Catchfence

No. 33 Copart Chevrolet Impala SS

ROAD-COURSE SUCCESS: Kevin Harvick will climb back behind the No. 33 Copart Chevorlet at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, looking for win number two in the Nationwide Series at the 2.45-mile track. In five previous starts at the track, Harvick has one win in 2007, four top-five and five top-seven finishes. Having completed 100 percent of the laps attempted (411 of 411 laps) with an average finish of 3.6, Harvick is ready to add win number two to his Nationwide Series stats at Watkins Glen.

In the Sprint Cup Series, Harvick has eight starts, with one win in 2008, two top-five and five top-10 finishes.

DOUBLE-DUTY ACTION: In addition to piloting the No. 33 Copart Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series at Watkins Glen on Saturday, Harvick will be behind the wheel of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet on Sunday for the Sprint Cup Series race.

Kevin Harvick

In the Nationwide Series, you have one win with your worst finish at The Glen being seventh. What did the win mean to your career?

“Winning at Watkins Glen was a major accomplishment in my career. We’d been able to win on all the different types of race tracks as we’ve gone through the years, but the road course thing, we always had this little cloud over us. We have been in contention to win and always had things happen here and there. To finally do that (win) was pretty satisfying. It’s almost a sense of relief because you get so frustrated at places you know you’re capable of winning and haven’t.”

What’s the biggest difference from the driver’s perspective between ovals and road courses?

“There’s a lot more to do on road courses. You have to shift, stop, shift, gas it and slide. The hardest handling characteristic is to get your car to have forward bite up off the corners because you are coming off a low gear and there are a lot of off-camber corners. You have to try to hook your car up the best you can, trying to find a balance between taking care of your stuff and driving the heck out of it. It’s definitely different from our normal routine.”

This weekend J. R. Fitzpatrick will pilot the No. 4 KHI Chevrolet at Watkins Glen. You recently joined him at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for a test session to prepare for the road courses. How was the test and talk about this weekend with Fitzpatrick.

“J. R. (Fitzpatrick) did a really good job at the test session, but this will be his first time at Watkins Glen. He’ll need to take his time and learn the track. I love road courses, so hopefully we can help speed up his learning curve this weekend and get good, solid finishes for both KHI cars.”

CHASSIS HISTORY: This will mark the first race this season for chassis No. 045. The last time this chassis was on track was at Watkins Glen in 2008 with KHI co-owner Harvick behind the wheel. In his first start at Watkins Glen in a KHI-owned car, Harvick started the Zippo 200 from the sixth position and finished fourth, continuing his streak of top-10 finishes at the 2.45-mile road course in the Nationwide Series.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Most recently the Nationwide Series competed in the inaugural race at Iowa Speedway where Harvick finished 30th after suffering a parts failure mid-way through the race. Missing qualifying due to Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway, Harvick had to move to the back of the field at the start of the race, but wasted no time moving to the front of the field. Making adjustments throughout the race, Harvick was able to move into the top 10 and was running fifth when the No. 33 car began to smoke. Determining the smoke was due to a broken line on the back of the oil pump, the team moved to the garage and feverishly worked to make repairs. Returning to the race 55 laps down, Harvick was able to finish the US Cellular 250 in the 30th spot.

No. 33 Copart Chevrolet Specs:

Chassis: 045

Engine: ECR

Kevin Harvick Nationwide Stats at Watkins Glen

Year No. Team Start Finish

2008 33 KHI 6 4

2007 21 RCR 11 1

2006 21 RCR 3 7

2001 2 RCR 6 3

2000 2 RCR 9 3

*KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc.

*RCR: Richard Childress Racing

About Copart:

Copart, founded in 1982, sells more than 1 million vehicles each year online for insurance companies, banks, finance companies, fleet operators, dealers, the general public and others. Copart’s extensive inventory allows buyers to browse more than 50,000 vehicles each day.

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 team is led by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars team is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, J.R. Fitzpatrick and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Nationwide Series team competing full-time with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman, Ron Hornaday, Cale Gale and Kelly Bires. 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