This Week’s Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 112 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable. Built new for competition in 2012, this No. 33 Chevrolet will be put through its first competitive laps this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
Back at It ... Friday’s Feed the Children 300 will mark Harvick’s sixth of 14 scheduled Nationwide Series appearances in the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. In his first five Nationwide Series starts of the 2012 season, the 36-year-old driver has collected three top-five and four top-10 finishes. The Bakersfield, Calif., native was last behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he scored a fourth-place finish after leading the most laps in the History 300.
Racing in the Bluegrass State ... Harvick has made three Nationwide Series starts during his NASCAR career at the 1.5-mile Kentucky tri-oval, collecting one victory (2001), two top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has completed 100 percent of the laps contested and holds a 10th-place average starting position and a third-place average finishing position.
In the Loop ... According to NASCAR’s Data Loop Statistics, created in 2006, Kentucky Speedway is one of Harvick’s top tracks on the Nationwide Series schedule. The two-time Nationwide Series champion ranks second in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run (172.686 mph) and Fastest on Restarts (162.127 mph). He holds an Average Running Position of 5.842 ranking him third in the category, is fourth amongst his fellow competitors in Fastest Laps in Traffic (40 laps), Green Flag Speed (171.081 mph) and Laps Led (57 laps, 14.3 percent).
Get to the Points ... The No. 33 RCR Chevrolet team sits third in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 72 points behind the No. 18 team. The No. 33 team has collected six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes between five different drivers (Tony Stewart, Harvick, Brendan Gaughan, Paul Menard, Ty Dillon and Max Papis) thus far this season.
Mini Wheelin’ with Kevin Harvick ... Hunt Brothers® Pizza is kicking the Kentucky race weekend into high gear with free pizza, remote control racecar driving and an autograph session with Harvick at the Mini-Wheelin’ with Kevin Harvick event on Thursday, June 28 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sparta Quik Stop in Sparta, Ky. Fans of all ages are encouraged to arrive early to sign up for one of 54 spots in the Mini-Wheelin’ with Kevin Harvick Tournament. Contestants will compete in tournament-style heats for a shot at great prizes, including the grand prize of two grandstand race tickets to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway on June 29. Harvick will be on hand to sign autographs for fans from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. 200 wristbands will be handed out on a first come, first served basis beginning at 1 p.m.
Hunt Brothers Pizza ... With more than 6,000 locations in 28 states, Hunt Brothers® Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle, Hunt Brothers Pizza offers regular, thin crust, and breakfast pizzas with All Toppings No Extra Charge®, plus the Hunt Brothers® Wings in Southern Style and Hot ‘n Spicy flavors. Family owned and operated for over 40 years and headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., the company provides all of the food products, marketing programs, equipment and training for convenience stores to operate their own turnkey pizza program. For additional information, please visit www.huntbrotherspizza.com.
In the Rearview Mirror: Road America ... Papis and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team finished fourth after overcoming a pit road penalty during the Sargento 200 last Saturday at Road America.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on driving the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway?
“It will be fun climbing back into the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet this weekend. The last time I drove the car we brought home a top-five finish and I’m hoping we can capitalize on that momentum this weekend at Kentucky (Speedway). I’ve won a Nationwide Series race at this track in the past and I hope we can find that kind of success again this weekend and put the Hunt Brothers Pizza car in Victory Lane.”