This Week’s Kroger/Tide Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 058 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stable. Harvick drove this Chevrolet to Victory Lane after starting from the pole position and leading all but two laps of the March event at the half-mile short track.
Martinsville Track Master ... Harvick returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 2 RCR Chevrolet Silverado for his final Camping World Truck Series appearance of the 2012 season. Since 1998, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has made a total of 14 Truck Series starts. During those appearances, Harvick has collected two pole awards (March of 2010 and 2012), three wins (March of 2009, 2010 and 2012), seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular has earned an average starting position of 7.1, an average finishing position of 9.4, has completed 97 percent of the laps contested (3,212 of 3,310) and is credited with 483 laps led.
Getting Loopy on the Short Track ... According to NASCAR’s Loop-Data-Statistics, Harvick leads the Camping World Truck Series competition in Fastest Driver Early in a Run (92.393 mph), Fastest Laps Run (322), Green Flag Speed (91.746 mph) and Laps Led (483) at the Virginia short track. The 36-year-old driver sits second in Average Running Position (6.720), Driver Rating (118.8), Fastest Restarts (89.720 mph) and Speed in Traffic (90.973 mph). Harvick is the third-Fastest Driver Late In a Run (91.309 mph) and has spent 1,996 Laps in the Top 15 ranking him fifth amongst all Truck Series Competitors.
About Kroger ... Kroger Mid-Atlantic, a division of the The Kroger Co., operates 125 stores and 60 supermarket fuel centers in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and eastern portions of Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Kroger Mid-Atlantic focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.Kroger.com.
Rewind to 2011 ... Harvick climbed behind the wheel of the No. 2 Kroger/Tide Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. as the Camping World Truck Series made traveled to Martinsville Speedway for the 2011 Kroger 200. Harvick started the 200-lap event from the sixth position and went on to lead two laps before crossing the finish line sixth, after his Chevrolet Silverado developed a loose-handling condition during the latter portion of the event.
In the Rearview Mirror: Talladega Superspeedway ... Tim George Jr. and the No. 2 Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group team scored a top-10 finish in the Camping World Truck Series event at Talladega Superspeedway.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway?
“Martinsville (Speedway) is a great track for me and it’s really one of my favorite places to race. I’ve had a lot of success at Martinsville over the years, and I think it’s because the track reminds me so much of the short tracks where my racing career started. It’s a lot more enjoyable going to a track where you know you do well at. I’m really hoping that we can repeat the success the No. 2 RCR team found in March and take the Kroger/Tide Chevrolet back to Victory Lane.”