MENARD READY FOR CHARLOTTE: This weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will mark the final time this season driver Paul Menard will climb behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala. In six starts with the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team this season, Menard has captured one pole (Michigan International Speedway in June), four top-five and six top-10 finishes. His average start is 4.3 and average finish, 4.7.
BY THE NUMBERS: Menard has eight starts in the Nationwide Series at Charlotte with one top-five and one top-10 finish. KHI has 20 series starts to their credit at the Concord, N.C., facility with one top-five and eight top-10 finishes. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart posted KHI’s best finish of fifth in 2004.
CHECK YOUR HEADLIGHTS: During the race weekend at Dover International Speedway, Rheem launched “Chasing the Cure,” a month-long program created in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to raise awareness of the Young Survival Coalition, a group dedicated to supporting women diagnosed with breast cancer that are under 40 years old. Check out Rheem Racing’s Facebook page to learn more, http://www.facebook.com/rheemracing.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: The No. 33 KHI team headed to Kansas City for the Nationwide Series event at Kansas Speedway last weekend. Menard climbed behind the wheel of the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala where he started and finished the race in the fourth position.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 33 Rheem/Menards team will unload chassis No. 071 when they arrive at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Menard competed with this chassis last weekend at Kansas. Chassis No. 071 has been used eight additional times this season with a best finish of third twice (KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick at Auto Club Speedway in March and Menard at Texas Motor Speedway in April).
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: PAUL MENARD
“Racing at Charlotte is always great because it’s a home race for most of us in the sport. Charlotte is a fast, 1.5-mile track, and KHI’s 1.5-mile program is solid so I expect we’ll do well on Friday night. This will be my last start with the team for the season. We’ve had some great runs and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to another great race and hopefully getting this No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet into victory lane.”