NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 24 of 35 – Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International

THE GLEN STATS: Kevin Harvick enters this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International as the defending race winner of the Zippo 200. Last year Harvick scored his first win at the track in the Nationwide Series leading 49 of the 82 laps in the No. 21 car for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). In four Nationwide Series starts at The Glen, Harvick has three top-five and four top-10 finishes. His worst finish at the track is seventh and he has led a total of 68 laps, completing 100 percent of the 329 possible laps. Harvick has started 11th or better in all four Nationwide Series starts at The Glen.

In addition to the Nationwide Series, Harvick has seven Cup and three Truck Series starts. In the Cup Series, he has one win (2006), two top-five and four top-10 finishes. In the Truck Series, his best finish is seventh in 1999, his only top-10 finish at the track in the Truck Series.

HOLDING HIS OWN: In 2006 Harvick claimed victories at two (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Watkins Glen International) of the three road courses on the Nationwide Series schedule. The only one he did not win was Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, a race he did not enter.

HELPING HAND: This week Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) Shane Wilson will be atop the pit box of the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet, calling the shots for two-time Nationwide Series champion Harvick. Wilson is helping out the team while interim crew chiefs Rick Ren and Ernie Cope return to their roles with the No. 33 and No. 2 Truck Series teams for KHI at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway with driver’s Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague.

With years of experience and success in racing, Wilson joined RCR in 2006 to crew chief the No. 21 car with drivers Harvick and Jeff Burton. That year, the No. 21 team scored 10 wins, including nine wins with Harvick as he claimed his second NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. The following year, in 2007, Wilson continued as crew chief of the No. 21 Chevrolet with Harvick, notching another successful season as Harvick scored six wins, the most of any team that season.

NO. 29 TEAM STEPPING UP: The No. 29 RCR Cup team will pit the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet for Saturday’s Zippo 200 to prepare and earn valuable practice for Sunday’s Centurion Boats at The Glen Cup race. Harvick currently sits 11th in the Sprint Cup Point Standings, and Sunday’s race is an integral part of the race to the chase. Pit stops at The Glen are like no other track as the cars turn right to enter the pit area, essentially creating a backward pit stop for the crew.

BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:

In the Nationwide Series, you are the defending race winner and your worst finish at The Glen is seventh. What did the win mean to your career? “Winning at Watkins Glen was a major accomplishment in my career. We’d been able to win on all the different types of race tracks as we’ve gone through the years, but the road course thing, we always had this little cloud over us. We have been in contention to win and always had things happen here and there. To finally do that was pretty satisfying. It’s almost a sense of relief because you get so frustrated at places you know you’re capable of winning and haven’t.”

What’s the biggest difference between ovals and road courses? “There’s a lot more to do on road courses. You have to shift, stop, shift, gas it and slide. The hardest handling characteristic is to get your car to have forward bite up off the corners because you are coming off a low gear and there are a lot of off-camber corners. You have to try to hook your car up the best you can, trying to find a balance between taking care of your stuff and driving the heck out of it. It’s definitely different from our normal routine.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: This week the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team will unload chassis no. 045 for the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. A brand new chassis, it will run its first laps on the track during the first practice session on Friday afternoon at The Glen.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: The NASCAR Nationwide Series made history again this year at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, running the majority of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 with rain tires. Ron Hornaday piloted the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet from the 12th starting position to a fourth-place finish in the rain-shortened event. Just six laps into the race, the rain began to fall and on lap eight NASCAR called for a mandatory stop by teams to change over to rain tires and make adjustments to the cars to run in the rain. Rain continued to fall as teams adjusted to the new conditions throughout the race. By lap 48, heavy rain and limited visibility caused NASCAR to stop the race and eventually made the call to end the race with only 48 of the 74 laps complete.

About FreedomRoads & Camping World: FreedomRoads & Camping World is America’s largest RV and outdoor retailer serving a brisk and growing demand for the RV lifestyle. After having successfully co-located for several years at selected locations, FreedomRoads, a dynamic national network of well-established local and regional RV dealerships and Camping World, America’s largest direct marketer and specialty retailer of RV and outdoor camping accessories, service and RV sales, joined together to provide consumers with greater choice, convenience and value. Today, with revenues exceeding $1.7 billion, the company serves RV enthusiasts with more than 130 retail locations.

In addition to the sale, finance and service of recreational vehicles and specialty retail, FreedomRoads & Camping World also provides expanded products and services to enhance and protect the RV lifestyle. This includes: the President's Club customer loyalty program; in-store Performance Centers featuring RV and Car Insurance and Roadside Assistance Service; Camping World RV Institute technical certification/training program; Goodwill Ambassador Program; and the new campground discount program, Camp Club USA.

About Kevin Harvick Inc.:

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full time Truck Series teams: the No. 33 Camping World/VFW Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday as well as the No. 2 American Commercial Lines (ACL)/RVs.com Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Camping World/RoadLoans.com/ Rheem Chevrolet driven by two-time Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick, Ron Hornaday and Cale Gale and the No. 77 Rheem/VFW Chevrolet driven by Cale Gale and Ron Hornaday competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. 2008 marks KHI’s fifth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Please visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.

QUICK NOTES

August 9, 2008

Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International

Zippo 200

Race length: 82 laps/200.9 miles

Turns: 11

Track layout: 2.45 miles Shape: Road Course

Pre-Race Schedule:

Friday:

Practice: 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m., ET

Final Practice: 5:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m., ET

Saturday:

Qualifying: 10:10 a.m., ET

TV: The Zippo 200 can be seen live on ABC at 2:30 p.m., ET.

Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 2:30 p.m., ET.

No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet Monte Carlo Specs:

Chassis: 045

Engine: RCR

Kevin Harvick

Nationwide Stats at The Glen

Year No. Team Start Finish

2007 21 RCR 11 1

2006 21 RCR 3 7

2001 2 RCR 6 3

2000 2 RCR 9 3