Category: Pre-Race Reports
07/26/10
RETURNING WITH AN AGENDA: This weekend Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team co-owner Kevin Harvick returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet to make his second Nationwide Series start at the .875-mile track of Iowa Speedway and looking to redeem himself after a disappointing finish last year.
For the inaugural Nationwide Series race in 2009, Harvick started the race from the back of the field due to a driver change after he missed qualifying because he was at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway preparing his No. 29 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Sprint Cup Series car. Harvick wasted no time making his move to the front of the field and was running in the top 10 when a parts failure on the oil pump forced the team to the garage for repairs. After a lengthy amount of time in the garage, Harvick returned to the race to finish the inaugural Nationwide Series event 30th.
Despite the disappointing finish in 2009, Harvick has seen success at Iowa Speedway. In 2007, after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star race, Harvick hopped on a plane and flew to Iowa Speedway for the inaugural NASCAR event at Iowa Speedway. Competing in the NASCAR Camping World East/West Series race, Harvick finished second to Joey Logano after his car experienced engine trouble.
DOUBLE-DUTY STYLE: Similar to most weekends when Harvick pilots the No. 33 KHI Nationwide Series car, he will again pull double duty only this time between two different tracks, in two different states. Harvick will start the weekend at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania before flying to Iowa Speedway for the second running of the NASCAR Nationwide Series 250 on Saturday and back to Pocono for Sunday’s Cup Series event.
BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:
What are your thoughts on racing at Iowa Speedway? “I’m pretty excited about going back to Iowa Speedway for the Nationwide Series race. Last year we didn’t have the finish we wanted due to a parts failure, but I’m ready to go back and show what we can really do at Iowa. Hopefully we can put on a great show for the fans and get our No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet ‘Freaky Fast’ and in victory lane at the end of the night.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: For the NASCAR Nationwide Series 250 this weekend at Iowa Speedway, the No. 33 KHI Jimmy John’s team will unload chassis No. 055 for Harvick. This chassis was last on track at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway where Harvick started the Nationwide Series race from the 18th position and finished solidly in the sixth spot. The only other appearance this chassis has this season was the rain-delayed race at Texas Motor Speedway in April where the then brand-new chassis started the race 16th and finished fifth with Harvick behind the wheel.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Ron Hornaday most recently piloted the No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Hornaday started the race 11th and worked his way up to second behind eventual race winner Kyle Busch. With 40 laps remaining in the Kroger 200, contact between Hornaday and the lapped car of J. C. Stout sent Hornaday into the turn three wall, ending the day for the No. 33 team. Hornaday scored a 28th-place finish.
ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? Twitter users can now keep up-to-date with Kevin Harvick Inc.’s NASCAR Nationwide Series by following @KHI_NNS. In addition, you can follow KHI’s Truck Series teams @KHI_TruckSeries. Want more from KHI? Follow KHI’s co-owners Kevin and DeLana Harvick @KevinHarvick and @DeLanaHarvick.
ONLINE MEDIA KITS: Media members can now access KHI media kits online at KevinHarvickInc.com. Included on the site are driver bios, driver and team images, KHI history and statistics, team profiles and schedules. Please contact Alicia Deal (adeal@kevinharvickinc.com) at KHI for access to the new site.
QUICK NOTES
July 31, 2010
Iowa Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series 250
Race length: 250 laps/218.75 miles
Banking: 10-12 degrees compound banking
10-degrees on the frontstretch
4-degrees on the backstretch
Track layout: .875 miles
Shape: Tri-oval
Pre-Race Schedule:
Friday:
First Practice: 5:30 p.m., ET – 6:30 p.m., ET
Final Practice: 7:00 p.m., ET – 8:30 p.m., ET
Saturday:
Qualifying: 4:05 p.m., ET
TV: The NASCAR Nationwide Series 250 can be seen live on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m., ET.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 7:00 p.m., ET.
No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Specs:
Chassis: 055
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)
Kevin Harvick
Nationwide Series Stats at Iowa
Year No. Team Start Finish
2009 33 KHI 34 30
*KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc.
About Jimmy John’s:
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches was founded in 1983 by 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud in a converted garage in Charleston, IL. Since its inception, the company has grown to over 1,000 corporate and franchised locations in more than 37 states throughout the U.S. The company is known for its obsession with fresh, quality products and high-speed execution. For more information, visit www.jimmyjohns.com.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.:
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.