Catchfence

Kevin Harvick with RCR Team Owner Richard Childress - Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet Impala

Race Notes and Quotes

This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International … Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 321 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. The No. 29 team utilized this car in last season’s event at The Glen where Harvick scored an 11^th-place finish.

Harvick at Watkins Glen … In 10 starts at Watkins Glen, Harvick has earned one win (2006), two top-five and five top-10 finishes. His average starting position at the road course is 11.7 and his average finishing position is 13.6. Harvick has completed 96.9 percent (874 of 902) of the laps run in the last 10 NSCS races at Watkins Glen. He has also led a total of 29 laps at the 11-turn road course.

Last Time Around … Last year, Harvick and the No. 29 team started the 90-lap race at Watkins Glen from the 20^th position and took home an 11^th-place finish.

In the Loop … Harvick’s loop data statistics at Watkins Glen include: sixth in laps in the top 15 (65.7 percent); seventh in laps led (28 laps); 10^th in average driver rating (89.60); 11^th fastest on restarts (114.345 mph); 12^th in average running position (15.387); 13^th in green-flag speed (118.288 mph); 14^th in green-flag passes (227); 14^th in speed in traffic (116.330 mph).

This is SportsCenter … Harvick will travel to ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Conn., this week to film a “This is SportsCenter” commercial for the television network. The “This is SportsCenter” series of comical commercials first started in 1994 and have featured a wide range of sports stars, including NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game … On Wednesday, August 10, Harvick will throw out the first pitch at Yankees Stadium in Bronx, N.Y., as the New York Yankees face the Los Angeles Angels. A long-time Yankees fan, Harvick has attended a number of their games over the years and even threw out the first pitch at a Yankees game back in 2001. Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.

Come See Harvick … Race fans in the Watkins Glen, N.Y., area can meet Harvick on Thursday, August 11. He will appear at Tops Friendly Markets, located at 504 ½ South Franklin Street, from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Welcome Home … Billy O’Dea, spotter for the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team, returns to his native state for this weekend’s race. The 44-year-old O’Dea hails from Victor, N.Y., located about 75 miles from Watkins Glen. He’s been Harvick spotter for six years and also works in the RCR shop as a mechanic during the week.

Golfing for Charity … For the second consecutive year, the Wyndham Championship is partnering with the Kevin Harvick Foundation for its Pro-Am event on Monday, Aug. 15. The event will kick-off the 72nd annual Wyndham Championship, set for Aug. 15 – 21 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. Harvick will join PGA TOUR professionals and other amateur golfers in filling four-person teams to compete in the second-annual Kevin Harvick Foundation pro-am presented by Technology Concepts & Design. In keeping with the Kevin Harvick Foundation mission statement to positively affect the lives of children, several hundred local youth will attend the event as special guests of the Kevin Harvick Foundation and its partners. For additional information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit www.wyndhamchampionship.com.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

When it comes to the road course tracks, you seem to run better at Watkins Glen? Do you like it better than Sonoma (Infineon Raceway)?

“It’s just different for the fact that it’s just a higher-speed course. Sonoma is a lot more technical with a lot slower speed. Watkins Glen is high speed and you can run over all the curbs. I enjoy them both. I enjoy all the road races that we have. I think we need more of them. It’s one of those things that I enjoy getting to do a couple times a year.”

What’s the good, bad and ugly about Watkins Glen?

“Restarts are usually the ugly part at that particular track. The road courses have become really rough. They’ve probably become the most exciting races we go to on the circuit. The good thing is it’s usually a whole lot cooler up in that part of the country this time of year.”

Do you expect the same slamming and banging as Sonoma?

“Probably. But, not quite as much because the fenders do mean something at Watkins Glen because of the high-speed stuff.”

So, I hear you’re going to throw out the first pitch at Yankees Stadium this week?

“Yeah, it’s going to be pretty cool. I’ve become good friends with Gene Monahan (head athletic trainer for the Yankees) and Joe Girardi (manager of the Yankees) up there. To go up there, see those guys, hang out for the evening and just take it all in is going to be a lot of fun.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release