Catchfence

VEGAS STATS: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team co-owner Kevin Harvick will be behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Chevorlet this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, looking to improve upon his 2008 finish of fourth. In his second year driving solely for KHI, Harvick returns to Las Vegas with an incredible record. In eight Nationwide Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, Harvick has five top-five and six top-10 finishes. His worst finish is 13th, coming in his first start at the track.

His only start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a KHI-owned car was in 2008 where Harvick started from the 10th position and earned a top-five, finishing the 200-lap race in the fourth position.

BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK:

After finishing second at Auto Club Speedway, what are your expectations heading to Las Vegas where you finished fourth last year in the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet? “Every week I expect to go out and contend for wins. That’s what I’m here to do, is to win races. This past week at Auto Club Speedway, we ran good the entire weekend and had a loose car during the start of the race, but made adjustments throughout the race and had something to work with when it came to the end. The crew made it count on pit road on the last stop, putting me in position to take a shot at the lead and that helped us get a second-place finish for the Rheem team. We are so close to getting that first win, but just a little short at the same time. I think we can go to Vegas and top our second-place finish.”

Having gone to Vegas many times over the years for racing, what is the highest amount of money you have won in Vegas? “I am not a big gambler.  I don’t remember the last time I was in Vegas and actually went to the casino.  I have a hard time putting a $100 bill down at a $100 table and lose it in two minutes.  Anything over about five dollars is hard for me to stomach.  However, the couple of times I have gambled in Vegas I played Blackjack.  I think I won about $2000 or so.”

SEASON OF 33: The number 33 makes its presence among KHI’s Nationwide Series team this year. Harvick, 33-years-old, will be looking for his 33rd career Nationwide Series victory and his first career win in a KHI-owned car, behind the wheel of the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet.

CHASSIS HISTORY: Harvick will pilot chassis No. 042 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the Sam’s Town 300. This chassis is fresh off a strong second-place run at the Auto Club Speedway where Harvick started the Stater Bros. 300 from the ninth position. Prior to the 2009 season, the chassis was on track during the 2008 season with Ryan Newman at Homestead-Miami Speedway (11th-place finish), with Harvick at Texas Motor Speedway (started second and finished 29th after a parts failure late in the race), at Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway (sixth-place finish) and Kansas Speedway (pole, led 90 laps and finished 13th).

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Returning to his home state of California, Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Rheem Chevrolet started the Stater Bros. 300 at the Auto Club Speedway from the ninth position and maintained their position in the top-10 for the entire race. Making adjustments throughout the race to help with the loose-handling condition at the beginning of runs, Harvick was able to move forward into the top-five and on the last pit stop of the night was scored fourth entering the pits. After a quick stop by the Rheem crew, Harvick was able to restart the race on lap 134 in the third position and quickly moved into second place. Harvick was able to make one last attempt for the lead on a dominate Kyle Busch, but got loose in turn four and Busch was unable to complete the pass. Harvick crossed the finish-line in the second position, moving the No. 33 up seven positions in the NASCAR Nationwide Owner’s Point standings to the fourth position.

HOT WATER HEAVEN: In addition to the five races Rheem will sponsor with their red and black paint scheme, Rheem has recently made the decision to add four more primary races to the schedule with the focus on the Rheem tankless water heaters. The new paint scheme is known as “Hot Water Heaven,” and features a blue water spray across the front with water drop accents on the sides and rear of the car to portray the endless hot water available with a Rheem tankless water heater. A graphic of the Rheem tankless product is also shown on the car. Las Vegas will mark the first of four races for this primary paint scheme.

The Rheem tankless water heaters are distinguished by their advanced safety features, energy efficiency and attractive design.Tankless water heaters are quickly gaining popularity with American homes and business owners as a smart attractive alternative to traditional tank-type water heaters largely due to space-saving size, low energy consumption, and attractive appliance-like design. Since 2004, tankless water heater sales have increased by more than 500 percent and the outlook remains strong in spite of a down economy.

Rheem tankless water heaters provide unlimited hot water to satisfy today’s busy, multi-tasked life-styles which often demand simultaneous hot water supply for multiple baths, showers, and dish washing.

The Rheem tankless water heater design allows for easy, low-cost retro-fit conversions for homes that currently have traditional tank-type water heaters. Rheem tankless products are Energy Star-rated and qualify for a Federal Energy-saving Tax Credit for the total cost including installation up to $1500.

Visit Rheemtankless.com for more information.

QUICK NOTES

February 28, 2009

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Sam’s Town 300

Race length:  200 laps/300 miles

Banking: 20-degrees in the turns

                    9-degrees on the frontstretch

                    9-degrees on the backstretch

Track layout: 1.5 miles
Shape: D-shaped Oval

Pre-Race Schedule:

Friday:

Practice: 1:30-2:50 p.m., ET

Final Practice: 4:45-6:30 p.m., ET

Saturday:

Qualifying: 12:00 p.m., ET

TV: The Sam’s Town 300 can be seen live on ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m., ET.

Radio: The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will broadcast the race live at 4:00 p.m., ET.

No. 33 Chevrolet Impala Specs:

Chassis: 042

Engine: RCR

Kevin Harvick

Nationwide Stats at Las Vegas

Year       No.          Team     Start       Finish

2008       33           KHI         10           4             

2007       21           RCR        1              7

2006       21           RCR        4              3

2005       21           RCR        12           2

2004       21           RCR        11           1

2003       21           RCR        3              2

2001       2              RCR        16           12

2000       2              RCR        12           13

*KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc.

*RCR: Richard Childress Racing

About Rheem:

Rheem Manufacturing Company (www.rheem.com) is a privately held company with headquarters in Atlanta, Ga.  In its 81st year of operation, the company manufactures a full-line of high-quality residential and commercial heating, cooling, water heaters, swimming pool heaters and commercial boilers throughout North America and world markets.  The premium brands of Rheem Manufacturing Company include Ruud, Raypak and Rheem.  Rheem Manufacturing Company is the major associate sponsor of Richard Childress Racing and the No. 29 team driven by Kevin Harvick, owner of the 2007 Craftsman Truck Series championship team and 2006 Nationwide Series Champion.  Rheem is also the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet car for five high-profile Nationwide^® Series races in 2009.

About Kevin Harvick Inc.

Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions, the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ricky Carmichael and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala competing full-time in the Nationwide Series, with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), Hornaday and Cale Gale. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.

Kevin Harvick, Inc., Press Release