Pre-Race - CARFAX 400

This Week's Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 281 from the Richard Childress Racing stable in this weekend's CARFAX 400. Built new this season, this car has become a workhorse for the Shell-Pennzoil 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 a 12th-place finish at Pocono Raceway two weeks ago.

Stat Facts … In 17 NSCS races at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick has earned two top-five and six top-10 finishes.  Additionally, the 11-time NSCS winner has earned an 18th-place starting average and a 15.4 finishing average.  In those starts, Harvick has led 88 laps, completed all but 41 laps of competition and finished on the lead lap 13 times.

Loop Data …

• In the past nine NSCS events at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick has completed 678 green flag passes, second only to Jamie McMurray during that span.
• Of those 678 passes, 167 (24.53 percent) were completed on the frontstretch and 78 (11.5 percent) were completed on the backstretch. No driver has completed more green flag passes in Turn 2 or Turn 3 over the past nine NSCS races at MIS than Harvick (he's completed 88 passes in Turn 2 and 142 passes in Turn 3).

Season Recap … In 22 NSCS races in 2009, Harvick has two top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has a 21.6 average starting position and an average finish of 22.6. Harvick has completed 5,726 of 5,911 laps contested (96.9 percent), and earned over $4 million in purse money. With his 35th-place finish at Watkins Glen International, Harvick is now 22nd in the NSCS point standings.

RCR at Michigan … RCR has earned two NSCS victories at Michigan International Speedway, both of them by Dale Earnhardt, who won the Miller American 400 on June 28, 1987 and the Miller Genuine Draft 400 on June 24, 1990.  Additionally, RCR boasts 15 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes with eight different drivers including Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, who recorded top 10s at Michigan in June 1978 and in August 1979. 

The Collective RCR … In 22 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched eight top-five and 20 top-10 finishes. Additionally, the No. 29 team scored the win in the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.  The Welcome, N.C.,-based race team has completed 22,868 laps in 2009 with four different drivers including Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears.  RCR teams have been on top of the leaderboard for 121 laps and all four teams have earned close to $13 million in purse money.

Don't Miss A Beat … This weekend, Harvick's Shell-Pennzoil Chevy will be one of four cars featured on DIRECTV's HotPass Coverage. With a channel dedicated solely to the team during the CARFAX 400 from Michigan International 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 Time … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick will pilot the No. 33 Jimmy John's Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick, Inc., in Saturday's CARFAX 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series event. The race will air live on ESPN, Saturday, August 15, at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite radio will also broadcast the event.

Race Fans Save on Fuel … As families squeeze in vacations before the kids go back to school, Shell is providing a way for travelers to save two cents per gallon on Shell-branded gasoline and diesel purchases by using the Shell Saver Card. The new Shell Saver Card is an easy and convenient way to pay since it links directly to the cardholder's checking account. It doesn't cost anything to get the card and is a non-credit payment solution that can help travelers save money and budget more simply. Shell is the first gasoline retailer to nationally launch a product like the Shell Saver Card, the latest addition to the Shell family of payment products that can help you lower the cost of driving without sacrificing the quality of your fuel. For more information, visit www.shellsavercard.com.

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. 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. Get updates from the track by following us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rcrracing

Tweet, tweet … Harvick has recently started posting to the social networking site, Twitter. Fans can follow him at www.twitter.com/kevinharvick.

Up to Speed … The CARFAX 400 from Michigan International Speedway is scheduled to take the green flag Sunday, August 16 at 2 p.m. EDT. Pre-race coverage begins live on ESPN at 1 p.m. EDT. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 23rd points-paying race on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is slated to air live on SPEED Friday, August 14 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.