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Kevin Harvick Texas Motor Speedway Preview 11.07.09

Sunday November 8, 2009

 

Kevin Harvick

No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Impala SS

Team Race Preview

NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 33 of 35 – Texas Motor Speedway

 

TEXAS TWO STEP: Two-time Nationwide Series champion Kevin Harvick returns to the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, looking for his fifth career Nationwide Series win in 11 starts at the 1.5-mile track. Harvick holds the title of the most successful Nationwide Series driver at the track having won four races (2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001). Mark Martin and Kyle Busch both trail Harvick with three Nationwide Series wins each.

 

In 10 Nationwide Series starts at the track, Harvick has scored four wins, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. In his 10 Nationwide Series starts at the track, Harvick has one pole and has started inside the top seven nine times.

 

Earlier this season, Tony Stewart piloted the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet to a strong second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

 

THREE, TWO, ONE: KHI team co-owner Kevin Harvick will kick off the final three races of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season when he climbs in the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway. Following Texas, Harvick will make his final Nationwide Series start of the season at Phoenix International Raceway and Ryan Newman will close out the season at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.  

 

BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:

You’ve been very successful in the Nationwide Series at Texas Motor Speedway, why is this? “Texas is a track that I’ve found success at from the get go.  My first start there in the Nationwide car we had a top-10 finish and since then managed to pick up four wins. I always look forward to going back to Texas and competing for a win.”

 

What is the key to success at Texas? “To be successful at Texas you must have a good-handling race car and great pit stops. Picking up positions on pit road is key when it comes to moving forward through the field.”

 

Do you have a different sense of confidence when racing at Texas? “I have a lot of confidence when it comes to Texas Motor Speedway. I have been fortunate to win a lot of races there in my career. For whatever reason, I like this race track. We qualify well there in the Nationwide car and always seem to find a way to finish strong.”

 

What would it mean to win five races in one series at TMS?

“Any time you win a race it is always exciting, but going for a fifth win at the same track is a good feeling. Ernie (Cope, crew chief) and the guys always give me a car that is capable of winning each and every week. Hopefully this time around we can put our No. 33 Chevrolet back into Victory Lane for the third time this season and get Jimmy John’s their second win of the year.”

 

What do you enjoy the most about Texas Motor Speedway? “The hospitality is outstanding. Eddie (Gossage) and his entire team do a great job welcoming back not only the drivers, but the fans as well.  It is a great racing atmosphere and hopefully we can continue to put on a great show for the fans.”

 

What is it like to race at TMS? “Texas Motor Speedway is a fast race track.  Besides Dover, it’s possibly the biggest sensation of speed other than a qualifying lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  When it comes to the track itself, the transitions up off the corners at Texas are a lot different than tracks like Charlotte.  The banking comes out of the corners and it really flattens out as you exit the corners.  It is really hard to get a hold of turn two.  A lot of times you are tight up off turn two or you’re pushing the front-end really bad.  It is a fine line to get your car to work around the entire track.”  

 

CHASSIS HISTORY: This week the No. 33 Jimmy John’s team will unload chassis No. 044 for Harvick. This chassis was previously run on short tracks and made its last appearance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where Harvick started and finished the race in the fifth position. Prior to New Hampshire, this chassis ran at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) where Harvick started the race sixth and ran most of the night in the top 10 before crossing the finish-line fifth to earn his 10th career Nationwide Series top-five finish at the PIR.

 

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Before the final off weekend of the 2009 Nationwide Series season, Kelly Bires made his third and final start of the year for KHI at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park. Bires started the race from the 32nd position and made his way through the field, as high as sixth, before being involved in a mid-race accident. Sustaining damage to the No. 33 car, the team diligently worked to make repairs and return Bires to the race. Bires would continue to run laps and gain seat time before finishing the race in the 25th spot. 

                    

ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Nationwide Series by following at http://twitter.com/KHI_NNS. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Truck Series teams at http://twitter.com /KHI_TruckSeries. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick at http://twitter.com/kevinharvick and http://twitter.com/delanaharvick.

 

QUICK NOTES

 

November 7, 2009

Texas Motor Speedway

O’Reilly Challenge

 

Race length:  200 laps/300 miles

Banking: 24-degrees in the turns

                    5-degrees on straight-a-ways

Track layout: 1.5 miles
Shape: Quad-Oval

 

Pre-Race Schedule:

Friday:

First Practice: 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m., ET

Final Practice: 11:40 a.m. – 12:55 p.m., ET

Qualifying: 6:35 p.m., ET

 

TV: The O’Reilly Challenge can be seen live on ESPN2 at 12:00 p.m., ET.

 

Radio: The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will broadcast the race live at 12:15 p.m., ET.

 

No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Specs:

 

Chassis: 044

Engine: ECR

 

Kevin Harvick

Nationwide Stats at Texas

 

Year       No.          Team     Start       Finish

2008       33           KHI         2              29

2008       33           KHI         1              34

2007       21           RCR        4              1

2007       33           KHI         23           11

2006       21           RCR        4              1

2006       33           KHI         2              8

2005       21           RCR        3              1

2002       29           RCR        6              6

2001       2              RCR        7              1

2000       2              RCR        4              9

 

*KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc.

*RCR: Richard Childress Racing

 

About Jimmy John’s:

Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches was founded in 1983 by 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud in a converted garage in Charleston, IL. Since its inception, the company has grown to over 900 corporate and franchised locations in more than 37 states throughout the U.S. The company is known for its obsession with fresh, quality products and high-speed execution. For more information, visit www.jimmyjohns.com.

 

About Kevin Harvick Inc.

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions.  The No. 33 team is led by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 team is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Nationwide Series team competing full-time with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman and Ron Hornaday. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information. 

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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Beth Lunkenheimer.

 

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