RETURN TO THE CONCRETE: Cale Gale returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Rheem Chevrolet and returns to the site of his first career top-10 finish. In five previous starts in the Music City, Gale has one top-10 finish, coming in 2008 behind the wheel of the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet when he finished eighth in the March event and claimed top Rookie of the Race honors.
ONE YEAR AGO: In this race one year ago, Gale started the race from the 12th position, ran most of the race in the top 10 and contended for the lead with eventual race winner Brad Keselowski, but on lap 142 the race took a downward turn as a loose wheel caused Gale to lose control of the car. The No. 33 Chevrolet sustained too much damage to complete the race and finished the race 34th.
FOUR VARIETY: During the month of June, the No. 33 car will see four different faces in the driver’s seat for four different races. Beginning at Nashville Superspeedway, Cale Gale will pilot the car, followed by Kelly Bires at Kentucky Speedway, Ron Hornaday at The Milwaukee Mile and rounding out the month with Kevin Harvick at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This feat was also accomplished during the month of April when Tony Stewart drove the car to a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, Kelly Bires scored a fourth-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway, Kevin Harvick earned a fifth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway and Ryan Newman completed the month by winning the pole and securing a second-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER CALE GALE:
What are your expectations this week as you make your fifth start at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway? “Obviously, I expect to go there and run well. Last year I was able to earn my first career top-10 finish in March and then ran really good in June, only to have some bad luck with a tire and didn’t get the finish we wanted. This year the team has already proven capable of winning and I know that we can go out and finish in the top 10 this time around. I’m excited to work with Ernie Cope (crew chief) and the team and I definitely have high expectations for myself heading into the race this weekend.”
This is the first time in 2009 that you will be behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. This team has proven it can win and run in the top five with multiple drivers behind the wheel. Does this add pressure for you when you climb behind the wheel this week? “Having Kevin (Harvick), Tony (Stewart), Ryan (Newman) and Kelly (Bires) go out and run up front and contend for wins every week adds pressure for me to go out and run well and maintain the consistency they’ve created so far this season. To have these guys as teammates and knowing how well they run at these tracks, only pushes me to drive harder every time I get in the car.”
What makes the second race at Nashville Superspeedway different than the first race held earlier this year? “This time the race will run into the night, so the track will change a little as it goes from daylight to night. You just have to make sure that you keep up with the track and make the right adjustments as the track changes.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Rheem team will unload chassis No. 036 for Cale Gale at Nashville Superspeedway. The only other start this chassis has this season was with Kelly Bires at this track in the March event. Bires started the race from the 10th position and ran most of the race in the top 10 before crossing the finish-line in the fourth position.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: The Nationwide Series most recently tackled the Monster Mile where KHI team co-owner Kevin Harvick wheeled the No. 33 Copart Chevrolet to a 13th-place finish. Harvick started the Heluva Good! 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway from the fifth position and ran most of the day in the top 10 before getting caught in an accident when the No. 6 car of David Ragan spun in front of him on lap 144. The team feverishly worked to make repairs to the car and recovered to earn another top-15 finish.
ONLINE MEDIA KITS: Media members can now access KHI media kits online at KevinHarvickInc.com. Included on the site are driver bios, driver and team images, KHI history and statistics, team profiles and schedules. Please contact Alicia Deal (adeal@kevinharvickinc.com) at KHI for access to the new site.
QUICK NOTES
June 6, 2009
Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
Federated Auto Parts 300
Race length: 225 laps/300 miles
Banking: 14-degrees in the turns; 9-degrees on the frontstretch; 6-degrees on the backstretch
Track layout: 1.333 miles
Shape: D-shaped Oval
Pre-Race Schedule:
Friday:
First Practice: 6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m., ET
Final Practice: 7:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., ET
Saturday:
Qualifying: 2:35 p.m., ET
TV: The Federated Auto Parts 300 can be seen live on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m., ET.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 7:00 p.m., ET.
No. 33 Chevrolet Impala Specs:
Chassis: 036
Engine: ECR
About Rheem:
Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is a privately held company with headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. In its 81st year of operation, the company distributes throughout North America and world markets a full-line of eco-friendly, high-quality, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating, cooling, water heating, whole-home standby generators, comfort controls, pool and spa heating, and indoor air purification products as well as commercial boilers. The premium brands of Rheem Manufacturing Company include Ruud, Raypak and Rheem. Rheem Manufacturing Company is the major associate sponsor of Richard Childress Racing and the No. 29 team driven by Kevin Harvick, owner of the 2007 Craftsman Truck Series championship team and 2006 Nationwide Series Champion. Rheem is also the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet car for nine high-profile Nationwide® Series races in 2009.
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 Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ricky Carmichael and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala competing full-time in the Nationwide Series, with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman, Hornaday, Kelly Bires and Cale Gale. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.