WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER: Kevin Harvick comes into this weekend’s race after scoring his first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Harvick also returns to Martinsville as the defending race winner after visiting Victory Lane for the first time at the .0526-mile oval in the Truck Series race last spring. Additionally, Harvick has one win at the track in the Nationwide Series (2006).
BRIGHT NEW LOOK: Harvick will hit the track with retail partner Kroger Food Stores and sponsorship partner Procter & Gamble, highlighting their family of brands on the No. 2 Chevrolet. Tide will be featured on the orange and yellow truck’s hood and rear quarter panels, with Kroger Food Stores, Bounce, Iams, Pringles, Charmin, Bounty and Downy on the quarter panels and tonneau cover.
WELCOME BACK BUTCH: This weekend, Harvick will be reunited with former crew chief Butch Hylton. Harvick and Hylton were first paired in 2003 in the Nationwide Series, winning three races and eight poles as driver/crew chief at Richard Childress Racing (RCR). That season, Harvick, who split driving duties with Johnny Sauter, won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner’s championship for RCR and owner Richard Childress. Hylton has also served as Nationwide Series crew chief at Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) in the past, winning twice at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with Tony Stewart (2010 and 2005).
LUCKY SEVEN: With seven career wins in 102 starts in the Truck Series, Harvick is looking to capture win number eight at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. Of Harvick’s Truck Series wins, last spring at Martinsville marked his first appearance in Victory Lane at a short track.
Thoughts from the Boss: Kevin Harvick
As the defending Truck Series spring race winner at Martinsville, and the winner of the most recent Truck race at Atlanta, how does that affect your confidence going into this weekend’s race at Martinsville?
“Martinsville has been a good track for us. We ran really well there last spring, obviously, winning the race. We had a little trouble in the fall race with a flat tire, but we were able to make up a couple laps and come back with a solid top five. Based upon our most recent success in the Truck Series, confidence is very high.”
This weekend you’re bringing a brand new chassis (No.0 43) as your primary to Martinsville, and you’ve had a lot of success when driving a new chassis in the past. Do you think you will perform as well this week in the new truck as you have in the past?
“I think any time we’ve brought new stuff to the track, it’s always been better than the stuff we’ve raced before. I don’t expect anything less from this particular truck. Based upon everything we’ve done, we think that this is the best short-track truck that we’ve ever built, and hopefully it proves that on the race track.”
You and Butch Hylton have a long, successful history together. How do you feel about having him back on top of the pit box?
“I’m excited about that. We’ve talked about getting the No. 2 truck back to where we needed to be, and we’ve won a lot of races in the past, so hopefully we can continue that same success. Obviously he and Tony had success at Daytona a couple times, including this year. Hopefully we can rekindle the winning tradition we had in the past with our Nationwide program at RCR.”
Thoughts from the Pit Box: Butch Hylton
How do you feel about rejoining KHI and working with Kevin Harvick once again?
“I’m very happy to be back with KHI and working with Kevin again. Kevin and I have known each other for a long time, and we work really well together. The No. 2 team is a great group of guys, and this team is already on the right track for a very successful season. We’re building some of the best equipment we’ve ever built, and when Kevin gets into the truck, he’s always a threat to win.”
What are the keys to winning at Martinsville?
“Track position is key at Martinsville, because it’s very difficult to pass there. You have to qualify really well to get the track position from the beginning, you have to be able to turn in the middle and roll really fast, and you have to be careful with your pit stops in order to maintain your position.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 Kroger/Tide team will utilize chassis No. 043 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 043 is a brand-new chassis which will see its first laps of competition on Saturday.
ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Teams by following at http://twitter.com/KHI_TruckSeries. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Nationwide Series team at http://twitter.com /KHI_NNS. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick at http://twitter.com/kevinharvick and http://twitter.com/delanaharvick.
MEDIA ACCESS: Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Jessica Trippy at KHI: jtrippy@kevinharvickinc.com.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.
QUICK NOTES
Race Info
March 27, 2010
Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
Kroger 250
Race length: 250 Laps/131.5 Miles
Banking/Turns: 12-degree turns;
0-degree straightaways
Track layout: 0.526-mile
Shape: Oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Friday:
Practice: 10:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m., EST
Final Practice: 1:10 p.m. –2:00 p.m., EST
Qualifying: 4:40 p.m., EST
TV: The Kroger 250 can be seen on SPEED Saturday at 1:30 p.m., EST
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast live at 1:30 p.m., EST
Truck Specs:
Chassis: 043
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)
Kevin Harvick
Truck Series Statistics at
Martinsville Speedway
Starts: 9
Wins: 1 (March 2009)
Poles: 0
Top Fives: 4
Top 10s: 5
Laps Led: 11
Average Start: 9.3
Average Finish: 11.6