Catchfence

PHOENIX (November 14, 2010) - For the final Rheem race of the 2010 season, Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Rheem Solar Water Heaters team entered Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) on a mission to finish one position better than they did earlier this season. Harvick scored the fourth starting position, and with a fast car, never ran outside the top nine before finishing second after 200 laps of racing around the one-mile tri-oval.

“We had a really good car,” said Harvick following the race. “The guys did a great job and we were competitive all day. We had one bad stop, but the guys rebounded and had a solid day. I would have liked to have won, but we’ll take the second and head to Miami.”

Starting the race from the fourth position, Harvick initially slipped a few spots as the No. 33 car got going, but after a few laps was able to move back up to fourth when the first caution waved on lap 21. Fighting a car that was loose getting into and off the corners, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. With teams on varying strategies of two and four-tire stops, Harvick restarted the race on lap 29 from the fifth position.

Moving up to fourth, Harvick was running lap times the same as the leaders, but as the race continued under green, the car began to get a little too tight for Harvick’s liking. With the caution waving again on lap 62, the team decided to pit for four tires, fuel and another air-pressure adjustment. A slow stop by the team would lose the No. 33 car five positions, placing Harvick ninth for the lap 68 restart.

Patiently working his way through traffic, Harvick retook the fourth position on lap 100 and remained in the position when the caution waved on lap 116 for a wreck in turn one. Again opting to pit to adjust on the car, the team made its last stop of the race for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. This time around, a solid, fast stop by the team would gain Harvick one position to restart the race third on lap 120.

Immediately after the restart, Harvick radioed the team that the car was too loose. A caution on lap 138 would slow the field, but with no drivers opting to pit, Harvick would stay on track and restart the race from the third position on lap 143.

Focused on the lead, Harvick moved into second on lap 157 and began to close in on race leader and eventual race winner Carl Edwards. As the race continued, Harvick began to fight a tight-handling car and was unable to close the gap between himself and Edwards, finishing the race second. The finish marks Harvick’s 25th top-10 finish of the 2010 season.

Edwards won the race followed by Harvick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Reed Sorenson.

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 distributes throughout North America and world markets an award-winning line of eco-friendly, technologically advanced residential and commercial heating, cooling, water heating, whole-home standby generators, controls, pool and spa heaters, indoor air purification products and commercial boilers. The nation’s leading consumer products review magazine recently reported that Rheem products have been rated most reliable among all leading brands by tens of thousands of consumers. The premium brands of Rheem Manufacturing Company include Ruud, Raypak and Rheem. Rheem Manufacturing Company is the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 33 Chevrolet Nationwide® Series car and is an associate sponsor of KHI’s No 33 truck in the Camping World Truck Series.

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.

- Kevin Harvick Inc. Press Release