Pre-Race Report

Highlights...

This Week’s Race Car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 235 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a new race car for the 2008 season that Harvick tested at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval during preseason testing Jan. 28-29. 

Stat Facts

In 17 starts in NASCAR’s top-three divisions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), Harvick has one win, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes.  Additionally, “Happy” has led 276 laps and completed 99 percent of laps attempted. 

Points Check

Harvick jumped to seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings after his eighth-place finish last week at Auto Club Speedway.  The 2007 Daytona 500 winner is 67 markers out of the lead and just 26 points out of sixth.  Additionally, the 32-year-old driver is currently the highest Chevy driver in the point standings. 

Iron Man

Harvick has not recorded a DNF (did not finish) in 46 consecutive races.  Harvick’s last DNF was at Dover in September (2006).  Additionally, he has run 85 consecutive point-paying races without crashing out of a single one.  Combined, Harvick has gone 150 points races in NASCAR two top-divisions without crashing out. 

Former Winner

Harvick is a former winner at LVMS, claiming victory in the 2004 NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300. 

No. 280

With last week’s top-10 finish in the Auto Club 500 and top-five finish in the Stater Bros. 300, Harvick has tallied 270 top-10 finishes in NASCAR’s three top-divisions.  The 32-year-old driver grabbed his first top-10 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., during a Craftsman Truck Series race on October 12, 1997.  Since than, Harvick has earned 45 wins, 21 poles and 171 top-five finishes.  Additionally, the veteran driver has led 9,110 laps and has earned just shy of $55 million. 

Texas Star

Harvick will be participating in the annual Texas Motor Speedway Media Day on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Central Time (CT) at The Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Texan.  Harvick will be available for breakout sessions with the media from 12:30-2 p.m.  To RSVP or for additional information, please contact Texas Motor Speedway Media Relations at (817) 215-8820 or pr@texasmotorspeedway.com.  

You May Kiss the Bride

 Las Vegas was the site of Kevin and DeLana Harvick’s wedding.  The two were wed February 28, 2001 – two days prior to his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series top-10 finish (eighth – Las Vegas Motor Speedway).

Media Opportunity

Harvick will be available outside the No. 33 Nationwide transporter to field questions from the media Friday, February 29 at 10:10 a.m. 

Wanna Bet

According to the Web site www.vegasinsider.com, Harvick is a 25:1 favorite to with the UAW-Dodge 400.  The 32-year-old driver’s odds to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship are also listed at 25:1.

Double Down in Sin City

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 Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet in the March 1 Sam’s Town 300.  The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).  The race will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.  Qualifying for the third of 35 races on the 2008 Nationwide Series calendar will air live the same day on SPEED at 12:05 p.m. EST. 

Up to Speed

The UAW-Dodge 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, March 2 at 4:30 p.m. EST and will be telecast live on FOX.  The event will also be broadcast live on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.  Qualifying will air live on SPEED, PRN and Sirius Friday, February 29 at 6:40 p.m. EST.  

How did the preseason test go for the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team at Las Vegas?

“We felt really good at Vegas.  We made a lot of long runs and did not have any tire issues.  The car ran really well right off the truck and it was comfortable to drive.  I think Vegas is going to be another one of those race tracks where the groove is going to move around.  You are going to be able to run at the bottom, middle and top and really move your car around on the race track.  The runs are going slow to down as the track temperatures go up in the afternoon.  I think Vegas is going to be a really good race for us.”

What was the most amount of money you have ever won in Vegas?

“I am not a big gambler.  I don’t remember the last time I was in Vegas and actually went to the casino.  I have a hard time putting a $100 bill down at a $100 table and lose it in two minutes.  Anything over about five dollars is hard for me to stomach.  However, the couple of times I have gambled in Vegas I played Blackjack.  I think I won about $2000 or so.”

What are the differences between the Monte Carlo SS and the Impala SS?

“The cars have a lot of different characteristics.  You could start at square one and work you way through it.  We could sit here all day and talk about the differences.  I think everything is different.  The main thing is the safety aspect of the Impala SS is a lot better.  That is where NASCAR started was to make the safety of the car better.  The handling and everything else will come with it.”