No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Impala
Event Preview Fact Sheet
This Week’s Jimmy John’s Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 374 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This brand new Chevrolet Impala will be put through its first paces this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.
Freaky Fast in California ... The black, red and white colors of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches will adorn the No. 29 Chevrolet as the primary sponsor of Harvick and the team for the first of six races in 2012 this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.
Defending Champs ... Harvick drove the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet and earned the nickname ‘The Closer’ by making a thrilling last-lap pass on Jimmie Johnson to charge for the win during last year’s race at Auto Club Speedway The victory was the first at the two-mile oval for the Bakersfield, Calif., native and the first of four wins for the No. 29 team during the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season.
Looking to Repeat the Hometown Win ... The Bakersfield, Calif., native grew up just over 150 miles from where Auto Club Speedway is located in Fontana, Calif., and after reaching victory lane in last season’s Auto Club 400, Harvick is looking to score back-to-back wins in Sunday’s race in front of his hometown crowd.
Auto Club Speedway Notes ... In 18 starts at the Fontana, Calif., speedway, Harvick has earned one win, three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. In addition, he’s completed 98.4 percent (4,334 of 4,405) of the laps contested and has led a total of 60 laps at Auto Club Speedway. Harvick has an average starting position of 18.7 and an average finishing position of 16.2 at the track.
In the Loop ... Since the inception of NASCAR’s loop data statistics in 2006, Harvick has competed in 13 Sprint Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway and owns impressive loop data statistics at the two-mile oval heading into this weekend’s Auto Club 400: sixth in Fastest Drivers on Restarts, seventh in Green-Flag Passes (1050), seventh in Laps Run in the Top 15 (2,252), eighth in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run, ninth in Average Finishing Position (12.7), and ninth in Green-Flag Speed.
Find a Jimmy John’s ... Jimmy John’s, known for fresh, quality products and freaky fast service, has 1200 stores nationwide. Visit www.jimmyjohns.com to view the Jimmy John’s menu, find your nearest location, order online or download the Jimmy John’s mobile application.
Walk of Fame ... As the 2011 Auto Club 400 race winner, Harvick will be inducted into the Auto Club Speedway Walk of Fame on Saturday, Mar. 24 at 11:30 a.m. PT. The Bakersfield, Calif., native will receive a bronze plaque from track president Gillian Zucker, which will be placed in a cemented area along with his footprint, handprint and signature. The induction will be held in the Auto Club Speedway FanZone, located outside gate 12 and is open to the public. For additional information please visit www.autoclubspeedway.com
King for a Day ... Prior to heading to Auto Club Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series race, Harvick plans to attend the L.A. Kings game against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, Mar. 23. Harvick and his wife DeLana have been good friends with Kings center Jeff Carter, who was recently traded to the Kings from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The group originally met a number of years ago during a NASCAR media event when Carter played for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Meet the Press ... Harvick will field questions from the gathered media inside the Auto Club Speedway infield media center on Friday, March 23, at 11:15 a.m. PT.
NASCAR Teleconference... Harvick will participate in NASCAR’s weekly media teleconference on Wednesday, Marc. 21 at 3 p.m. ET. Participant information is available on NASCARMedia.com.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What was it like winning on the last lap at Auto Club Speedway last year?
“The last two years, the race has pretty much come down to us and the No. 48 team (Jimmie Johnson). The year before I ran into the wall and last year we won. That was good to come back and rebound from the mistake from 2010 and being able to race with Jimmie was a lot of fun. Especially at the California race track. That’s been a great race track for us over the last several years and looking forward to going back next week. Glad I’m not the truck driver, he has a long ways to go.”
Why are you so good at Auto Club Speedway?
“It’s one of those race tracks that the tires just wear out a lot. You can move around the race track and you have to kind of search for grip so that comes with a lot of throttle control and momentum to go along with that. It’s a race track that fits our cars and our engine package and our driving styles. As a company, we run well there. It’s a good race track for RCR.”
What do you like about Auto Club Speedway?
“I just enjoy how the track has really spread out and the groove you can run from the bottom to the top. It’s also fun to race in front of a lot of your fans and friends that get to come to the race track from close to where we used to live.”
You’re a few races into the season with crew chief Shane Wilson and the team. How are things coming together for you and the new group so far this year?
“I think they’re going really well. I think we definitely have to clean up some of the rough edges from me having a little rust on myself and get the communication exactly where we want it to be as far as the things we want to hear and don’t want to hear and things they want to hear from me. We’ve got a few things to clean up, but I think it’s gone very well so far.”