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Homestead: Kevin Harvick NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview
• This Week’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 288 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This car was built new for the October race at Auto Club Speedway, where it finished 10th, before being raced to an 18th-place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and then fifth at Texas Motor Speedway two races ago.
• Track Facts … In eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick has notched three top-five and six top-10 finishes. The closest he came to victory at the South Florida facility was when he finished second in 2003 and 2008. Through those eight starts, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has an average start of 12.2 and impressive 9.1 finish. He’s led four races for a total of 60 laps, while completing 2,140 of 2,141 (99.9 percent) of laps contested. Harvick, an 11-time NSCS winner in his career, has made five top-10 starts at HMS.
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• One Trophy Missing from the Shelf … Homestead has been a bit of an Achilles Heel for RCR as one of the few race tracks where team owner Richard Childress hasn’t earned a Sprint Cup Series victory. As a company, RCR’s best finishes at HMS came in 2003 and 2008 when Harvick finished second. In 29 starts, RCR has four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the mile-and-a-half, progressively-banked oval with drivers Dave Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Green, Harvick and Mike Skinner. Auto Club Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are the only other tracks on the current schedule where RCR has yet to visit Victory Lane.
• The Collective RCR … In 35 races this season, RCR’s four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have notched 12 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes. The No. 29 team kicked off the 2009 season with a win in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. RCR-prepared cars have also completed 40,031 laps with its four drivers -- Burton, Bowyer, Harvick and Casey Mears. RCR teams have led 244 laps and all four teams have earned just over $20.1 million combined purse money in 2009.
• Double Fun in the Florida Sun … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick returns to the seat of his Kevin Harvick, Inc. No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale. Last week, Harvick won the NCWTS race at Phoenix International Raceway.
• Already a Champ in the Trucks … With his NCWTS driver Ron Hornaday, Jr. finishing fourth last week at Phoenix, he was crowned the 2009 series champion. With that, Harvick and his wife, DeLana, became championship owners for the second time in three years. Hornaday made history by becoming the only driver to win a NCWTS championship for the fourth time. Powering the KHI team to victory and the championship were Earnhardt Childress Racing engines.
• Take a Ride … This week, the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet will carry an in-car camera during Sunday’s race, allowing viewers a very close view of racing action.
• Call Before You Dig … Safety and protecting the community and environment is a top priority at RCR and Shell. This weekend, all four teams will be supporting Shell and the Common Ground Alliance to remind fans about the importance of calling 811 before doing any digging and the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car will run with a new deck lid logo: "811 Know what’s below. Call before you dig. A quick and easy call to 811 is key in avoiding damage to underground utilities, which can help avoid environmental incidents, injuries and disruption of services. Visit www.call811.com for additional information.
• Catch the Action … Flag-to-flag coverage of the Sprint Cup Series 400-mile race from Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live Sunday, Nov. 21 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST on ABC and will be broadcast worldwide on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the final points-paying race on the 2009 calendar will take the green flag at 3 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 20 and will be telecast live on ESPN2. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will broadcast qualifying updates live.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:
Are you looking for this season to come to an end?
"I definitely can’t wait to get to Homestead. With the way we’ve run there in the past, I think it’s going to be one of the most exciting things that could happen this year. When this race ends, we get to start over in 2010 with a clean sheet of paper."
Because of how this season went for you, did it drag on or go by quickly?
"Unfortunately, its drug on like you can’t believe with how things went for us there in the middle of the season. It’s just one of those deals where you want this to end so we can get going for next year. "
With three guys racing for the championship this weekend, you don’t want to just roll over and give them the victory. But, are you aware of them on the track and the big picture at stake?
"Oh yeah, you’re definitely aware of what’s going on and don’t want to be the ause of anything happening negative to them. "
Do you plan your off-season, or just wing it?
"Me? I just wing it. You plan on staying home, not traveling around as much and just relaxing."
Where do you stand with no testing in the off-season?
"I think it’s good for the guys because they get to recharge their batteries and get ready for the next season."
PaddockTalk Perspective
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