This Week's Rheem Chevrolet SS at Pocono Raceway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 391 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable for the Party in the Poconos 400. The California native last piloted this Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where he settled for a 14th-place finish.
Taking on "The Tricky Triangle" ... Harvick has made 24 starts at the 2.5-mile tri-oval dating back to the 2001 season. During that time, the RCR veteran has collected five-top five and eight top-10 finishes. He holds a 19.8 average starting position coupled with a 14.1 average finishing position, has completed 96.1 percent (4,386 of 4,547) of the laps contested and is credited with five laps led.
Rheem on the Hood ... The red Rheem logo will adorn the hood of the No. 29 RCR machine this weekend at Pocono Raceway for their fourth of seven appearances during the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. Rheem will also be featured on Harvick's Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway in June, Michigan International Speedway in August and Talladega Superspeedway in October.
Gotta Have a Rheem ... Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas. In its 88th 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, and is a primary sponsor of RCR's No. 29 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and RCR's No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Doing a Little Testing ... Harvick and the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team will take a detour through the Bluegrass State on their way to Pennsylvania for a team test at Kentucky Speedway. Harvick and RCR teammates Jeff Burton and Paul Menard are all scheduled to participate in a two-day test on Tuesday, June 4 and Wednesday, June 5 at the 1.5-mile track. The No. 29 team will utilize chassis No. 404, which they previously tested at Pocono Raceway last week.
Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 Rheem team overcame a pit road penalty and a tight-handling condition during this event last season at Pocono Raceway to finish 14th.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
The team just tested at Pocono Raceway. How to do you feel it went, and what did you learn that you can use in this weekend's race?
"It was good. With the new pavement and a lot of speed, I think it will hopefully apply not only to the Pocono (Raceway) races, but to the Michigan (International Speedway) races and Indianapolis (Motor Speedway). That is what we are banking on, so hopefully it was a productive test. I know we ran a lot of miles and the track still has a lot of speed. Even with the new cars, it doesn't have quite as much speed as years past. The asphalt has turned several shades of gray. It should be a fun race. The track took rubber and we didn't have any tire issues or anything like that, so it should be a good weekend."