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Pre Race - Sunoco American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Event/Date: Sunoco American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 - August 2, 2009
Venue: Pocono Raceway - Long Pond, Pa.
Notes
This Week's Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 281 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's race. Built new this season, this car has been driven by Harvick in each of the past two NSCS events. In addition to a sixth-place result in last weekend's Brickyard 400, Harvick drove this car to a 19th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway. This race will mark the third time the car will be used in competition.
Stat Facts … In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, Harvick has notched two top-five and five top-10 finishes. His best finish, a fourth-place result, came in this event last year. Additionally, he has earned a 19.6 starting average and a 15.9 finishing average.
- Loop Data …
Statistically, Harvick is the sixth-best Closer over the past nine NSCS events at Pocono Raceway. In the final 10 percent of laps in each race, Harvick has gained an average of three positions (27 positions total over the last nine races).
Over the past nine NSCS events at Pocono Raceway, Harvick is fifth on the list of drivers with the most Green Flag Passes made (697 completed passes).
Of the 697 passes Harvick's completed in the past nine NSCS races at Pocono Raceway, 317 (45.48 percent) have come on the front straightaway, 169 (24.25 percent) have happened in Turn 3, and just 11 (1.58 percent) have been completed in Turn 2 of the 2.5-mile track.
Race Recap … Harvick and the No. 29 team used a fast car combined with a solid team effort to post a sixth-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend. Starting from the 19th position, Harvick scored his third top-10 finish of 2009.
Points Check … With his sixth-place finish last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Harvick gained two point positions and now sits 23rd in the NSCS point standings.
RCR at Pocono … In 102 starts at Pocono, RCR team owner Richard Childress has two wins, both of them coming with Dale Earnhardt, who won the Summer 500 on July 19, 1987 and the Miller Genuine Draft 500 on July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole, 12 top-five and 42 top-10 finishes at the uniquely-shaped three-turn speedway. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division, contributed two of those top 10s from 1976-1980.
The Collective RCR … In 20 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched seven top-five and 18 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 21,759 laps with four different drivers including Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Harvick and Casey Mears. Meanwhile, RCR teams have been atop the leaderboard for 98 laps and all four teams have earned just over $12.1 million in combined purse money in 2009.
Double Duty … In addition to piloting the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet in Sunday's NSCS race at Pocono Raceway, Harvick will also compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. Harvick will fly to Iowa on Thursday for the practice session at the speedway, then head to Pocono Thursday night. Cale Gale, one of the Kevin Harvick, Inc. stable of drivers, will practice and qualify the car. Harvick will return to Iowa on Saturday to run the US Cellular 250 before flying back to Pocono for Sunday's race.
Badger State Visit … Harvick will leave directly from Pocono and head to Kaukauna, Wisconsin to compete in the Dixieland 150 at Wisconsin International Raceway, Tuesday, August 4. He will be joined by three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, Ron Hornaday, who will also compete in the event. For more information, visit the American Speed Association Midwest Tour website at http://www.asamidwesttour.com.
Catch the Action … The Sunoco American Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live, Sunday, August 2 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on ESPN and will broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 21st of 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races is scheduled for Friday, July 31 and will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
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. 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 race results, check us out at www.twitter.com/RCRRacing.
Kevin Harvick Quotes
What part of Pocono is the trickiest for you to get accustomed to?
"For me, the trickiest part of Pocono is the Tunnel Turn. You have to carry so much speed into that turn that there is not much room for error. The Tunnel Turn is so much harder to get through now then it used to be. A couple of years ago there was a flat curb there and you could lean on it a little bit if you needed to. Now, there is a big curb there and if you hit it you're going to damage the skirting on the left-front. You will probably be forced up the race track as well, and the chances of hitting the wall are pretty high."
What are your thoughts on Pocono?
"Pocono has a lot of its own characteristics, to say the least. It's a 2.5-mile tri-oval race track that has three pretty tricky turns. Turn one is really bumpy, the Tunnel Turn has a pretty big curb and it is pretty easy to make a mistake there and turn three is one of the flattest turns we deal with on the NASCAR circuit. It definitely has its own unique challenges."