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This Week’s Race Car at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 251 from the Richard
Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a new
Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS that the No. 29 team tested at The
Milwaukee Mile June 11-12.
Stat Facts … In 14 NSCS races at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway, Harvick has earned one win (fall 2006), one pole
(fall 2006), three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Additionally, the
11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner has earned a 13.1 starting average
and a 12.6 finishing average and has completed all but seven laps at New
England’s Magic Mile.
RCR at NHIS … Richard Childress is tied
for third all time with Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske for car owner victories at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway with three – Robby Gordon (2001), Harvick (2006)
and Clint Bowyer (2007). In 60 starts at the one-mile oval, Childress also
boasts two poles, 10 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes with nine different
drivers including Dale Earnhardt, Mike Skinner, Harvick, Gordon, Jeff Green,
Steve Park, Dave Blaney, Bowyer and Jeff Burton.
Points Check … Harvick fell to 13th
position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings with his 30th-place
finish last weekend at Infineon Speedway. This is the first time since April
15, 2007 that Harvick has not been ranked in the top 12. However, the 2007
Daytona 500 winner only sits two points out of 12th and 34 markers out of the
top 10.
Still Running Strong … Harvick has not
recorded a DNF (did not finish) in 60 consecutive races, which is the modern
era record (1972-present). Harvick’s RCR teammate Bowyer currently has the
second-longest active streak of 53 consecutive races without a DNF.
Meet the Crew … The No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil
over-the-wall crew will sign autographs Sunday, June 29 beginning at 10 a.m.
at the Chevy display. While at the Chevy display, fans can also check out the
2008 Chevrolet Silverado as well as the line up of fuel efficient vehicles
that go from gas friendly to gas free. Additionally, fans can take the Chevy
Challenge and receive a Team Chevy souvenir. The Chevy display is located in
New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Fan Zone area.
Double Down … In addition to his driving
duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS, Harvick, a 32-time
race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will drive Kevin Harvick Inc.,
No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet in the Camping World 200 presented by RVs.com
from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 28. The race will be
televised on ABC beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The event will
also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite
Radio. Qualifying for the 18th stop on the 35-race Nationwide Series tour
will be televised live on SPEED the same day at 10 a.m. EDT.
Record-Holder … The Bakersfield, Calif.,
native holds the record for NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway. This record was set May 11, 2001 when he recorded a
fast lap of 29.138 seconds (130.716 mph) at the one-mile New England race
track.
Catch all the Action … The LENOX
Industrial Tools 301 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway will take the green
flag Sunday, June 29 at 2 p.m. EDT. Race coverage will be televised live on
TNT beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast worldwide on the MRN and Sirius
Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 17th
race on the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule will be televised live on
SPEED Friday, June 27 at 3 p.m. EDT.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What’s unique about New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“It’s one of those places where you have to get through the center of the
corner and get up off the corner wide open. That makes it really hard to get
through the center of the corner and turn good like you need to. Getting up
off the corner under full power without getting loose is really tricky.
Passing is harder there than at most places because it’s so hard to make your
car work getting up off the corner. That makes track position probably the
most important thing.”
Why have you had so much success at New Hampshire?
“We had a lot of success at New Hampshire last season. Our flat-track
program has been really good over the past few years. Richmond, Loudon and
Phoenix have been places that have been really good to us. We look forward to
going to New Hampshire every year and this year is no different. We enjoy the
race track since they put the progressive banking in. Since the progressive
banking, you can race side-by-side and pass people and do the things you need
to do to get toward the front.”
What do you like about racing at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway?
“I like this type of track because it’s flat. I started my racing career
on flat tracks out west. We’ve always had a fair amount of success at New
Hampshire. The track hasn’t changed a lot and we’ve had a lot of success here
in the past, so that always makes it fun to go back to.”
What are your thoughts on where you are in the
points right now?
“It doesn’t really matter; you just race as hard as you can every week.
We have had seven or eight bad weeks where we have crashed constantly, ran
out of gas at Phoenix, we just have had a lot of things go wrong. Nothing you
can do about it, you just go out and go as fast as you can.” |
Lenox Industrial Tools 301