No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Impala
Race Notes and Quotes
This Week’s Jimmy John’s Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 373 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new race car that will see its first on-track action at Michigan this weekend.
Meet the Press ... Harvick will be available to members of the media outside the No. 29 hauler in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, August 19.
Harvick at Michigan ... In 21 starts at Michigan, Harvick has earned one win (August 2010), three top-five and four top-10 finishes. His average starting position at the two-mile track is 18.5 and his average finishing position is 14.7. Harvick has completed 99 percent (4,056 of 4,097) of the laps run in NSCS races at Michigan since 2001. He has also led a total of 149 laps there as well.
Claiming Victory ... Last August at Michigan, Harvick and the No. 29 team started the race from the eighth position and led five times for a total of 60 laps before taking the checkered flag to score RCR’s first win at Michigan since 1990.
In the Loop ... With the first 22 races of the season in the books, Harvick has a number of impressive loop data rankings, including: second in percentage of laps run on the lead lap (91.60 percent - 5,540 of 6,048 laps run); third in fastest speed in traffic; fourth in laps in the top 15 (3,900 laps, 64.5 percent); fifth in closers (2.3 average spots gained in the last 10 percent of the race); seventh in average running position (13.940); seventh in fastest drivers late in a run; eighth in green-flag speed; and ninth in driver rating (90.5).
Freaky Fast at Michigan ... The black, red and white colors of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches will adorn the No. 29 Chevrolet as the primary sponsor of the team for the fourth time in 2011 this weekend at Michigan International Raceway.
Find a Jimmy John’s ... Jimmy John’s, known for fresh, quality products and freaky fast service, has a number of stores in Michigan, including 45 in the Detroit metro area and 23 around Ann Arbor. Visit www.jimmyjohns.com to view the Jimmy John’s menu, find your nearest location, order online or download the Jimmy John’s mobile application.
Heading to St. Louis ... Harvick and team owner Richard Childress will travel to St. Louis prior to the race in Michigan for a tour of Anheuser-Busch’s brewery to see the quality craftsmanship and teamwork that goes into creating Budweiser, similar to the hard work that goes into fielding a successful race team. While in St. Louis, they will visit the historic brew house, beechwood lagering cellar, packaging plant and Clydesdales stable and learn more about the rich brewing heritage, state-of-the-art technology and extraordinary architecture.
Budweiser Acceleration Club ... Harvick is one of several NASCAR drivers that will visit the Budweiser Acceleration Club this weekend at MIS for a Q&A session with fans on race day morning. The hospitality area features a number of amenities, including food, beverage, entertainment and driver appearances. Harvick’s RCR teammate Clint Bowyer is also scheduled to appear on Sunday morning as are Kyle Busch and Pure Michigan 400 grand marshal Desmond Howard. In addition, the popular rock band Rev Theory is slated to headline the Budweiser Acceleration Concert following Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Fans can visit the speedway’s website, www.MISpeedway.com, for more details and ticket information.
Come See Harvick ... Race fans in the Jackson, Mich., area will have the chance to meet Harvick when he appears at the Menards store located at 3588 Page Avenue from 7-8 p.m. on Friday, August 19.
Double Duty ... In addition to driving the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet this weekend, Harvick will be behind the wheel of the No. 2 TapouT Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at MIS. The race will mark Harvick’s fourth Truck Series start this season and his fourth-career start in the series at the two-mile track. He has earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes at MIS in the Truck Series.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Heading into this weekend’s race at Michigan, has your team figured out enough to get another victory there?
“Michigan has been a great race track for us in the past. From the driver’s standpoint, it’s a lot of fun to race on because the car slides around and you have the option to move all over the race track. I believe this will be the last race on that particular pavement, and while that’s never exciting to hear, we’re excited about that race and have a lot of things that we are working on going into that particular race as a team. It should be a good weekend.”
What does it take to be successful at Michigan?
“There are a lot of things just because the tires fall off a lot. You still have to carry a lot of speed, so you have to have a good handling package along with a good engine package. It’s just kind of like everywhere else. You have to have the whole package but Michigan gives you a lot of options as a driver because it is so wide and you can move around and make your car work in different spots.”
When the drivers come down the frontstretch and you all fan out, can you lose track of somebody that you’re trying to keep track of?
“I have a hard enough time keeping track of myself, so I just kind of go with the flow and wherever you wind up, you pull that thing back up and try to make the next corner.”
Explain what the side draft feels like at Michigan.
“Side draft is just basically where you get your car up to about the rear tire and it puts all the air off the front of your car and onto the spoiler of the car next to you. It woes it down. It’s pretty simple to do and frustrating for the guy beside you or yourself when you’re trying to get by somebody.”