3M Performance 400 - August 17, 2008
Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI

NOTES:

This Week’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 254 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2008, this chassis most recently started 21st and finished fourth at Pocono Raceway. This Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet also saw action in the 15th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The 32-year-old driver was running 12th on lap 14 when he was spun out by another competitor. As a result, Harvick was left with a 37th-place finish. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native raced this Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS to a third-place finish in July at Chicgoland Speedway.

Stat Facts … In 15 NSCS races at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick has earned two top-five and five top-10 finishes. Additionally, the 11-time NSCS winner has earned a 17.1 starting average and a 15.7 finishing average.

Points Check … Harvick maintained the 11th position in the NSCS point standings with his sixth-place finish last weekend at Watkins Glen International. The 32-year-old driver trails ninth place Denny Hamlin and 10th place Greg Biffle by 19 points. He also sits 43 points behind Kasey Kahne in eighth, 74 markers behind Tony Stewart in seventh, 84 points less than Jeff Gordon in sixth and 270 points out of the top five.

The RCR Collection … In 22 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two wins (Jeff Burton – Bristol, Clint Bowyer – Richmond), 12 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C.,-based race team has completed 18,539 laps in 2008 with four different drivers including Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Ken Schrader. Meanwhile, RCR teams have logged 26,906 miles of competition this season and been on top of the leaderboard for 310 laps. Combined, all four RCR teams have earned just over $ 9.6 million in purse money this season.

Dirt Racing … “Happy” Harvick will hit the dirt track of Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio on Tues., Aug. 12. Harvick, along with Dave Blaney and Schrader, will battle the local e-mod stars in a $1,000 to win e-mod feature. The festivities will also feature an autograph session which will start at 5:45 p.m. and the first 150 people in each driver’s line will get a wristband for an autograph. For more information log on to www.sharonspeedway.com or call (330) 772-1186.

RCR at Michigan … RCR has earned two wins at Michigan International Speedway, both of them by Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt snagged the checkered flag in the Miller American 400 on June 28, 1987 and again in the Miller Genuine Draft 400 on June 24, 1990. Additionally, RCR boasts 15 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes with seven different drivers including Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, who recorded top 10s at Michigan in June 1978 and August 1979.

Keep on Keepin’ on … Harvick has not recorded a DNF (did not finish) in 66 consecutive races, which is the modern era record (1972-present). Harvick’s RCR teammate Bowyer currently has the second-longest active streak at 59.

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 3M Performance 400 from Michigan International Speedway, 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 race fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible. Harvick’s team will be showcased on DIRECTV channel 790 and DIRECTV’s HD channel 795.

· Media Opportunity … Harvick will be available for interviews outside the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil hauler Friday, Aug. 15 at 11:30 a.m.

· Catch all the Action … The 3M Performance 400 from Michigan International Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. EDT. Race coverage will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. EDT and broadcast worldwide on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 23rd race on the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will be televised live on SPEED Friday, Aug. 15 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

“I feel like we have made a lot of improvements on our cars since the last race at Michigan. Everything that we are racing now is totally different from where we were with bump stops, chassis and all the different things that are on our cars now. Performance-wise, we have made big gains. Michigan is one of those places that you need the entire package to compete for the win. Being successful has a lot do with the horsepower that is under the hood and I think our engine department has stepped up over the past several months, as well. I look forward to a strong finish this weekend.”

“I think the maturity of my team has gotten us in the top 12. We have had a lot of stuff go wrong this year and we are still in the hunt. My guys don’t sit back and count points and they don’t worry about who we are racing. As you get closer to the Chase you kind of go about your business and do the best you can do. We come to the race track wanting to win every week and when you can’t win, you want to do the best you can. I think the maturity in our team shows the most when we haven’t been the best car out there but we have found a way to finish in the top 15 and not finish 30th. My guys don’t get caught up in all the hype around the Chase - they just go out and do their jobs week-in and week-out.”