MILESTONE START: Kevin Harvick will climb behind the wheel of the No. 4 Bounty Chevrolet this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and attempt to defend Kevin Harvick Inc.’s (KHI) first Truck Series victory of 2009, which came at the 0.526-mile track earlier this year. When Harvick takes the green-flag, he will make his 99th career Truck Series start in addition to his 317 Sprint Cup Series starts and 234 Nationwide Series starts for a total of 650 career starts in NASCAR’s top three series.
DEFENDING RACE WINNER: In his Truck Series Career, Harvick has recorded four victories in 98 starts. Three of his four wins occurred at Phoenix International Raceway and the other at Martinsville Speedway which he recorded earlier this season. His KHI teammate Ron Hornaday has made 14 starts at the historic paperclip shaped speedway and has yet to record a victory.
ONE MORE FOR THE TRI-FECTA: Harvick lacks a win in the Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway to be able to complete the tri-fecta. The only track Harvick has been able to win in all three of NASCAR’s elite divisions is at Phoenix International Raceway.
KEVIN HARVICK FAN CLUB GATHERING: Following the Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway, KHI will host the seventh annual Kevin Harvick Fan Club Gathering. The event runs from 5p.m. to 9p.m. at the KHI facility in Kernersville N.C. The event is open to the public, admission is free. This year’s gathering will feature a classic car and specialty vehicle show, the Rheem Extreme Cake Challenge as well as autograph sessions with Ron Hornaday, Ricky Carmichael and DeLana Harvick for selected Fan Club member and attendees. Kevin Harvick will sign autographs for Fan Club members only.
BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:
WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING ABLE TO RACE SO CLOSE TO HOME?
“Martinsville Speedway is only about 45 minutes from my house so I love it. It’s always nice because we can drive and don’t have to worry about flying. It’s nice too because a lot of the guys from the shop who normally do not travel get a chance to come up for the race. For 2009, we actually partnered with Martinsville Speedway to offer Kevin Harvick fan club members a special ticket price. It’s been a great relationship and a great deal for the fans.”
WHY RACE IN THE TRUCK SERIES AT MARTINSVILLE?
“I have always been very successful at tracks like Martinsville. I have four truck series wins, three at Phoenix which is a track that has some of the same characteristics as Martinsville and a win earlier this year at this facility. I’m excited to head back to Martinsville and defend the win. The Truck Series just gets more and more competitive plus I like getting in our equipment and to see how I can do.“
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 4 Bounty team will take chassis No. 035 to Martinsville Speedway. The last time chassis No. 035 took to the track was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) with Harvick behind the wheel. Harvick led three laps before finishing in the third position at NHMS.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Three weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ricky Carmichael piloted the No. 4 Monster Energy truck in his 14 of 16 starts for KHI this season. Carmichael started from the eighth position and was racing for the 12th position when his truck became extremely loose and spun off of turn four sustaining heavy right-rear damage to the No. 4 truck. The team was able to continue but finished the event in the 22nd 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 Bounty:
Bounty has been America’s most popular paper towel for over 30 years. In the U.S., P&G offers the following premium two-ply paper towel products: Bounty Select-a-Size; Bounty White; Bounty Extra Soft; and Bounty Fun Prints. Additionally, P&G offers Bounty Basic, a quality one-ply paper towel as well Bounty Quilted Napkins. P&G also sells Bounty in Puerto Rico and Canada. For more information on Bounty, visit www.quickerpickerupper.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 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.
QUICK NOTES
Race Info
October 24, 2009
Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
Kroger 200
Race length: 200 Laps/ 105.2 Miles
Banking/Turns: 12-degrees turns; 0-degree straight-a-ways
Track layout: 0.526-mile
Shape: Oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Friday:
Practice: 10:00 a.m. – 11:20 a.m., EST
Final Practice: 1:10 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., EST
Qualifying: 4:40 p.m., EST
TV: The Kroger 200 can be seen on SPEED at 12:30 p.m., EST
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast live at 12:30 p.m., EST
No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado Specs:
Chassis: 035
Engine: PME
Kevin Harvick
Truck Series Statistics at
Martinsville Speedway
Starts: 8
Wins: 1 (2009)
Poles: 0
Top Five’s: 3
Top 10’s: 4
Laps Led: 11
Average Start: 10.1
Average Finish: 12.4