This Week’s Jimmy John’s Chevrolet at Charlotte Motor Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No.404 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Charlotte 500. Built new for competition in 2012, this Chevrolet will make its first competitive laps this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Statistically Speaking ... This weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway marks Harvick’s 425th career start in the Sprint Cup Series and 24th at the 1.5-mile track. Since 2001, the 36-year-old driver has collected one win (2011 Coca-Cola 600), two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. The Bakersfield, Calif., native maintains an average starting position of 19.3 coupled with an average finishing position of 18.1. Harvick has completed 7,953 of 8,184 (97.2 percent) of the laps contested and is credited with six laps led.
Getting Loopy in CLT ... Since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics in 2006, Harvick has made 15 Sprint Cup Series starts at the Concord, N.C.-based facility. The RCR driver has advanced an average of 1.7 spots during the last 10 percent of laps ranking him second in the Closers category. Harvick has also completed 1,153 Green Flag Passes positioning him sixth amongst all competitors.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ... Following the fourth Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Talladega Superspeedway, Harvick sits 10th in the standings, 49 markers behind the leader.
Find a Jimmy John’s ... Jimmy John’s, known for fresh, quality products and freaky fast service, has several Concord and Charlotte, N.C. location, including store less than one mile from CMS at 8532 Pit Stop Ct. Visit www.jimmyjohns.com to view the Jimmy John’s menu, find your nearest location, order online or download the Jimmy John’s mobile application for Freaky Fast delivery.
You’re Invited to Happy’s Birthday Bash ... Harvick will celebrate his 37th birthday when Budweiser presents Happy’s Birthday Bash at The Fox Theater in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 1. Country music star Craig Morgan will headline the charity event benefiting the Kevin Harvick Foundation with a special guest appearance by Bridgette Tatum. Tickets to the event are on sale now and can be purchased at www.vallitix.com, by phone at 1-888-825-5484, The Bakersfield Fox Theater Box office or any Vallitix outlet.
Win Happy’s Chevy ... One lucky winner will help children in need and take home Harvick’s 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS Coupe. The vehicle includes gray leather interior, 21-inch black painted wheels, six-speed manual transmission, V8 engine, rear parking assist and much more. Proceeds will be used to further the mission of the Kevin Harvick Foundation through programs such as Kevin’s Krew, Chase Your Dreams Scholarships and the Kevin Harvick Athletic Scholarship Fund. For more information or to purchase a ticket for only $29, visit http://www.winhappyschevy.com/.
Double Duty ... In addition to competing in the Charlotte 500 Saturday evening, Harvick will also drive RCR’s No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 Friday night. The race is scheduled to air live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The Last Time By ... Harvick and the No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet team avoided trouble in the 2011 Charlotte 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and brought home a sixth-place finish to maintain the second position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
In the Rearview Mirror: Talladega Superspeedway ... Harvick drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet to an 11th-place finish in the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 after being involved in a final-lap incident at Talladega Superspeedway.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
What are your thoughts on racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway?
“Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is a track where we haven’t excelled performance-wise in the past. We won the May race there last season, but overall I just never had a great feel for that track. There is nothing wrong with the surface or the shape of the track; we just haven’t gotten the consistent results we would have liked there.”
Compare the difference of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in fall to the spring.
“The main difference is the temperature change. Once night falls during the October race, Charlotte (Motor Speedway) becomes completely different than what we practice on during the day. You can bet on the fact that the track will be really fast as the temperature drops and we’ll gain a lot of grip.”
You’ve made it known before that Charlotte Motor Speedway isn’t one of your favorite tracks. What is it that you don’t like about the track?
“It has nothing to do with the facility or the people or anything like that. Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is just a place that’s been tough for me to totally understand the feel that I need in the car to make it go fast and be competitive. We’ve continued to make improvements in our performance each time we go back and have collected some decent finishes, including our 2011 Coca-Cola 600 win.”