Starting Fresh
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Sept. 15, 2015) – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing, has led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in championship driver points since the third race of the 2015 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, after the points reset to start the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship playoffs after last weekend’s regular-season finale at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Harvick will be starting fresh this weekend in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.
Luckily, the sponsor on the hood of the No. 4 Chevrolet, Jimmy John’s, always starts fresh when making its gourmet sandwiches and knows what it takes to deliver in “Freaky Fast” fashion.
Jimmy John’s, founded in 1983 by then 19-year old Jimmy John Liautaud approximately 163 miles from Chicagoland Speedway in Charleston, Illinois, serves up ridiculously fresh sandwiches quicker than you can say “Turkey Tom,” a customer favorite which, ironically, is No. 4 on the menu. Jimmy John’s is all about the freshest ingredients, the fastest service and “Freaky Fast” delivery. While most people are more than impressed with the quality of Jimmy John’s sandwiches, it’s the speed with which they are prepared and delivered that really puts the now Champaign, Illinois-based chain ahead of the rest.
Harvick is hoping to use the same principles to deliver a freaky fast win early in each three-race round of the 10-race Chase to help him advance to the final four and defend his 2014 Sprint Cup championship.
Harvick qualified for the 10-race Chase by virtue of his two wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. His two regular-season victories were each worth three bonus points. Harvick carries his six bonus points into the Chase to slot fifth among the 16 drivers.
The defending Sprint Cup champion led the 26-race regular season with 978 points prior to the Chase driver standings reset following Richmond. Harvick’s point total through the first 26 races is the most under the current system that came into effect in 2011, surpassing the 914 regular-season points scored by Greg Biffle in 2012 and Jeff Gordon in 2014.
This is his sixth consecutive playoff appearance and his ninth since the inception of the Chase in 2004. He finished fourth in his Chase debut in 2006, 10th in 2007, fourth in 2008, third in 2010, third in 2011, eighth in 2012, third in 2013 and won his first Sprint Cup championship in 2014.
Twenty-six races into 2015, Harvick has been a model of consistency, scoring 10 second-place finishes, 18 top-fives and 22 top-10s to lead the series. The No. 4 Chevrolet SS has led a series-high 1,450 laps with an average finish of 7.7. The 1,450 laps led are 588 more than the next-closest competitor – 862 by Joey Logano.
He leads several other statistical categories: 118.8 driver rating, 34 bonus points, 961 fastest laps run, 25.0 percent of fastest laps run, 19.8 percent of laps led, 1,862.45 miles led, 6,699 laps in the top-15, and average running position of 7.455 in addition to his average finish of 7.7.
Harvick already has two Sprint Cup wins at Chicagoland and three wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He won the inaugural Sprint Cup race there on July 15, 2001, and made it back-to-back Chicagoland wins as he reached victory lane again on July 14, 2002. His three Xfinity Series wins came in September 2005, July 2007 and September 2014.
The No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser team is hoping it can continue its approach of winning early and apply it to each round of the Chase. A win in the 16-driver Challenger round, consisting of the races at Chicago, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon and Dover (Del.) International Speedway, would automatically advance a team to the 12-team Contender round. A win in the Contender round, consisting of races at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, guarantees a spot in the eight-team Eliminator round. A win in the Eliminator round, consisting of races at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and Phoenix International Raceway, guarantees a spot in the four-team championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Harvick is looking to ride his “Freaky Fast” Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet all the way to a second consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship.
KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What makes Chicago so intense to start the Chase?
“Chicago is a great market for us to be able to kick off our Chase. When you look at the racetrack, it has become very racey throughout the years as the asphalt has worn out. The surface has a lot of bumps and it’s just a fun place to go race.”
Will you and crew chief Rodney Childers change your approach to this year’s Chase?
“I feel like we’ve been better all year. I think we are a better team than we were last year. I think just the preparation, the consistency, the speed and everything has been there week-in and week-out throughout last year, throughout this year. Obviously, we want to win every week, but the quality of the product that has been on the racetrack and the execution of everything that has happened throughout the year has been better than what we were last year. We will be better going into the Chase. I think we will have a better plan with the experience and I think, with the confidence of knowing we made it happen last year, we know we can do that at any point going forward throughout the year and especially throughout the Chase. Having to deal with the emotions will be less this year for us because I think we know what to expect. But, I think our preparation and planning is going to be better than it was last year.”
Was last year’s Chase as intense as you thought it would be?
“I think the intensity was higher than I think everybody had anticipated. I think just with that anxiety of knowing that you only have three weeks to put three good races together and, if you have a problem, it puts you in a position where you have to win. There are just so many things that could go against you to progress to the next round. It’s really just about survival. When you create that survival mentality over a short period of time, it becomes more intense and more stressful in everything that comes with that instant of trying to perform and trying to make things happen over a three-week period.”
You’ve worked with Jimmy John’s for a few years. What makes Jimmy John’s unique?
“I’ve known Jimmy since 2009 and I’ve personally seen how driven he is and how his work ethic is embraced by Jimmy John’s franchisees. He wants to be the best, period. And he’ll outwork everyone to be the best. That’s the same mindset we have in racing.”
Chassis Information: Chassis No. 4-841: Kevin Harvick will pilot the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS built on Chassis No. 4-841 in the MyAFibRisk.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. Built in 2014, Chassis No. 4-841 served as an unused backup for 19 races last season and never saw racing action of any kind. Chassis No. 4-841 finally made its Sprint Cup debut this past March at Phoenix International Raceway, where it scored a dominant w from the pole and led 224 laps to score Harvick’s second win of the 2015 season. In its second appearance of 2015, Chassis No. 4-841 started fifth, led tw laps and finished second in April at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. It started fifth, led 39 laps and finished second at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in J In its most recent appearance it started sixth, led 75 laps and finished third at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
Chicagoland Notes of Interest: