Kevin Harvick
No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet
Event/Date:
History 300
May 26, 2012
Venue:
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race Notes and Quotes:
This Week’s Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 107 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable. Built new for competition in 2012, RCR teammate, Paul Menard, drove this entry to a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
Back in the Saddle Again … Friday’s History 300 will mark Harvick’s fifth of 14 scheduled appearances in the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. During his first four Nationwide Series starts of the 2012 season, the 36-year-old driver has collected two top-five and three top-10 finishes. The Bakersfield, Calif., native was last behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month where he settled for a 22nd-place finish after being involved in a late-race accident.
Racing in the Queen City … Harvick has made a combined total of 45 starts at the Concord, N.C.-based facility spread across each of NASCAR’s top-three series. The RCR veteran driver has completed 11,886 of 12,168 laps (97.7 percent) and has earned three pole awards, six top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. Harvick’s sole win at Charlotte Motor Speedway came in May 2011 at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel on the final lap, allowing Harvick to grab the checkered flag and drive on to Victory Lane.
In the Loop … According to NASCAR’s Data Loop Statistics, Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of Harvick’s top tracks. While a Nationwide Series victory still eludes the two-time series champion at the 1.5-mile facility, Harvick is ranked second in Green Flag Passes (546) and Laps in the Top 15 (1,482). He ranks fourth in Fastest Restarts (166.343 mph) and Lap Led (85), and fifth in Fastest Laps Run (44).
Get to the Points … The No. 33 RCR Chevrolet team sits fifth in the Nationwide Series owner’s championship point standings, 63 points behind the No. 6 team. The No. 33 team has collected four top-five and eight top-10 finishes between four different drivers (Tony Stewart, Harvick, Brendan Gaughan, and Menard) thus far this season.
The Adventures of “Flat Kevin” … Earlier this season Hunt Brothers Pizza started a “Flat Kevin” promotion encouraging fans to take pictures with their “Flat Kevin” during everyday activities for a chance to win a VIP race package for the Nationwide Series event at Kentucky Speedway on June 29. The Hunt Brothers Pizza judges have selected 10 finalists and now need help selecting the Grand Prize Winner. To cast a vote, visit the Hunt Brothers Pizza Racing Facebook page and click on the Flat Kevin Photo Contest tab. Votes will be accepted through May 31, Facebook fans can vote once daily. The winner will be announced on June 1. To cast your vote visit: www.Facebook.com/HBPRacing.
Hunt Brothers Pizza ... With more than 6,000 locations in 28 states, Hunt Brothers® Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle, Hunt Brothers Pizza offers regular, thin crust, and breakfast pizzas with All Toppings No Extra Charge®, plus the Hunt Brothers® Wings in Southern Style and Hot ‘n Spicy flavors. Family owned and operated for over 40 years and headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., the company provides all of the food products, marketing programs, equipment and training for convenience stores to operate their own turnkey pizza program. For additional information, please visit www.huntbrotherspizza.com.
In the Rearview Mirror: Iowa Speedway … Gaughan scored a 10th-place finish at Iowa Speedway with the No. 33 South Point Hotel & Casino team last Sunday afternoon. The team started from the 13th position, and battled a tight-handling condition for much of the race before the Las Vegas native drove home with a top-10 finish in only his third appearance at the Newton, Iowa-based track.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on driving the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway? “Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is one of those places where I seem to run well, but haven’t had the finishes that I would have liked in the Nationwide Series. I run well at the intermediate-style tracks, so it will be fun to get back behind the wheel of the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. I’m still trying to get that first Nationwide Series win at Charlotte, so I’m hoping things will go our way and I’ll be able to drive the Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet into Victory Lane Saturday afternoon.”