This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No.378 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Homestead 400. The No. 29 team utilized this car twice during the 2011 season at Chicagoland Speedway in September (started-30th, finished-second) and Kansas Speedway in October (started-14th, finished-sixth). Harvick drove this Chevrolet in 2012 to a sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway in April, a 10th-place result at Michigan International Speedway in June, fifth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September and most recently he finished 11th at Kansas Speedway in October.
Stating the Stats ... Harvick will make his 430th career Sprint Cup Series start and 12th appearance at the 1.5-mile track. The 36-year-old driver has picked up five top-five and nine-top10 finishes during his previous 11 starts. Harvick has completed 99.9 percent (2,941 of 2,942) laps contested, is credited with 128 laps led and has earned 13.9 average starting position along with a 7.9 average finishing position.
Getting Loopy in the “Sunshine State” ... Since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics in 2006, Harvick has made seven starts at the Homestead, Fla.-based facility. The Bakersfield, Calif., native is the second-Fastest Driver Early In a Run, has spent 1,499 Laps in the Top 15 ranking him second among all competitors and has improved an average of 4.9 positions during the final 10 percent of laps contested, positioning him second in the Closers category. Harvick holds the fourth-fasted Green Flag Speed and maintains the fourth-best Average Running Position (9.727), Driver Rating (102.5). The RCR driver is also the fifth-Fastest on Restarts and also ranks fifth in the category Speed in Traffic.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ... Following Harvick’s win in the ninth Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event, Harvick jumped three positions in the standings, to eighth, 86 markers behind the leader.
Meet the Press ... Harvick will field questions from members of the media at the back of the No. 29 Sprint Cup Series hauler on Friday, Nov. 16 at 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
You’re Invited to Happy’s Birthday Bash ... Harvick will celebrate his 37th birthday when Budweiser presents Happy’s Birthday Bash at The Fox Theater in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 1. Country music star Craig Morgan will headline the charity event benefiting the Kevin Harvick Foundation with a special guest appearance by Bridgette Tatum. Tickets to the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.vallitix.com, by phone at 1-888-825-5484, The Bakersfield Fox Theater Box office or any Vallitix outlet.
Win Happy’s Chevy ... One lucky winner will help children in need and take home Harvick’s 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS Coupe. The vehicle includes gray leather interior, 21-inch black painted wheels, six-speed manual transmission, V8 engine, rear parking assist and much more. Proceeds will be used to further the mission of the Kevin Harvick Foundation through programs such as Kevin’s Krew, Chase Your Dreams Scholarships and the Kevin Harvick Athletic Scholarship Fund. For more information or to purchase a ticket for only $29, visit http://www.winhappyschevy.com/. Tickets are on sale until Nov. 15.
2011 Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team closed out the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Homestead-Miami Speedway with an eighth-place finish after starting from the 21st position.
In the Rearview Mirror: Phoenix International Raceway ... Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team captured their first victory of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season after starting from the 19th position and battling a tight-handling condition during the early laps of the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What’s your approach going into Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“I think for us it’s all about going down there and trying to get the best finish we can. Ideally, we’d love to repeat last weekend and close out the season with back-to-back wins, but overall we want to run the best we can to end the season strong and finish as high as possible in the point standings.”
You’ve had a lot of strong runs at Homestead-Miami Speedway. What do you attribute that to?
“Homestead (Miami Speedway) has been a good track for us. We were good on the flat surface, but have run well with the new configuration, too. Homestead has been one of those tracks we’ve been fortunate to go to where everything kind of fits the styles of the way our cars are built to run and my driving style. It’s definitely been a good race track for us and we’re looking forward to going down there and closing out the season strong this week.”
How does Homestead-Miami Speedway fit your driving style?
“Homestead (Miami Speedway) is just unique. You can charge turn one a little bit more than you can at most places, because as you get through the corner, the banking seems to get steeper all the way through, and you have options. You can run the top, you can run the bottom, you can run the middle, or you can split the middle-top or middle-bottom and make your car turn. It’s just a unique race track, and it seems to fit the guys that like to move around and make their cars work in different spots.”
Why is Homestead-Miami Speedway one of your favorite tracks?
“Homestead (Miami Speedway) is one of those race tracks that you don’t know when it is going to stop aging. It seems like every time we return to the track it loses a little grip, which is a good thing. Since they repaved the track a few years back it has become one of my favorites. You can move all around trying to find a groove that works for you. There are a lot of different places where you can make your car work. For me it has been a lot of fun to race on.”