Pre-Race Report

Highlights...

From Kevin Harvick...

From Richard Childress...

This Week’s Race Car at Darlington Raceway

Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 235 from the Richard Childress Racing stable, a new car for the 2008 season that Harvick raced to a second-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.   The Bakersfield, Calif., native also raced this Impala SS to a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Additionally, the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team tested this Chevy at Las Vegas during preseason testing Jan. 28-29. 

Stat Facts

In 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington, Harvick has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes.  Additionally, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned a 16th-place starting average coupled with a 19.2 finishing average and has led 14 laps. 

Made to Move

Harvick climbed one spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings after his eighth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway.  Harvick now sits in the fifth position, 145 markers out of the lead. 

RCR at Darlington

Richard Childress is tied for third all time with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers for car owner victories at Darlington with eight - all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, Childress boasts 21 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes at the egg-shaped South Carolina oval with four different drivers including Earnhardt, Harvick, Jeff Burton and Robby Gordon.

Iron Man

Harvick has not recorded a DNF in 54 consecutive races, which is the longest active streak.  Additionally, the 2007 Daytona 500 winner holds the modern era record with 58 consecutive races without a DNF (10/3/2002-8/1/2004).

Consistency Shows

Clint Bowyer’s victory last weekend at RIR catapulted the Emporia, Kan., native to fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship point standings. Fellow RCR driver Jeff Burton fell one spot, to second, after posting an 11th-place finish while his closest competitor, Kyle Busch, earned a second-place finish. This is the first time in RCR’s illustrious 39-year history that all three RCR-prepared cars sit atop the top five in the point standings.

Testing One, Two, Three, Testing

Harvick and the No. 29 team tested this Monday and Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in preparation for the Sprint All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600.  This was the fifth of seven tests allowed under NASCAR’s 2008 testing policy.  The remaining tests available to teams in NASCAR’s top division will be conducted at Pocono Raceway (May 27-28) and Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Sept. 23-24). 

Meet the Press

Harvick will be available outside the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil transporter to field questions from the gathered media Friday, May 9 at 11:40 a.m.

Friday Night Lights

In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick, a 32-time race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will drive the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet in the May 9 Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway.  The race will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio.  Qualifying for the 12th race on the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series tour will be televised live on SPEED the same day beginning at 3 p.m. EDT. 

Up to Speed

Live coverage of the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway will take the green flag Saturday, May 10 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and will be telecast live on FOX.  The event will also broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.  Qualifying for the 11th of 36 points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races will air live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Friday, May 11 at 5 p.m. EDT. 

What’s your impression of Darlington?

“Darlington’s tough but I like it.  It’s a very narrow, fast race track that has a lot of history and is a very prestigious race to win.  It’s one of those places where I’d like to win a Sprint Cup race.  Keeping the car off the walls is a key factor when you go to Darlington.  You’ve got to get a rhythm there and be consistent over the long runs.  You have to take care of the fenders, tires, and sides of the car.”

What do you think will be different about Darlington now that it is repaved?

“I think it’s going to be the same old Darlington with a little more grip.  It will probably be a little faster this weekend than normal.  I also think with the new surface the tires won’t wear out as quick.”

How well does your team perform at Darlington Raceway?

“It seems like Darlington is feast or famine for the Shell-Pennzoil team.  When we avoid trouble, we always run in the top 10.  However, if we get into the wall or struggle mechanically, then we never seem to be able to fight our way back.  The one thing I have seen this year is that my team is willing to fight back and get the best finish we can.  Hopefully, we can stay out of trouble and run up front all night long.  That’s what championship teams do week-in and week-out.” 

Is there ever an easy lap at Darlington?

“It is constant work at Darlington.  You always wear your tires out and you always slow down a bunch from the beginning of the run to the end of the run.  You really never know how much you can get out of your car until you have run a lot of practice and race runs to get your rhythm.  It is hard to know how far you can push it, which is why you have a lot of cars that get into the wall.”

Comment on this being the first time all three RCR cars have been in the top five in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings.

“I just think it shows the consistency and teamwork we’re working with at RCR right now. Everyone is trying to be the most competitive they can and, hopefully, have a run at The Chase and the championship. All three teams and all three drivers still have areas to improve on. We’re not resting on what we’ve accomplished at all but it is good knowing we have things headed in the right direction at this point in the season.”