Harvick OnLine: Event Preview: Talladega

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Aaron’s 499 – April 29, 2007
Venue: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

NOTES:

• This Week’s Race Car at Talladega Superspeedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 161 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new for the 2006 season, this is the same chassis Harvick raced to a 14th-place finish in the 2006 Daytona 500. Additionally, this chassis finished ninth in the 2006 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

• Harvick in the Loop at Talladega
   - Talladega Totals … In 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Harvick has one pole, three top-five and six top-10 finishes. Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 17.7 starting average, 13.7 finishing average and has completed 2,253 of the 2,264 laps contested at the Alabama race track.
    - Laps Leader … “Happy” Harvick has led in seven of his 12 Talladega races for a total of 54 laps. He has also led in five of the eight races this season for a total of 71 laps.
    - Moving Up … Harvick moved up three spots in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series point standings after a top 10 finish at Phoenix International Raceway. Harvick is only 19 marks out of the top 10.

• Restrictor Plate Success … Harvick has competed in 24 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races on restrictor plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega), completing 98 percent of the laps. He has also collected one win (2007 Daytona 500), two poles, six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. Additionally, “Happy” has led 139 laps and has and average finishing spot of 14th.

• RCR at Talladega … Richard Childress competed as a driver in Talladega’s inaugural race in 1969 and used his winnings from that race weekend to help start RCR. He now holds the record as the car owner with the most success at the storied Alabama track, with nine victories to his organization’s credit, all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, in 99 starts, RCR boasts 28 top-five, 43 top-10 finishes and over $6 million in earnings.

• Testing, Testing, Testing … The No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team tested at Virginia International Raceway on Wednesday, April 25 in preparation for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

• Double Down … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick, a 27-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive the No. 21 AutoZone Chevrolet in the Aaron’s 312 from Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 28. The race will be televised on ABC beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 10th race of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series will be televised on a same-day-delayed basis on SPEED Friday, April 27 beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.

• Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Aaron’s 499 will take the green flag Sunday, April 29 beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast worldwide on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the ninth of 36 points-paying races on the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule will be televised live on SPEED Saturday, April 28 beginning at 11 a.m. EDT.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

Do you like restrictor plate racing? Is it more mental than physical?

“I have always really liked the bigger tracks. It’s way more mental than physical. You’re worn out by the end of the race. You spend a lot of time looking in the mirrors anticipating the other guy’s next move.”

Do you wish you had your 2007 Daytona 500 car for Talladega?

“No, we didn’t plan on running that car at Talladega. The cars have become so different from Daytona to Talladega. At Daytona, you work so much on finding the right setup so it will handle in the draft and late in a run. I think it has become a different car for almost everyone. I know for us we had planned on bringing a different car to Talladega so it isn’t that big of a deal that we don’t have our 500 car.”

Did Talladega change a lot with the new pavement?

“I think it did. You can do different things with the cars that you couldn’t do in the past because of the travel you would get through the bumps. The track is so smooth now that you really don’t travel the car that much anymore. We don’t have any grip issues with the new track surface. It has actually made the racing a lot more fun. We really don’t have to worry about the handing of the car at all. I can pretty much go wherever I want to on the race track.”

How important is starting up front at Talladega?

“It makes you feel good when you can win the pole like we did in 2005 but it really doesn’t matter where you start. A big part of the race is how your car works with other cars, staying out of the wrecks and putting yourself in a position for the last few laps to win the race.”

CREW CHIEF TODD BERRIER QUOTES:

Is Talladega more of an engine and body track than it is a driver track?

“I always hear drivers say they just turn the wheel at Talladega and the car does all the work. That isn’t true at all. It might be in qualifying but once the race starts, Harvick is my biggest advantage. He knows where to go, who to work with, and how to avoid a bad situation. Not every driver knows what to do and how to work the pack. Every now and then somebody wins at Talladega and it is a surprise. However, when I read the list of winners – the Earnhardts, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, and Mark Martin – these are hall of fame drivers. Say what you want, but the drivers play a huge role at Talladega.”