BACK TO THE BEGINNING: Less than one year ago, Elliott Sadler joined Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (BMS) in August. Behind the wheel of the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet, Sadler grabbed his first Nationwide Series pole at BMS and drove to a third-place finish.
SHORT TRACK SUCCESS: Sadler has experienced great success at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. The Emporia, Va. native scored his first Sprint Cup Series win at BMS while driving for the Wood Brothers in 2001. In the 1998 spring Nationwide Series event, he led 99 of the 250 laps en route to victory lane at the half-mile track. Sadler only lacks a Truck Series win to complete the trifecta at BMS.
UNDEFEATED: Armour Vienna Sausages returns as primary sponsor for the first time in the Nationwide Series in 2011. The familiar black, blue and gold colors return to defend their undefeated Nationwide Series winning streak. Pinnacle Foods and the Armour brand are a long-time sponsor partner of Kevin Harvick and the KHI teams. Since becoming a primary sponsor in 2009, the black, blue and gold Armour colors have never lost a Nationwide Series race, going to victory lane for the first time with KHI co-owner Harvick as he earned his first win driving his own equipment at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, followed by wins at Nashville Superspeedway and Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The Armour scheme will try and beat the odds for a fifth win with KHI this weekend at Bristol.
MAKE A PIT STOP: Armour Vienna Sausages wants you to fuel up with Armour. Armour products fill you up while you’re on the go and keep you going all day long. Now every time you fill up with Armour Vienna Sausages, Chili, Stew or Hash Armour will help you fill up your ride. Consumers who buy 10 dollars worth of Armour product can visit www.armourpitstop.com to redeem a three dollar gift card to use on their next pit stop.
MILESTONE AT THE HALF-MILE: KHI celebrates 10 years of competition in NASCAR this season, and Bristol Motor Speedway is the site where Harvick accomplished a personal KHI milestone. Not only does the driver hold the record for the most wins with five in the Nationwide Series but his most recent win in March 2009 was his first victory in his own equipment. Team co-owner Kevin Harvick made KHI’s first start in the Truck Series event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in 2001, narrowly missing the win by inches to series veteran Jack Sprague. Ten years later, Kevin and DeLana Harvick have two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships to their credit and multiple wins with a host of drivers in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series. During 2011 all KHI vehicles will carry a commemorative decal as the company celebrates its accomplishments over the last 10 years.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 2 team will utilize chassis No. 068 this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chassis No. 068 last competed at Phoenix International Raceway where Sadler finished 12th.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Two weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Sadler and the No. 2 KHI team scored a solid 12th-place finish and moved up in the Driver’s Point standings to 12th.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
How excited are you to get to Bristol, knowing your past success there?
“I’m really excited to go to Bristol. It is by far one of my favorite tracks. Since the Nationwide Series was off last weekend it has given our team the chance to look at all of our notes and things we have learned from the first few races. We have a really good step-up from last year. I’m ready to go to victory lane this year and I can’t think of a better place to do that than Bristol.”
Media Access: Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Jessica Stroupe at KHI at jstroupe@kevinharvickinc.com.
Elliott Sadler
Nationwide Series Statistics at
Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
Starts: 8
Wins: 1 (1998)
Poles: 1 (2010)
Top 5: 2
Top 10: 2
Laps Led: 125
Average Start: 18.1
Average Finish: 18.6
Race Info:
March 19, 2011
Bristol Motor Speedway
1.0-Mile Oval
300 Laps/ 159.9 Miles
Broadcast Info:
TV: ESPN will broadcast live at 1:00 p.m. EST
Radio: The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will broadcast live at 1:30 p.m. EST
Car Specs:
Chassis: 068
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)