ricky Rudd, Mike Skinner, Harvick, Robby Gordon, Jeff Green, Jeff Burton and Bowyer. Childress, a former driver on NASCAR’s senior circuit, contributed three of those top 10s from 1976-1978.
Knowledge is Power … Scott Wimmer and several members of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team tested the Car of Tomorrow (COT) at the Milwaukee Mile – a one-mile oval located in West Allis, Wis. – on August 27-28 to gather additional data heading into this weekend and to continue fine-tuning RCR’s COT program.
Double Down … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick, a 31-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive the No. 33 Roadloans.com Chevrolet in the September 7 Emerson Radio 250 at RIR. The race will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30 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 28th race of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series will be televised on ESPN2 the same day beginning at 4 p.m. EDT.
Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Rock & Roll 400 at RIR will take the green flag Saturday, September 8 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT and will be telecast live on ABC. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 26 of 36 points-paying NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races will air live on ESPN2, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, September 7 at 6 p.m. EDT.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Do you approach RIR as more of a short track or a speedway?
“It really is a little of both. But 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 night?
“I enjoy being home on Sunday, I can tell you that much. You get Sunday afternoon to get back in the swing of things earlier in the week instead of having to waste Monday. I also enjoy racing at night. I think everybody enjoys the cooler temperatures and the night atmosphere.”
Is it a big deal to win a race sponsored by Chevrolet?
“Yes, it is a big deal. Chevrolet doesn’t like to hand their trophy over to another manufacture’s driver. They were very pleased last year when they got to hand their trophy to a Chevy driver. I think in years past they haven’t been so lucky.”
Do you enjoy racing at Richmond?
“We have been able to run really good at Richmond since I have been at RCR. We have been able to win three Busch Series races in a row and finish first and second in the Cup car last season. Richmond is one of those places that 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 am just really comfortable racing at Richmond and I hope for another great finish this weekend.”
