Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

NASCAR All-Star Race - Kevin Harvick Notes

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Pennzoil Platinum Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV – May 17, 2008
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. 245 from the Richard Childress Racing stable, a new race car for the 2008 season that Harvick tested at the 1.5-mile oval May 5-6.

Stat Facts … In seven NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races, Harvick has earned one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 6.6 starting average and 11.3 finishing average.

Change of Scenery … Harvick is going platinum for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The defending All-Star champion winner will transform his bright yellow and red Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet into a shining platinum colored paint scheme in recognition of his sponsorship from Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic motor oil. Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic motor oil has adaptive molecules to manage the constant mechanical stresses inside an engine. Along with its additive package, Pennzoil Platinum motor oil is designed to survive the searing heat, intense pressures and shearing forces of today’s precision-made engine parts. For more information visit: www.pennzoilplatinum.com.

Sweet Million … The 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner won his first non-points race in last year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Harvick was able to jump to the lead as the final 20-lap segment began and crossed the finish line 0.141 seconds ahead of Jimmie Johnson.

Pennzoil Platinum Victory Challenge … Harvick, along with his RCR teammate Clint Bowyer, Johnson, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle, will participate in the Pennzoil Platinum Victory Challenge. The timed competition combines the four essential skills of any winning superstar: a tire-smoking post-win celebration, spectacular donuts, precision driving into Victory Lane and speed. The drivers will take turns driving similarly-prepared stock cars from the Richard Petty Driving Experience on a special course testing the aforementioned four skills. The driver with the fastest time, after any time penalties assessed, will be awarded $10,000 to their designated charity.

Seat Change … Harvick will switch his existing racing seat to a Hendrick Motorsports Carbon Fiber seat this weekend during the Sprint All-Star Race. The Bakersfield, Calif., native spent two days at the HMS complex to get fitted for his new seat that will make him safer and more comfortable in the cockpit of the No.29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet. The HMS seat will cost approximately $10,400 for the main section and $1,200 for the headrest. The Carbon Fiber seat is designed to withstand 90G which is 10G more than NASCAR requires for certification.

NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge … The Pennzoil Platinum Pit Crew will participate in the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. All qualified teams for the NASCAR All-Star Race are eligible to compete, which includes NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners from 2007 and 2008, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners from the past 10 years, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champions from the past 10 years who are active drivers and have competed in at least one Series event during the 2007 or 2008 season. Also eligible is the 2007 Pit Crew Challenge winner. The remaining unfilled positions will be available to the car owners ranked highest in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship owner points standing as of May 13, 2008, who are not otherwise eligible for the event. Seven members of each team are allowed to compete. For ticket information visit www.pitcrewchallenge.com or call 1-800-495-2295.

Four All-Star Wins for RCR … RCR has won four NASCAR All-Star Races (formerly The Winston), the most recent coming last year with Harvick. Dale Earnhardt won the event in 1987, which included the legendary “Pass in the Grass.” Earnhardt also went on to claim the checkered flag in 1990 and 1993.

Testing One, Two, Three, Testing … Harvick and the Pennzoil Platinum Racing team tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway May 5-6 in preparation for the All-Star Race and next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. The test was the fifth of seven allowed under NASCAR’s 2008 testing policy. The remaining tests available to teams in NASCAR’s top division will be conducted at Pocono Raceway (May 27-28) and Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Sept. 23-24).

Up to Speed … Live coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Showdown and the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race begins Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on SPEED. The race will be covered live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, March 16 at 5 p.m. EDT and will be aired live on SPEED.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
How big of a fan are you of these All-Star events?
“I think these races are very important. It’s our All-Star event. You have to win a race throughout the year to get in and it’s the best of the best competing against each other. That makes it a lot of fun for us and the fans. We tested there a couple weeks ago and I really feel we’re ready to defend our All-Star win.”

Do you like the uniqueness of team involvement for qualifying?
“If we win the race, we’ll take all the money and split it up between the guys because they are really part of the reason why you win. They’ve worked just as hard for this race, if not harder, than they have at any other race. It means a lot to them, too.”

What did winning the All-Star race do for you last year?
“Charlotte is notoriously a place where we don’t run very well at but we ran really well at the All-Star race last year. We had a good test there last year and this year. We ran good at the 600 for the first 75 before the big accident. It’s just been one of those places that’s been hard for us to get a hold of. To win at Charlotte was pretty big event for us and to win the All-Star race is one of those races where we all want to win and we all want to have that on our resume. To win there is something that we’re all pretty proud of.”

A lot of people credit you with making burnouts popular in NASCAR. Do you think that is fair to say?
“I don’t know. I think Ron Hornaday probably started it back in about 1998. The first one I remember was probably in Memphis and then Dale Earnhardt banned him from doing it because it was tearing everything up. He probably started it. I don’t think I deserve the credit. It’s becoming a pretty common thing as far as when you win. However, I think the Victory Challenge is going to be fun. We got to practice a little this week. I think Clint Bowyer was the first to practice and it didn’t go so well. Did anyone tell Clint it was a burnout competition and not a crash competition?”