This Week's Budweiser Chevrolet SS at Phoenix International Raceway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 430 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the AdvoCare 500. Harvick drove this RCR-prepared machine to a third-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway in September and most recently tested this Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway in October.
PIR Stats ... Since 2001, Harvick has made 21 Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway. Throughout the years, the California native has made three trips to Victory Lane (both events in 2006 and November 2012), he has also collected six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Harvick holds an average starting position of 18.5 coupled with an average finishing position of 12.9, has completed 99.7 percent (6,611 of 6,633) of the laps contested and has 420 laps led to his credit.
Budweiser ROLL-BAR ... Harvick will visit with fans at PIR's Budweiser ROLL-BAR hospitality area on Sunday prior to the start of the AdvoCare 500. Located behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands, the Budweiser ROLL-BAR is an innovative hospitality environment that includes a gaming area, live entertainment, and catered meal and drink vouchers. Passes for admission are available for purchase as an add-on to a grandstand ticket. Single-day tickets are available for $99 on Saturday and $149 on Sunday, and can be purchased online at www.phoenixraceway.com or by calling the PIR ticket office at 866-408-RACE (7223).
Double Duty ... In addition to driving the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS in Sunday's race, Harvick will also pilot the No. 33 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, Nov. 9. This race is scheduled to air live on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, along with the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel 90.
Teeing Off for a Cause ... On Wednesday, Harvick will head back to his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., to tee off in the fourth annual Happy's Classic Golf Tournament presented by Advanced Distribution and Blackhole Technologies. Funds raised at the tournament will benefit the Kevin Harvick Foundation, which is dedicated to the support of programs that positively enrich the lives of children throughout the United States. In addition to the golf tournament, Harvick will make a special presentation to the North High golf team with a surprise donation on behalf of the foundation.
Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team captured their only victory of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season last November in the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. After starting from the 19th position, he battled a tight-handling condition during the early laps of the event.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
You've had a lot of success at Phoenix International Raceway. In your opinion, what's the challenge related to the 'new version' of this track since the repave?
"You really have to have an understanding of the track. Every time we go back, I feel like we learn something different. We really did well at Phoenix (International Raceway) last year and also ran well there earlier this season, but we didn't play the strategy game correctly at the end and lost the track position we needed. I feel like you have to play the strategy game;.the track is still racy enough where you can make up time if your car is good, but you need to stay focused on strategy. Phoenix has done a great job redesigning the track. It's a great place for us as a team, but you have to play the game right with the strategy."
Is Phoenix International Raceway a track where it's less important compared to other recent repaves to work rubber into the race track?
"I think Phoenix International Raceway took a lot of time in the beginning to work rubber into the track with a few different techniques they used, but the weather really helps wear the track. It's incredibly hot in the summer and can get really cold in the winter, so there are some pretty extreme temperatures that help age the asphalt. But I think the design of the track itself, on hard or soft tires, has made watching a race there really exciting. The pavement on the flat backstretch creates some excitement itself. It's been an interesting track to race on and most of that comes from having the design right."