NASCAR XFINITY Series Overview
Event: Atlanta 250
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2017
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Layout: 1.54-mile oval
Kevin Harvick Notes of Interest
Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 41 Textron Off Road Ford Mustang
“It’s a great weekend for us to feature the new Textron Off Road name for the XFINITY Series debut of the No. 41 Ford Mustang. I’ve had a partnership with Textron for a long time and have used their off-road vehicles for many years. I was able to test the new Stampede vehicle a few months back. It was a lot of fun to drive and tough enough to take virtually anywhere. Hopefully, we can take them on a ride this weekend in Atlanta and celebrate their new name in victory lane.”
Richard Boswell, Crew Chief of the No. 41 Textron Off Road Team
How did your opportunity to join Stewart-Haas Racing materialize?
“I worked with Kevin (Harvick) over at JR Motorsports for about two years as an engineer on the XFINITY side. When Stewart-Haas Racing was looking for a crew chief for the next XFINITY Series deal, Matt Goslant reached out to me. He knew that I had worked with Kevin in the past. I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to try. I’d been looking for an opportunity to move up to the crew chief role and this was too good to pass up.”
What made working on the No. 41 Textron Off Road Ford Mustang team at Stewart-Haas Racing’s appealing to you?
“The opportunity to work with Kevin Harvick was big, especially since we’d worked together in the past, but this was a chance to take a step up into a higher-level role. This is a part-time deal and I’m used to full-time racing, so that’s taking a little bit of getting used to. Being at the racetrack every week helps you learn a lot, but working with one of the best drivers in the garage helps you learn a lot, too. That was really the biggest reason – it was a chance to work with Kevin and Stewart-Haas Racing.”
This team is starting from scratch. What has been the biggest adjustment so far?
“The biggest adjustment so far is really just trying to manage all the different areas that a crew chief has to touch. I’m trying to be as hands-on in every area so that I can help the guys who are working on the car and still know what we’re bringing to the racetrack when we unload. Managing all of that has been a bit of an adjustment.”
Is this a new Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang?
“It’s a brand new car. It’s the first Ford Mustang that we’ve built from top to bottom in-house at Stewart-Haas Racing for the XFINITY Series.”