Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil
Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Dodge
Challenger 500 – May 10,
2008
Venue: Darlington (S.C.)
Raceway
Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
Performance History at
Darlington Raceway
Date Race Start Finish
Laps Completed Total Laps
Status Winnings
05/13/07 Dodge Avenger
500 9 17 367 367 Running
$125,886
04/13/06 Dodge Charger
500 14 37 350 367 Running
$104,036
05/07/05 Dodge Charger
500 24 14 370 370 Running
$123,561
11/14/04 Mt. Dew Southern
500 14 32 354 367 Running
$90,728
03/21/04 Dodge Dealers
400 23 8 293 293 Running
$98,743
08/31/03 Mt. Dew Southern
500 18 2 367 367 Running
$149,063
03/16/03 Dodge Dealers
400 33 36 283 293 Running
$77,843
09/01/02 Mt. Dew Southern
500 17 40 193 367 Accident
$88,503
03/17/02 Dodge Dealers
400 16 3 293 293 Running
$108,443
09/02/01 Pepsi Southern
500 5 8 367 367 Running
$93,727
03/18/01 Dodge Dealers
400 3 14 293 293 Running
$81,487
Totals/Averages 16.0 19.2
3,530 3,744
$1,142,020
NOTES:
· This Week’s Race Car at
Darlington Raceway … Kevin
Harvick will pilot Chassis
No. 235 from the Richard
Childress Racing stable, a
new car for the 2008 season
that Harvick raced to a
second-place finish at
Bristol Motor Speedway. The
Bakersfield, Calif., native
also raced this Impala SS to
a seventh-place finish at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Additionally, the No. 29
Shell-Pennzoil team tested
this Chevy at Las Vegas
during preseason testing
Jan. 28-29.
· Stat Facts … In 11
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
starts at Darlington,
Harvick has earned two
top-five and four top-10
finishes. Additionally, the
Bakersfield, Calif., native
has earned a 16th-place
starting average coupled
with a 19.2 finishing
average and has led 14 laps.
· Made to Move … Harvick
climbed one spot in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
point standings after his
eighth-place finish at
Richmond International
Raceway. Harvick now sits in
the fifth position, 145
markers out of the lead.
· RCR at Darlington …
Richard Childress is tied
for third all time with
Holman-Moody and the Wood
Brothers for car owner
victories at Darlington with
eight - all of them coming
with Dale Earnhardt.
Additionally, Childress
boasts 21 top-five and 32
top-10 finishes at the
egg-shaped South Carolina
oval with four different
drivers including Earnhardt,
Harvick, Jeff Burton and
Robby Gordon.
· Iron Man … Harvick has
not recorded a DNF in 54
consecutive races, which is
the longest active streak.
Additionally, the 2007
Daytona 500 winner holds the
modern era record with 58
consecutive races without a
DNF (10/3/2002-8/1/2004).
· Consistency Shows …
Clint Bowyer’s victory last
weekend at RIR catapulted
the Emporia, Kan., native to
fourth in the NASCAR Cup
Series championship point
standings. Fellow RCR driver
Jeff Burton fell one spot,
to second, after posting an
11th-place finish while his
closest competitor, Kyle
Busch, earned a second-place
finish. This is the first
time in RCR’s illustrious
39-year history that all
three RCR-prepared cars sit
atop the top five in the
point standings.
· Testing One, Two,
Three, Testing … Harvick and
the No. 29 team tested this
Monday and Tuesday at Lowe’s
Motor Speedway in
preparation for the Sprint
All-Star Challenge and the
Coca-Cola 600. This was the
fifth of seven tests 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).
· Meet the Press …
Harvick will be available
outside the No. 29
Shell-Pennzoil transporter
to field questions from the
gathered media Friday, May 9
at 11:40 a.m.
· Friday Night Lights …
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 the No. 33 Camping
World Chevrolet in the May 9
Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at
Darlington Raceway. The race
will be televised on ESPN2
beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time. The event
will also be broadcast live
on the Motor Racing Network
and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Qualifying for the 12th race
on the 2008 NASCAR
Nationwide Series tour will
be televised live on SPEED
the same day beginning at 3
p.m. EDT.
· Up to Speed … Live
coverage of the Dodge
Challenger 500 at Darlington
Raceway will take the green
flag Saturday, May 10
beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and
will be telecast live on
FOX. The event will also
broadcast live on MRN and
Sirius Satellite Radio.
Qualifying for the 11th of
36 points-paying NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series races will
air live on SPEED, MRN and
Sirius Satellite Radio
Friday, May 11 at 5 p.m.
EDT.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What’s your impression of
Darlington?
“Darlington’s tough but I
like it. It’s a very narrow,
fast race track that has a
lot of history and is a very
prestigious race to win.
It’s one of those places
where I’d like to win a
Sprint Cup race. Keeping the
car off the walls is a key
factor when you go to
Darlington. You’ve got to
get a rhythm there and be
consistent over the long
runs. You have to take care
of the fenders, tires, and
sides of the car.”
What do you think will be
different about Darlington
now that it is repaved?
“I think it’s going to be
the same old Darlington with
a little more grip. It will
probably be a little faster
this weekend than normal. I
also think with the new
surface the tires won’t wear
out as quick.”
How well does your team
perform at Darlington
Raceway?
“It seems like Darlington
is feast or famine for the
Shell-Pennzoil team. When we
avoid trouble, we always run
in the top 10. However, if
we get into the wall or
struggle mechanically, then
we never seem to be able to
fight our way back. The one
thing I have seen this year
is that my team is willing
to fight back and get the
best finish we can.
Hopefully, we can stay out
of trouble and run up front
all night long. That’s what
championship teams do
week-in and week-out.”
Is there ever an easy lap
at Darlington?
“It is constant work at
Darlington. You always wear
your tires out and you
always slow down a bunch
from the beginning of the
run to the end of the run.
You really never know how
much you can get out of your
car until you have run a lot
of practice and race runs to
get your rhythm. It is hard
to know how far you can push
it, which is why you have a
lot of cars that get into
the wall.”
RICHARD CHILDRESS QUOTE:
Comment on this being the
first time all three RCR
cars have been in the top
five in the NASCAR Cup
Series point standings.
“I just think it shows
the consistency and teamwork
we’re working with at RCR
right now. Everyone is
trying to be the most
competitive they can and,
hopefully, have a run at The
Chase and the championship.
All three teams and all
three drivers still have
areas to improve on. We’re
not resting on what we’ve
accomplished at all but it
is good knowing we have
things headed in the right
direction at this point in
the season.”