Sunday

Kevin Harvick WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race in Sam’s Town 300

WIX Filters Lap Leader Logo

AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2010,

· Kevin Harvick led twice for 82 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in today’s Sam’s Town 300. Harvick captured the honor for the first time in three races this season. He is the third different driver to capture the honor this season. Harvick has led three times for 119 laps this season.

Harvick won today’s race at Las Vegas, crossing the finish line 1.361 seconds ahead of second-place Denny Hamlin. He won for the second time in 10 races at Las Vegas (his other victory came in 2004). Harvick has now won 35 times in 239 career starts.

Harvick has racked up 18 wins and 79 top-five finishes in 174 NASCAR Nationwide Series superspeedway starts. He has led 85 times in those races for a total of 4,041 laps.

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS

Tony Stewart 1

Joey Logano 1

Kevin Harvick 1

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE

DRIVE4COPD 300 Tony Stewart, 38 laps

Stater Bros. 300 Joey Logano, 130 laps

Sam’s Town 300 Kevin Harvick, 82 laps

· HARVICK QUOTES:

“It was good in the beginning and good in the end. We had a couple hiccups today and we were able to overcome ‘em because our car was so good. Everything just played out right there at the end and it seemed like we were able to maneuver through traffi c better than anybody. Our car was really good through the middle of one and two and there at the end I knew unless something crazy happened I could run eight or 10 laps wide open and seemed like they were having to lift on the restarts. We were able to get out there and able to conserve in case we had another caution or a restart or whatever the case may be there towards the end of the race.”

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU DO SO WELL HERE IN LAS VEGAS? WHAT WAS YOUR PIT STRATEGY TOWARDS THE LAST 30-40 LAPS?

“Our pit strategy was put four tires on and just let it all play out. We were in our pit window so we weren’t coming back to pit road. This has just been a good place for us even when it was flat and ever since they’ve added the banking the cars have just been incredible to drive. Our car last year was just as good as the car this year. We just got caught up there on a restart in an accident. Just one of those places that just fit us: our cars, our engines, our driving styles, everything that we’ve done from the old track to the new track. Everything works for us here. We had a lot of fans out here and you have family that comes to the racetrack and friends and everybody and a lot of supporters that have come for a long time. It’s always fun to win close to home for them.”

· ERNIE COPE, CREW CHIEF, No. 33 RHEEM CHEVROLET: WHAT HAPPENED ON THE TWO BAD PIT STOPS? “The first stop the jack didn’t get all the way up on the right and left side and the second time knocked the lug nuts off the left front tire and he couldn’t pick one up and put it back on. They were both 20 seconds or so. That’s not what we’re looking for.”

Since 1939, WIX® Filters, a member of the Affinia Group family of brands, has been an innovator in filtration products. WIX designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX, a member of the Affinia family of brands, is the number one filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Its NASCAR relationship also includes the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award, which recognizes the drivers leading the most laps in each race. For more information, visit www.wixfilters.com.

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With more than $2 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.

*Affinia Group Inc.’s affiliated companies include Brake Parts Inc. WIX Filtration Corp LLC, Affinia Products Corp LLC and other high quality manufacturers of the Affinia family of brands.

- Camp & Associates, Inc. Press Release