NASHVILLE DEBUT: J. R. Fitzpatrick will be making his third career start for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) and the No. 4 team at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. In his previous two attempts for KHI, Fitzpatrick finished 11th at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in May and was involved in a crash at Michigan International Speedway in June resulting in a 21st-place finish.
Fitzpatrick’s career best Truck Series finish came earlier in 2009 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway while competing for TRG Motorsports. He led 17 laps and finished fourth.
ROAD COURSE RINGER: Last week Fitzpatrick joined KHI team co-owner Kevin Harvick at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for a test session to prepare for the Nationwide Series events at Watkins Glen International on August 8 and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 30. Fitzpatrick learned quite a bit from the boss who was quickest of the two at the session.
CANADIAN SUCCESS: The majority of Fitzpatrick’s racing success has come from the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS). Fitzpatrick a Canada native has a total of 26 career NCTS starts accumulating three wins, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes over three years of competition. Fitzpatrick’s KHI teammate Cale Gale will compete in a handful of NCTS races in 2009 for Farwell Racing.
BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER J.R. FITZPATRICK:
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT RACING ON A CONCRETE SURFACE?
“I am excited. I have actually raced on a concrete surface before and really enjoyed it. I will study hard prior to leaving for Nashville and lean on the experience of my team and teammate Ron Hornaday.”
COMING FROM A SHORT-TRACK BACKGROUND, HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE 1.333-MILE OF NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY?
“To be honest, I really enjoy the bigger tracks. I think the hardest thing is trying to get used to the trucks and their reactions to changes. I’m used to racing cars, so it’s a bit of a transition. It’s also hard because I’m not in the truck every week. I’m learning to lean on my team to quickly adapt to the track and give the proper feedback.”
SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN APART OF THE KHI FAMILY, WHO DO YOU LOOK TO FOR ADVICE?
“I always keep my ears open when it comes to taking advice. Ron (Hornaday) and Kevin (Harvick) have been awesome in helping make me fast every week. I just have to be smart and patient when I approach these races because I do have limited experience.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 4 KHI team will unload truck chassis
No. 023 at Nashville Superspeedway. Chassis 023 last competed at Texas Motor Speedway with Ricky Carmichael behind the wheel. Carmichael drove the chassis to an 11th-place finish.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last week at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Ricky Carmichael was behind the wheel of the No. 4 KHI Monster Energy entry. Carmichael was poised to record his career-best finish, running in the sixth position with 11 laps to go in the race. However, Carmichael was hit by the No. 14 of Rick Crawford in turn three sending Carmichael’s truck into the outside wall. He would go one lap down to the leaders finishing in the 19th position.
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 Jessica Stroupe (JStroupe@kevinharvickinc.com) or Alicia Deal (ADeal@kevinharvickinc.com) at KHI for access to the new site.
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 KHI All-Stars team is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, J.R. Fitzpatrick 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, Ron Hornaday, Cale Gale and Kelly Bires. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.
QUICK NOTES
August 1, 2009
Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
Toyota Tundra 200
Race length: 150 Laps/ 200 Miles
Banking/Turns: 14-degrees in turns, 9-degree front straight-a-way; 6-degree back straight-a-way
Track layout: 1.333-mile
Shape: D-shaped oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Friday:
Practice: 5:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., EST
Final Practice: 6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., EST
Saturday:
Qualifying: 3:15 p.m., EST
TV: The Toyota Tundra 200 can be seen on SPEED at 7:30 p.m., EST
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast live at 7:30 p.m., EST
No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado Specs:
Chassis: 023
Engine: PME
2009 J.R. Fitzpatrick Truck Series Stats:
Starts: 6
Top 5’s: 1
Top 10’s: 1
Avg. Start: 12.8
Avg. Finish: 16.8
Laps Led: 17 (Daytona)