This Week’s Rheem Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 383 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s IRWIN Tools Night Race. Built new for competition during the 2012 season, Harvick raced this chassis at Phoenix International Raceway in March and Dover International Speedway in June, collecting second-place finishes in both races.
Racing in Thunder Valley ... This weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway marks Harvick’s 418th Sprint Cup Series career start. During the last 11 seasons, the 36-year-old driver has made 23 starts at the 0.533-mile oval and collected one win (spring 2005), nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Harvick maintains an 18th-place average starting position, an average finishing position of 12.4, has completed 98.1 percent (11,290 or 11,513) of laps contested and is credited with 427 laps led.
Going for a Loop in Bristol ... Harvick has made 15 Sprint Cup Series starts at the Bristol, Tenn.-based facility since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics in 2006. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has collected impressive statistics through the years and leads all competitors in the Closers category, after improving an average of 1.5 positions in the final 10 percent of the laps completed. Harvick is also ranked fourth in Green Flag Passes (713) and Fastest Driver Late in a Run (112.958 mph), seventh in Green Flag Speed (114.204 mph), ninth in Average Running Position (14.139) and Speed in Traffic (113.726 mph). Harvick has completed 4,361 Laps in the Top 15 ranking him 10th amongst all competitors.
Points Racing ... With 24 point-paying events in the books, Harvick ranks eighth in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 85 markers behind the leader. Harvick has collected three top-five and nine top-10 finishes thus far this season, completing 99.71 percent (5,864 of 5,847) of the laps contested.
Gotta Have a Rheem ... Rheem will adorn the No. 29 Chevrolet for the seventh of 10 scheduled races during the 2012 season this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Rheem is privately held with headquarters in Atlanta and U.S. operations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Indiana, Minnesota and North Carolina. In its 86th year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating and cooling systems; tank, tankless, solar and hybrid heat pump water heaters; whole-home standby generators, controls, swimming pool and spa heaters; indoor air-purification products; and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets. The company’s premium brands, including Rheem, Raypak, Ruud and Richmond have been recognized with countless industry and consumer awards for reliability, innovative design and high quality. Rheem is the official heating, cooling and water heating supplier to Richard Childress Racing.
Saturday Evening Cruise for a Cause ... Following driver introductions for the Sprint Cup Series event on Saturday night, Harvick will participate in the Speedway Children’s Charities Ride of a Lifetime parade lap, where one lucky fan will have the opportunity to ride in the parade vehicle with the Rheem racing driver. The proceeds generated from the auction benefit the Speedway Children’s Charities along with the Kevin Harvick Foundation. Harvick will also participate in the Speedway Children’s Charities Ride of a Lifetime parade lap at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September, Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and Texas Motor Speedway in November. For details on how you can bid on this once in a lifetime event visit the respective track’s website.
Meet Harvick ... Prior to race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Harvick will make a trek to the Northeast for the grand opening of an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet store located at 200 Blair Mill Road in Horsham, Pa. The RCR driver will be on-site to meet fans and sign autographs from 9 - 11 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 22. Ollie’s staff will distribute 250 tickets on a first-come, first-served basis the morning of the appearance.
Scoot & Shoot with Harvick ... Hunt Brothers® Pizza is looking for NASCAR fans and hunting enthusiasts to show off their skills and compete in the ‘Scoot & Shoot Challenge’ on Thursday, August 23 at Food City Race Night in Bristol, Tenn. Sixteen lucky fans will be selected from the crowd at the Food City Race Night event to compete in the tournament-style competition, which challenges contestants to race big wheels through a relay course of target-shooting stations which will test their aim and speed. The winner of the ‘Scoot & Shoot Challenge’ will receive an autographed HBP die-cast car. Following the ‘Scoot & Shoot’ event, Harvick will meet with fans at the Hunt Brothers Pizza display to sign autographs from 5-6 p.m. Eastern Time. Only 200 wristbands will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the display.
The Last Time By ... Harvick and the No. 29 Chevrolet team scored a 22nd-place finish in the 2011 IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick started the night from the 15th position and battled handling problems from the beginning of the race.
In the Rearview Mirror: Michigan International Speedway ... Harvick and the No. 29 team finished 16th at Michigan International Speedway after battling handling issues during the Pure Michigan 400.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Talk about racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, and share your thoughts on the recent round of changes to the track.
“I have always liked racing at Bristol (Motor Speedway). I’ve got a good record at this track, but to be honest, I have no clue what to expect when we head back. There have been so many changes made to the track over the last year, I wish they wouldn’t have made the changes, so who knows what we might happen this weekend.”
You won the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2005. Talk about the sense of accomplishment that came with winning at such notable track.
“You always have a sense of accomplishment when you win a race, but to win at a track like Bristol (Motor Speedway) was pretty cool. The racing gets really intense at Bristol and sometimes just being able to finish the race is an accomplishment itself, so to win there is something to be really proud of.”