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).
· Meet the Press …
Harvick will be available
for interviews outside the
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil hauler
Friday, May 16 at 1:15 p.m.
· 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?”