NOTES:
· This Week’s Race Car at
Bristol Motor Speedway …
Kevin Harvick will pilot
Chassis No. 235 from the
Richard Childress Racing (RCR)
stable, a new race car for
the 2008 season that Harvick
raced to a fourth-place
finish at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. Additionally, the
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team
tested this Impala SS at the
Las Vegas race track during
preseason testing Jan.
28-29.
· Harvick in the Loop at
Bristol …
o Stat Facts … In 14
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
starts at NASCAR’s fastest
half-mile, Harvick has one
win, seven top-five and nine
top-10 finishes.
Additionally, “Happy” has
led 358 laps and has a 10.5
average finishing position.
o Average Running
Position… According to
NASCAR’s loop data
statistics, Harvick is the
fourth-best driver in the
Average Running Position
(ARP) category at Bristol
Motor Speedway. His average
running position of the last
six races at the “Thunder
Valley” oval is 11.8. The
ARP is sum of the driver
position on each lap divided
by the number of laps run in
the race.
o Driver Racing … The
11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series winner has a 99.2
Driver’s Rating, placing him
fourth among active drivers
at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Driver Rating is a
formula that combines the
following categories: wins,
finishes, top-15 finishes,
average running position
while on the lead lap,
average speed under green,
fastest lap, most laps led
and lead-lap finishes. The
maximum points a driver can
earn in each race is 150
points. The Driver Rating
number is used pre-race as a
prediction tool and
post-race as a performance
evaluator.
· Points Check … Harvick
jumped to third in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup point
standings after his
seventh-place finish last
week at Atlanta Motor
Speedway. The 2007 Daytona
500 winner is 91 markers out
of the lead and just 18
points out of second.
Additionally, the
32-year-old driver is
currently the highest Chevy
driver in the point
standings.
· RCR at Bristol … In 102
NASCAR Cup Series starts at
Bristol, RCR boasts eight
wins – seven with Dale
Earnhardt and one with
Harvick – three poles, 26
top-five and 46 top-10
finishes. Additionally,
Richard Childress leads the
way for Nationwide Series
car owner victories at
Bristol with five – four of
them coming with Harvick and
one with Jeff Green. In 38
starts, RCR boasts four
poles, 17 top-five and 21
top-10 finishes and has led
1,313 laps at the high-banks
of Bristol.
· Bristol Sweep … Harvick
captured his first NASCAR
sweep in April 2005 at
Bristol Motor Speedway,
winning the NASCAR
Nationwide Series race and
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
race in the same weekend.
Since then, Harvick has
added three more weekend
sweeps to his resume
(Phoenix International
Raceway in April 2006,
Richmond (Va.) International
Raceway in September 2006
and Daytona (Fla.)
International Speedway in
February 2007).
· Iron Man … Harvick has
not recorded a DNF (did not
finish) in 48 consecutive
races. Harvick’s last DNF
was at Dover in September
(2006). Additionally, he has
run 87 consecutive
point-paying races without
crashing out of a single
one. Combined, Harvick has
gone 154 points races in
NASCAR two top-divisions
without crashing out.
· Making a Pit Stop …
Before heading to Bristol
Motor Speedway to compete in
this weekend’s Food City
500, the Shell-Pennzoil
driver will participate in
the Richmond Winner Circle
program on Wednesday, March
12. Harvick’s first stop
will be at the Richmond
Coca-Cola plant where he
will tour the facility and
help bottle Coca-Cola.
Harvick will depart Richmond
and head to Philadelphia
where he will be a special
guest at the Flyers game.
While at the game he will
swap jerseys with Jeff
Carter (Center for the
Flyers) and participate in a
variety of other pre-game
activities.
· 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
Food City 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.
· Meet the Press …
Harvick will be available
outside the No. 29
Shell-Pennzoil transporter
to field questions from the
gathered media Friday, March
14 at 11:40 a.m.
· Double Down at Bristol
… In addition to his driving
duties with the No. 29
Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet,
Harvick, a 32-time race
winner in the NASCAR
Nationwide Series, will
drive Kevin Harvick
Incorporated’s No. 33
Chevrolet in the March 15
Sharpie Mini 300. The race
will air live on ESPN2
beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
and can also be heard on the
Performance Racing Network
(PRN) and Sirius Satellite
Radio.
· Up to Speed … The Food
City 500 from Bristol Motor
Speedway will take the green
flag Sunday, March 16 at 2
p.m. EDT and will be
telecast live on FOX. The
event will also be broadcast
live on PRN and Sirius
Satellite Radio. Qualifying
for the fifth of 36 races on
the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series
tour will air live on SPEED,
PRN and Sirius Satellite
Radio Friday, March 14 at
3:30 p.m. EDT.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Why do you enjoy running
at Bristol so much?
“Bristol is one of my
favorite race tracks. I
enjoy the short track stuff
and we’ve always been
fortunate to run really well
there. We go there with high
expectations but you never
know what’s going to happen.
You can get caught up in a
wreck in a hurry and have
your day ended. You have to
go to Bristol and enjoy it
but know that the outcome
could be the opposite of
what you want it to be.”
What is the key to
success at Bristol Motor
Speedway?
“Stay out of trouble and
don’t wreck. To win you have
to be there at the end and
with Bristol, like any other
short track, the racing is
tight and you can easily get
into trouble. You just have
to stay clean and stay
focused. As long as you are
there at the end, you have a
shot.”
Kevin Harvick’s 2008
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Stats
Date Race Start Finish
Laps Completed Total Laps
Status Winnings
February 17 Daytona 500
16 14 200 200 Running
$322,224
February 25 Auto Club 500
10 8 250 250 Running
$148,761
March 2 UAW-Dodge 400 17
4 267 267 Running $200,636
March 9 Kobalt Tools 500
8 7 325 325 Running $124,086
Totals/Averages
12.8 8.2 1,042 1,042
$795,707
Wins – 0
Poles – 0
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 3
Laps Led – 1
1,042 of 1,042 Laps
Completed – 100.0 percent