Pre-Race Notes - Price Chopper 400

• Notes

Notes

This Week's Reese's Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 281 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable.  Built new this season, this car has become a workhorse for the No. 29 team. Harvick drove it to a 19th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway and a sixth-place result at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, as well as 12th-place finishes at both Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway in August. Most recently, Harvick piloted this car to a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day weekend.

Change Of Scenery … Reese's, a major associate sponsor of RCR's No. 29 Chevrolet Impala SS, kicks into high gear this weekend in Kansas  as Harvick and the No. 29 team transform their bright yellow-and-red Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet into a bright orange Reese's racing machine for the Price Chopper 400.  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are peanut butter-filled chocolate cups.  They were created in 1928 by H.B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and foreman for Milton S. Hershey.  The H.B. Reese Candy Co., established in the basement of Reese's house in Hershey, Pa., went on to merge with The Hershey Company in 1963 due to the popularity of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  Today, Reese's has become the No. 1 selling candy bar in the United States and the Reese's brand is the most successful brand owned by The Hershey Company. 

Stat Facts … In eight NSCS starts at Kansas, Harvick has tallied three top-10 finishes (all of those being sixth-place results), along with an average starting spot of 22.6 and an average finish of 14.9.  He has completed 1,970 of the 2,079 (94.8 percent) laps contested and led 67 laps.  Additionally, "Happy" captured a NASCAR Nationwide Series win in 2006 at Kansas Speedway, driving for RCR.

2009 … In 28 NSCS starts this season, Harvick has an average starting position of 20.8 and an average finish of 21.5. He's completed 7,784 of the 8,036 laps contested in those events (96.9 percent), posting three top five and five top-10 finishes and earning $4.9 million in purse money.

One Trophy Missing from the Shelf … Surprisingly enough, in 23 NSCS starts at Kansas Speedway, RCR has only two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including sixth- and seventh-place finishes by Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, respectively, one year ago. RCR's best finish at Kansas was Clint Bowyer's runner-up finish in 2007. All told, RCR has a 23.8 starting average and a 16.4 average finish at the metropolitan Kansas City race course. The only other tracks on the current schedule where RCR hasn't earned Sprint Cup Series wins are Auto Club Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Collective RCR … In 28 races this season, RCR's four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entries have notched nine top-five and 26 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 31,239 laps with four different drivers including Burton, Bowyer, Harvick and Casey Mears. RCR teams have led 188 laps and all four teams have earned just shy of $16 million combined purse money in 2009.

Don't Miss A Beat … This weekend, Harvick's Reese's Chevy will be one of four cars featured on DIRECTV's HotPass Coverage. With a channel dedicated solely to the team during the Price Chopper 400 from Kansas Speedway, fans will be able to watch all the action from Harvick's in-car camera, listen to in-car audio communication and see the network race broadcast on one screen. NASCAR HotPass, only on DIRECTV, is free to all DIRECTV customers. Combined with race day telecasts and NASCAR.com coverage, DIRECTV HotPass gives race fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible.

Double Down in K-Town … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the Reese's Chevrolet, Harvick returns to the seat of the No. 33 Jimmy John's Chevy for this weekend's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway.  Live coverage of the Kansas Lottery 300 from Kansas Speedway will take the green flag Sat., October 3 at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and broadcast from coast to coast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 29th race on the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule will be televised live on SPEED the same day at 10 a.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will broadcast qualifying updates live. 

Fuel My Passion… Shell V-Power is holding the "Fuel My Passion" Contest and Sweepstakes for those who are passionate about their ride.  Prizes include free Shell V-Power premium gasoline for a year and a chance to win an all-new 2010 Harley-Davidson® Fat Boy® Lo motorcycle.  The promotion runs through November 3, 2009.  You can visit www.shell.us/fuelmypassion for more details.

Vote for No. 29 Shop Foreman … Andrew Mason, the shop foreman for the No. 29 Chevrolet team, has been named as one of eight finalists for the inaugural NASCAR Wrenchman Award, recognizing the behind-the-scenes NASCAR team members who "turn the wrenches" in the shop and along pit row.  Fans have the opportunity to choose the winner by logging onto www.craftsman.com/wrenchman and voting for their favorite team member. By voting, fans will also be automatically entered for a chance to win an all expenses paid trip for two to the Wrenchman Award Ceremony in Miami on November 22.

RCR Celebrates 40 Years with Fans … 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. EDT. 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 Richard Childress Racing and to view exclusive online content, visit the team's official website at www.RCRRacing.com.  For qualifying and finishing results, check us out at www.twitter.com/RCRRacing. To receive live updates about the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team during NSCS races, follow us at www.twitter.com/RCR29KHarvick.

Up to Speed … Flag-to-flag coverage of the Price Chopper 400 will take the green flag Sun., Oct. 4 beginning at 1 p.m. EDT. The race will be televised live on ABC and broadcast on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 29th points-paying race on the 2009 schedule for NASCAR's senior division will be telecast live on ESPN2 Friday, Oct. 4 beginning at 4:30 p.m. EDT.

Kevin Harvick Quotes

Does Kansas have any particular quirks that make it different than Chicagoland Speedway or are they basically the same?

"Kansas is a little bit different than Chicagoland.  I know on paper they are supposed to be the same but the corners are a little bit sharper, and the exits of the corners are a little bit sharper.  Coming off Turn 4, it seems like the wall comes in on you as you come off the corners.  It's definitely a little bit different than Chicago."

Will your race notes from Chicago help you this weekend in Kansas?

"These two tracks are very similar so I am sure the guys on this Reese's Chevrolet will have a similar setup. I'm sure we'll look back over our notes from Chicagoland, as well as our notes from last year at Kansas. I think for us as a team, the mile-and-a-half tracks like Texas and Atlanta have been good to us, so, hopefully, we can carry that momentum over to Kansas."

On returning to Kansas:

"Kansas Speedway has been pretty good to me. We've always performed pretty well there whether it was in the Nationwide or Sprint Cup Series. I always look forward to going back to Kansas and putting on a good show for the fans."