Centurion Boats at the Glen - August 10, 2008
Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International

NOTES:

This Week’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 256 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable, a brand new Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS that Harvick and Company tested at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. on Tuesday, July 29.

Stat Facts … In seven NSCS races at Watkins Glen, Harvick has earned one win (2006), two top-five, four top-10 finishes and has led 29 laps. Additionally, the 11-time NSCS winner has earned a 9.3 starting average, a 12th-place finishing average and has completed all but six laps of competition.

Twists and Turns … In 15 NSCS road course starts (Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International), the Bakersfield, Calif., native has one win (Watkins Glen 2006), four top-five and six top-10 finishes. The 2007 Daytona 500 winner has also led 36 laps and has earned a 12.9 starting average and a 14.7 finishing average.

Points Check … Harvick jumped to 11th in the NSCS point standings with his fourth-place finish last weekend at Pocono Raceway. The 32-year-old driver trails 10th-place Denny Hamlin by 27 points, and is 49 points behind Tony Stewart in ninth, 69 markers behind Greg Biffle in eighth and 313 points out of the top five with five races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Keep on Keepin’ on … Harvick has not recorded a DNF (did not finish) in 65 consecutive races, which is the modern era record (1972-present). Harvick’s RCR teammate Clint Bowyer currently has the second-longest active streak at 58.

The RCR Collection … In 21 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two wins (Jeff Burton – Bristol, Bowyer – Richmond), 11 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C.,-based race team has completed 18,269 laps in 2008 with four different drivers including Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Ken Schrader. Meanwhile, RCR teams have logged 26,244 miles of competition this season and been on top of the leaderboard for 310 laps. Combined, all four RCR teams have earned just over $ 9.1 million in purse money this season. Additionally, all three fulltime RCR teams are in the top 12 in the championship point standings with five races remaining until the Chase for the Cup.

RCR at the Glen … In 39 starts at Watkins Glen International, RCR boasts two wins (Harvick 2006 and Robby Gordon 2003), eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes with seven different drivers. Additionally, Dale Earnhardt won the pole three times (1990, ’92, and ’96) at the high-speed, 11-turn central New York circuit.

Going Home … Three members from the Shell-Pennzoil Racing crew hail from New York. Shock Engineer Chris Chase grew up in Nichols, Engine Specialist and gasman Brian Englehart grew up in Greenfield Center and Suspension Mechanic and Spotter Bill O’Dea grew up in Victor.

Childress, A Champion for Children … On Wednesday, July 30, RCR team owner Richard Childress, along with officials from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., announced the formation of what will become the nation’s most comprehensive Institute for Pediatric Trauma. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma will drastically increase the survival rate of critically injured children nationwide and will improve the quality of life for those who do not fully recover by focusing on five key areas: research, advocacy and public policy, medical professional education, prevention education, and a comprehensive rehabilitation facility. To learn more and help children across the nation by donating, please visit www.childresspediatrictrauma.org or call 866-635-8190.

Don’t Miss A Beat … This weekend Harvick’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevy will be one of four cars featured on DIRECTV’s HotPass Coverage. With a channel dedicated solely to the Shell-Pennzoil Racing team during the Centurion Boats at the Glen, 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. NASCAR HotPass, only on DIRECTV, features four driver channels including dedicated announcers for each team. The service, combined with race day telecasts and NASCAR.com coverage, gives fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible. Harvick’s team will be showcased on DIRECTV channel 792 and DIRECTV’s HD channel 797.

Media Opportunity … Harvick will be available for interviews outside the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil hauler Friday, August 8 at 11:20 a.m.

Double Down … In addition to his driving duties in the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Watkins Glen, Harvick, a 32-time race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will drive the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Incorporated on Saturday, August 9 in the Zippo 200. The race will be televised live on ABC and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Catch all the Action … The Centurion Boats at the Glen will take the green flag Sunday, August 10 at 2 p.m. EDT and will be telecast live on ESPN. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying will be televised live on ESPN2 Friday, August 8 beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will provide live qualifying updates beginning at 3 p.m. EDT.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

What’s the biggest difference between ovals and road courses for you?

“There’s a lot more to do on a road courses. You have to shift, stop, shift, gas it and slide. The hardest handling characteristic is to get your car to have is 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.”

Has road course racing become more of a short track type of race?

“It seems like road course racing has become that way. Your cars come back looking like they have been at a short track. With the braking and things the way they are, you have to take some chances and use other cars to make some things happen.”

Now that you are back in the top 12 in points do you feel pretty comfortable about making the Chase?

“We haven’t had everything go right this year so we are pretty happy to be in this position. We still have to go out and race has hard as we can every week. I have learned not to let the point situation stress me out. I just go out and race and do the best I can and things will fall the way they are supposed to. I think if we keep up the performance we have had for the last five or six weeks, and don’t have anything major go wrong, we will be okay.”