Pre-Race - Chevy Rock & Roll 400

• Notes
• Kevin Harvick Quotes

Notes

This Week's Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Richmond International Raceway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 285 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built just a few weeks ago, this brand new Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS will be put through its first paces this weekend at RIR.

Harvick in the Loop

• In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond International Raceway, Harvick has earned one win, one pole, four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.  The Bakersfield, Calif., native has earned an 18.5 starting average, a 12.8 finishing average and has led 726 laps of competition.  
• Frontrunner … According to NASCAR's loop data statistics, Harvick has led the most laps (679) of any driver in the last nine races at the .75-mile Richmond oval. During that time span, no driver has spent more laps in the top 15 or made more quality passes than Harvick. Harvick has been in the top 15 for 3,339 laps and completed 287 quality passes in the past nine RIR NSCS events.

Atlanta Recap … Harvick had one of the most dominant cars in last weekend's Pep Boys Auto 500. Leading six times for 66 laps, Harvick's lap times were sometimes a half second faster than any other competitor. The No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet was better on longer runs, so when a late-race caution set up a 10-lap dash to the finish, Kasey Kahne was able to take the lead on the final restart and claim the win. Harvick's second-place finish was his third top-five result of 2009, and his best showing since a runner-up effort in the season-opening Daytona 500.

RCR at RIR… In 111 Sprint Cup starts at Richmond, RCR boasts seven wins - five with Dale Earnhardt, and one each with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer - four poles, 30 top-five and 52 top-10 finishes. They have completed 41,402 of 44,304 (93.4 percent) of laps contested, while leading 2,929 of them. Additionally, in 42 starts, RCR Nationwide Series teams have claimed five wins - four with Harvick and one with Bowyer - two poles, 15 top-five and 23 top -10 finishes.

The Collective RCR … In 25 races this season, RCR-prepared Sprint Cup Series entries have notched nine top-five and 23 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 26,100 laps with four different drivers including Jeff Burton, Bowyer, Harvick and Casey Mears. Meanwhile, RCR teams have been atop the leaderboard for 188 laps and all four teams have earned just shy of $14.5 million combined purse money in 2009.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginia … Three members of RCR's No. 29 team hail from the Old Dominion State. Transporter driver Mark Williams was born and raised in Stuart and currently lives in Martinsville. Barry Sheppard, who also drives the Shell-Pennzoil transporter, is also from Stuart where he still resides. Interior mechanic Tommy Wallace calls Richmond his hometown.

Prelude to the Dream … Before heading to Richmond, Harvick will visit Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio for the Prelude to the Dream this Wednesday night. Live coverage of the Prelude will take the green flag Wednesday, September 9 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on HBO Pay-Per-View.

All Bets Are Off … While at Chicagoland Speedway a few weeks ago for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, motocross legend Ricky Carmichael, who drives a part-time schedule in the NCWTS for Kevin Harvick, Inc., made a little wager with Harvick over dinner.  The bet was, whichever driver scored a top-five finish in their respective series first (Carmichael in the NCWTS and Harvick in the NSCS) could shave the other driver's head.  The challenge began at Iowa Speedway for Carmichael and Atlanta Motor Speedway for Harvick.  Even though Carmichael and the No. 4 Monster Energy team managed a top-15 finish at Iowa Speedway last weekend, Harvick won the bet with his impressive second-place finish in last weekend's race at AMS. The date and location of the close shave has yet to be determined.

Guitar Players, Take Note … Kevin Harvick is one of six Chevrolet drivers that will receive a Paul Reed Smith Guitar in Richmond this weekend. The guitars are being donated by Paul Reed Smith himself to help Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bowyer raise money for their favorite charities. Each of these six drivers has won a race at RIR under the Chevrolet banner. The proceeds from the auction of Harvick's guitar will benefit Victory Junction Gang Camp. This is the fifth year of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 and this year's winning driver will take home a four foot tall, 50 pound trophy custom designed and built by PRS Guitars.

Winner … For his calls during last weekend's NSCS event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gil Martin has been voted the WYPALL Wipers Crew Chief of the Race for the Pep Boys Auto 500.

Double Down … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick, a 34-time race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will drive the No. 33 Jimmy John's Chevrolet in the September 11 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at RIR.  The race will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.  The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing 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. Eastern Daylight Time. 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.

Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Rock & Roll 400 at RIR will take the green flag Saturday, September 12 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT on ABC.  The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.  Qualifying for the 26th of 36 points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races will air live on ESPN2, Friday, September 11 at 5:30 p.m. EDT.  MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will provide qualifying updates.

Kevin Harvick Quotes

Why do you think you do so well at Richmond?

"All the flat tracks have been our strong point through the years. As we go to the flatter race tracks during this point in the season, it's always something we look forward to. I grew up (racing) at Phoenix on the flat tracks. Most everything we raced out there was pretty flat and kind of worn out, so that's the kind of technique I grew up racing with. That's just something we've put a lot of effort into and we've always been kind of good at it."

Do you approach RIR as more of a short track or a speedway?

"It really is a little of both but I think you have to go in with the short-track mindset. There is more contact at Richmond than you have at a bigger track. I think sometimes drivers use the short track as an excuse to beat and bang, but as tight as the racing is there, it's hard to not have incidental contact."

Do you enjoy racing at night?

"I enjoy being home on Sunday, I can tell you that much.  You get Sunday afternoon to get back in the swing of things earlier in the week instead of having to waste Monday.  I also enjoy racing at night.  I think everybody enjoys the cooler temperatures and the night atmosphere."

What makes racing on a flat track more enjoyable?

"There's a lot of braking.  You have to really work on getting your car through the center of the corner and still have the forward bite you need up off the corner so you get all three aspects of the car, the driver and the set-up all in one."