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Pre Race - The Allstate 400
Event/Date: Allstate 400 at The Brickyard - July 26, 2009
Venue: Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway, Ind.
Notes
This Week's Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 281 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2009, this car has been used in only one other NSCS event when Harvick drove it to a 19th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this month.
Stat Facts … In eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Harvick has earned one win (2003), one pole (2003), three top-five and five top-10 finishes. Additionally, the 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner has a 14.1 starting average to go along with an 11.4 finishing average and has completed all but 12 laps of competition during that span (1,269 of 1,281 laps).
RCR at Indianapolis … In 15 previous Sprint Cup races at IMS, RCR has posted two poles (Harvick 2003, Jeff Burton 2006) two wins (Earnhardt 1995, Harvick 2003), eight top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. RCR cars have also been running at the finish of every Allstate 400 at The Brickyard dating back to the inaugural race in 1994.
RCR this Season … In 76 starts this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C.,-based race team has completed 21,120 laps in 2009 with four different drivers including Clint Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Casey Mears. Meanwhile, RCR teams have logged almost 28,334 miles of competition this season and been on top of the leaderboard for 97 laps.
Stats Check … After the first 19 races on the 36-race Sprint Cup Series schedule, Harvick has notched two top-five and two top-10 finishes. He's logged a 21.7 starting average coupled with a 23.4 finishing average. The 2007 Daytona 500 winner has completed 5,298 of the 5,461 (97 percent) laps run this season and led nine laps.
Up to Speed … Live television coverage of the 16th running of Allstate 400 at The Brickyard will take the green flag Sunday, July 26 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on ESPN. The race will also be broadcast on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 20th point's-paying race on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar will be televised live on ESPN2 Saturday, July 26 beginning at 10 a.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
Mark Your Calendars … In honor of its 40th anniversary, RCR will host a Fan Day at the Welcome, N.C. complex on Thurs., Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET. Activities include driver and pit crew autograph sessions, self-guided tours of RCR's Sprint Cup and Nationwide shops as well as ECR's engine shop, radio remotes, musical entertainment, pit crew competition, viewing of the DALE movie, question-and-answer session with team owner Richard Childress and much more. General admission to RCR's Fan Day is just $5, which will benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.
Online With the Times … To keep up with the latest news and information about RCR and to view exclusive online content, visit the team's official website at www.RCRRacing.com. For qualifying and finishing results, check out www.twitter.com/RCRRacing.
Kevin Harvick Quotes
How bad was the situation at Indianapolis last year for you and the other Sprint Cup competitors?
"It was ultra bad for us because we had a really fast car. Kurt Busch spun out right in front of us and we wound up getting wrecked. It's the only race I've ever been in where I was 23 or 24 laps down and I was getting the lucky dog (pass). That was a unique situation to be able to be a part of a race like that, but everyone made it through it and everyone was safe, but it wasn't good."
How tough was it for all of you to keep starting and stopping every eight or 10 laps to change tires?
"It was probably good that we stopped every eight or 10 laps, because for eight or 10 laps you just held your breath waiting for the tires to blow out. That was pretty nerve-wracking. As soon as the car would start to do something different than it would the first four or five laps, you would kind of be on pins and needles, because you can't stop. You've got to keep going and keep pace with what you need to do, so you just tried to pace yourself as best you could and run your car as easily as you could without losing ground and waiting for the tires to pop."
How big was it to win at Indianapolis?
"It's big. I grew up in Bakersfield wanting to race at the Indy 500. Obviously, everyone in Bakersfield was a Rick Mears fan, so it was neat just to race there. To win the race was neat, to kind of put your name on that list. We've been fortunate to win most all the big races in our sport and to be on that list is unique and fun. Indy is no different than Daytona. There's a select group of people who've won at that track in a stock car and the way they do things, whether it's kissing the bricks or being a part of the ceremonies year after year that you get to be a part of is neat."
What will it take to get back in Victory Lane at Indianapolis?
"Track position is really important. Obviously, you have to have the whole package. You need horsepower, a good-handling car and you have to put yourself in the right position with 25 or 30 laps to go. You also have to capitalize on the last pit stop and be able to have good track position at the end of the race to have a chance to win."