Catchfence

No. 33 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet Impala SS

RETURN TO THE IRISH HILLS: This weekend as the NASCAR Nationwide Series takes to the Irish Hills of Michigan, Kevin Harvick will return to Michigan International Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Jimmy John’s Chevrolet. In seven previous Nationwide Series stats at the track, Harvick has one win (his only at the 2.0-mile track across all three series), three top-five and five top-10 finishes. He has complete 100 percent of laps attempted in the series (863 of 863 laps) and led 34 laps.

NEW ADDITION: This weekend will mark Harvick’s first start at Michigan in a KHI-owned car. All seven of his previous Nationwide Series starts have been for Richard Childress Racing (RCR), the same organization where he has all 17 of his Sprint Cup Series starts at the track.

ARE YOU A FOLLOWER? With the Twitter craze sweeping the nation and the cyber world, the 2007 Daytona 500 champion recently began posting as a way to keep fans updated on what’s going on both on and off the track. You can now follow Harvick’s “tweets” at http://twitter.com/kevinharvick. Want more from the Harvick’s? You can also follow KHI co-owner DeLana Harvick on twiitter at http://twitter.com/delanaharvick.

Kevin Harvick

How do you go about finding the best line around a track like Michigan?

“For me, I’m a ‘bottom feeder.’ I like running on the bottom of the race track. At Michigan, in particular, you can use the apron to make your car turn. There are three seams – it’s almost a progressive banking as you go through Turns 1 and 2. You can use those seams to help your car turn if you’re tight and if you’re loose, you can kind of let it drift to the top of the race track. Or, you can run it on the bottom of the race track and use a little more brake than you want to keep the thing from getting loose and then drive it straight up off the corner. A lot of times, you wind up getting tight there and you try to loosen the car up and then it gets free in the center of the corners. It’s a tough race track to get your car to handle, but there are a lot of options and little things you can do to try and help that.”

What is the key to being successful at Michigan?

“I really enjoy racing at Michigan. You can race from the white line to the wall. You can get your car to pretty much work anywhere on the race track. However, Michigan is one of those places that you need the entire package to compete for the win. Being successful has a lot to do with the horsepower you have under the hood and how well you can get your car to handle all over the race track.”

On racing at the Michigan International Speedway?

“I like this place. It’s a lot of fun to race at. You can move all over the place and if your car’s not working you can make it work, from the inside to the outside. If you can make your car work low, that’s the place that I prefer, but a lot of guys prefer to make it work high. So it’s one of those places where you can move around and make things happen.”

CHASSIS HISTORY:

This week the No. 33 team will unload chassis No. 042 for KHI co-owner Harvick at Michigan International Speedway. The last appearance this chassis made was at Kentucky Speedway with Kelly Bires behind the wheel. Preparing to qualify the car, Bires lost control in turn four getting ready to take the green and was forced to a back-up car for the race. Prior to Kentucky, this chassis was on track with Harvick at Lowe’s (N.C.) Motor Speedway where he started the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 from the eighth position and finished 23rd in the rain-shortened event after only 170 of the scheduled 200 laps were complete. In two other starts this season, Chassis 042 had a strong second-place finish at Auto Club Speedway where Harvick started the race from the ninth position followed by Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Harvick started from the second spot and led 41 laps before getting caught in a multi-car accident on lap 105, dropping the team to a 29th-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Harvick arrives at Michigan this weekend fresh off the road course of Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. With a fast car from the time the team unloaded, Harvick set a new track record for qualifying, placing the No. 33 Copart Chevrolet on the top of the board. Harvick led the first 12 laps before being shuffled back in the field following a green-flag pit stop and a mishap on the last stop of the race. Moving back through the field, picking off one car at a time, Harvick was able to move back into the top 10 and finished the race in the fourth position. The finish marked Harvick’s fifth top-five and sixth top-10 finish in six starts at the 2.45-mile track.

No. 33 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet Specs:

Chassis: 042

Engine: ECR

Kevin Harvick Nationwide Stats at Michigan

Year No. Team Start Finish

2007 21 RCR 8 3

2006 21 RCR 9 8

2005 21 RCR 5 13

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 825 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, 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