Kevin Harvick
No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Team Report
NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 1 of 35 – Daytona (Fla.)
International Speedway
DAYTONA MEMORY:
At
the start of the 2007 NASCAR season, Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI)
co-owner and driver Kevin Harvick pulled into Daytona (Fla.)
International Speedway and completed a weekend that he won’t
soon forget. He was able to pull double duty competing in both
the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, and to add icing to
the cake, he swept the weekend, gaining his first victories in
both series at the famed 2.5-mile track. This season, Harvick
returns to Daytona looking for back-to-back wins as he tries to
complete another weekend of sweeps competing in the Camping
World 300 on Saturday and the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
TRACK STATS:
Daytona has
proven to be one of Harvick’s best tracks on the NASCAR circuit,
both as a driver and as a team co-owner. As a driver, Harvick
has competed in 11 races at Daytona since he entered competition
in the Nationwide Series in 2001. In those 11 starts, Harvick
has compiled an incredible record of one win, one pole and 10
top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. To add to the numbers, Harvick
has completed 100 percent of laps at Daytona and led 171 laps.
As co-owner of KHI, Harvick was able to experience the sweet
taste of victory at Daytona in 2006 and 2005 when Tony Stewart
scored back-to-back wins in the season openers, claiming the
first Nationwide win for KHI in 2005.
KHI ADDS CHALLENGE:
For the first
time since he began racing in the Nationwide Series, Harvick
will only race in KHI equipment this season. Having added 32
wins and two championships to his name while driving for Richard
Childress Racing (RCR), Harvick will now turn his focus in the
Nationwide Series to KHI and capturing his first Nationwide
Series win in his own equipment.
When asked about his decision to race only with KHI in 2008,
Harvick answered, “I’ve been fortunate to run in the 21 and the
2 car at RCR and win races. I know I could stay at RCR and
continue to win races, but it was time for something different.
I’m looking forward to the challenge of running my own cars and
creating a different challenge from all aspects. I know what
it’s been like the last few years to be winning races and being
competitive week in and week out, and that’s what we are
shooting for this year at KHI.”
AND THE WINNERS ARE…:
With the
addition of three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague to the
KHI roster for 2008, KHI now has the distinct advantage of
having all three 2007 series opening winners in house. Sprague
won the 2007 season opener with one of the closest finishes in
Truck Series history by holding off Travis Kvapil and Johnny
Benson. For the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series openers,
KHI team co-owner Harvick swept the weekend leading Dave Blaney
across the finish line for the Nationwide Series win and
narrowly edging out Mark Martin for his first Daytona 500
victory. For 2008, one goal is in place for the season openers,
repeat last year’s victories and bring the wins home to KHI.
10 YEARS AND COUNTING…:
When Harvick
takes the green flag at Daytona for the Camping World 300, he
not only embarks on a new year of Nationwide Series racing, but
begins his 10th year as one of the top drivers in the Nationwide
Series. In the last nine years of competition in the Nationwide
Series, Harvick has competed in 192 races, accumulating 32 wins,
16 poles, and 98 top-five and 141 top-10 finishes. With 32
victories in the Nationwide Series, Harvick currently sits
second in all-time wins behind Mark Martin who has 47 wins.
CHASSIS HISTORY:
After spending
the off season helping revamp the Nationwide Series program at
KHI, crew chief Wally Rogers opted to take chassis No. 016 of
the KHI stable to Daytona for the Camping World 300. This is the
same chassis that Burney Lamar, in the No. 77 KHI Chevrolet,
drove to a second-place finish behind Tony Stewart and the No.
33 KHI Chevrolet in the 2006 season opener at Daytona (Fla.)
International Speedway.
BEFORE THE RACE WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:
With last year’s win of the Daytona 500, do you think people
tend to forget that you were two for two last year?
“I think it
definitely overshadows the Nationwide Series performance that
weekend. I think our cars will be good going down there; they
were very good at the test,” said Harvick. “I look forward to
being competitive in Daytona, so it’s a much different mindset
going in to those races this year and just looking to build the
program and get it to where it needs to be. I feel very
comfortable with where we are with the speedway programs.”
How do you like the Nationwide package NASCAR has for the
restrictor plate races?
“The Nationwide
package at Daytona is really good, just for the fact that once
you get in a pack, everyone can keep up,” said Harvick. “The
plates are a little smaller this year so the cars are a little
less responsive than they have been before. That makes them a
little worse than before, but still when you get in a pack, it
seems you can just move around more than the other cars without
the wickers they had before.”
RACE PREP WITH CREW CHIEF WALLY ROGERS:
Heading to Daytona with KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick in the car,
how much pressure is there to arrive at Daytona and be
competitive from the time you roll the car out of the hauler?
“There’s not really any added pressure,” said Rogers. “I still
go to the track with the same mentality as in other races. It’s
just racing and we’re there to win every weekend.”
During Pre-Season Thunder, both KHI Chevrolet Monte Carlos
tested in the top 10 of the five-day test session. What do you
think about KHI’s chances at Daytona?
“I’m pretty
confident with both KHI cars and think both will be fast,” said
Rogers. “We’ve turned our speedway program around 180 degrees,
and we’ll just keep moving forward from there.”
About FreedomRoads & Camping World:
FreedomRoads & Camping World is America’s largest RV and outdoor
retailer serving a brisk and growing demand for the RV
lifestyle. After having successfully co-located for several
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and Camping World, America’s largest direct marketer and
specialty retailer of RV and outdoor camping accessories,
service and RV sales, joined together to provide consumers with
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more than 130 retail locations.
In addition to the sale, finance and service of recreational
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also provides
expanded products and services to enhance and protect the RV
lifestyle. This includes: the President's Club customer loyalty
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Insurance and Roadside Assistance Service; Camping World RV
Institute technical certification/training program; Goodwill
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Camp Club USA. |
