This Week’s Rheem Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No.404 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the AAA Texas 500. Built new for competition in 2012, Harvick raced this Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October where he collected a 16th-place result after starting from the 11th position.
“Lone Star State” Stats ... Harvick will make his428th career Sprint Cup Series start and 20th appearance at the 1.5-mile track. The 36-year-old driver has collected three top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his previous 19 starts, has completed 99.8 percent of the laps contested (6,342 of 6,356) and is credited with five laps led. Harvick maintains an average starting position of 20.7 coupled with an average finishing position of 12.7.
Getting Loopy Deep in the Heart of Texas ... Since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics in 2006, Harvick has made 15 starts at the Fort Worth, Texas-based facility. The Bakersfield, Calif., native leads his fellow competitors in the Closers category after improving an average of 1.9 positions during the final 10 percent of the laps contested. Harvick has completed 1,136 Green Flag Passes ranking him second and the 10th-most Quality Passes (531) after spending 2,895 Laps in the Top 15.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ... Following the seventh Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event, Harvick fell one position, to 11th, 88 markers behind the leader.
Double Duty ... In addition to competing in the AAA Texas 500 Sunday, Harvick will also drive RCR’s No. 33 OneMain Financial Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event Saturday evening. The race is scheduled to air live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Gotta Have a Rheem ... Rheem will adorn the No. 29 Chevrolet for the final time of the 2012 season this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Rheem is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Minnesota and North Carolina. In its 86th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Rheem, Raypak, Ruud and Richmond have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing.
Getting Dirty and Helping Others ... Several members of the No. 29 team are scheduled to participate in “Busch-Whacked,” a mud and paint fun run on Thursday, Nov. 1 at Texas Motor Speedway from 4-10 p.m. Central Time. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Kurt Busch Foundation, Armed Forces Foundation, Speedway Children’s Charities and Motor Racing Outreach. For more information, including how to sign up, please visit http://www.armedforcesfoundation.org/busch-whacked-2012.php.
2011 Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet team finished 13th in the 2011 AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway after struggling with a loose-handling race car following a two-tire call on the final pit stop of the race.
In the Rearview Mirror: Martinsville Speedway ... Harvick and the No. 29 Rheem Chasing the Cure team were relegated to a 32nd-place finish in the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway after the engine expired with 27 laps remaining in the 500-lap event.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What are the keys to running well at Texas Motor Speedway?
“Texas (Motor Speedway) is a really fast race track, especially for qualifying. I think it’s probably the fastest race track we go to. If you’re going to qualify well or win the race, you’re going to have to have a car that’s comfortable to drive when you’re on the throttle.”
From a driver’s standpoint, can you feel the speed at Texas Motor Speedway?
“Texas (Motor Speedway) is a really fast race track and in the banking is where you can really feel how fast you are going. It’s one of those few race tracks where you feel the speed in the car. The unique part about Texas is that you have that big speed for about three or four laps, and as you go through the tire run the speed really drops off a tremendous amount. But, from a driver standpoint, you have a lot of options here and the race track has a lot of bumps that are great for character. You have to make your car work well and you have to get up off turn two, but you can run all over the race track. Obviously, qualifying will be on the bottom, but when race time comes you will be moving around all over the place so it’s fun from a driver’s standpoint.”
You haven’t won at Texas Motor Speedway yet, but you’ve been pretty solid there.
“We’ve done well at Texas (Motor Speedway) over the years, especially in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. Texas is a really fast race track and the grip goes away fast on the cars. You have some bumps to contend with, so you have to keep the splitter off the ground, but as low as you can to get the grip you need. It’s a tough place to do that. If we can get everything to come together the way we need it to, there is no reason we can’t get the Rheem Chevrolet in Victory Lane on Sunday.”