This Week's Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet SS at Daytona International Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 387 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in Saturday night's event at Daytona International Speedway. Harvick most recently drove this Chevrolet to Victory Lane following the Sprint Unlimited in February at Daytona.
Back to the Beach ... Since 2001, Harvick has made 24 starts at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, winning two point-paying events (2007 Daytona 500 and July 2010). The California racer has also collected two pole awards (July 2002 and July 2010), five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, has completed 90.3 percent (3,815 of 4,225) laps contested and is credited with 178 laps led.
Red, White and Blue Summer ... Harvick's No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet will don a special paint scheme this weekend to reflect Budweiser's limited-edition red, white and blue packaging. The patriotic packaging represents a special initiative in which the brand will contribute a portion of all sales from May 5 - July 4 to help raise as much as $1.5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation*, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled while serving their country. Since 2010, Budweiser has raised more than $5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation and provided more than 1,000 educational scholarships to the families of soldiers killed or disabled in service. (*Donation of 2cents per case of Budweiser sold, May 5, 2013 to July 4, 2013, with a maximum donation of $1.5 million.)
Giddy Up ... Budweiser's world famous Clydesdales will be on display in the DIS midway area throughout the Coke Zero 400 race weekend. For nearly eight decades, the Budweiser Clydesdales have been an enduring symbol of Anheuser-Busch's heritage, tradition and commitment to quality. The hitch consists of eight horses, the famous red, white and gold beer wagon and two drivers seated next to the hitch's signature mascot Dalmatian. To qualify for one of the traveling hitches, a Budweiser Clydesdale must be a gelding at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat, four white legs, a white blaze, and black mane and tail.
Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet team had a strong run during the 2012 edition of the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola, but ultimately finished 23rd after being collected in a last-lap incident at Daytona International Speedway.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading back to Daytona International Speedway for the second time this season?
"This hasn't been normal for us, but the superspeedways have been our Achilles heel throughout the first part of the season. Hopefully we've gotten that bad luck out of the way, because I always look forward to the superspeedway races. There was a lot of talk about spoiler sizes back in the beginning of the season, but I haven't heard of any definite changes yet. It's going to be an interesting race. Obviously, it will be a lot hotter than it was in February, so that will make for some different racing conditions this time around. I'm looking forward to getting back to Daytona International Speedway. I always like our chances every time we go to a superspeedway. I just hope we have a little better luck this time around."
What is the biggest change you experience at Daytona International Speedway between the race in February and the event in July?
"The track becomes a little bit slicker, especially with the increased temperatures. Plus, the asphalt ages just a bit from all of the other racing that takes place at this particular track. Usually it's about 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity in July, so a slick track condition is the biggest change we deal with when racing at Daytona International Speedway in July, compared to February."