NSCS Kevin Harvick - (Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR)

TALK ABOUT RACING HERE AT BRISTOL THIS WEEKEND: “We’re excited about the first four weeks and I think as we come here, this has been a very good place for us so we are looking forward to hopefully having a good weekend. If we can have a chance to win the race, that is what we want to do and if not, we want to capitalize on whatever we can to make the best day out of it. It has been a great place for us on both Saturday and Sunday and hopefully it is the same thing this week.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL COME OUT OF THE MEETING TOMORROW BETWEEN CARL (EDWARDS) AND BRAD (KESELOWSKI)? “There are a lot of things that could come out of it. Obviously there is a pretty deep history it seems like between the two of them. Hopefully they can get things squared away and not get everybody else involved in what is going on.”

Audio: 2010 Bristol Food City 500 NSCS Pre-Race Conference with Kevin Harvick

HOW CLOSE DO YOU THINK EVERYONE WILL BE WATCHED ON SUNDAY? “I think most everybody is tired of hearing about it from our standpoint. I mean, that is what I think about it.”

YOU WERE PRETTY OUTSPOKEN ABOUT HIS PENALTY AND USED THE WORD “FAKE” ON TWITTER AND THE RADIO, COULD YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? “I don’t think I ever said anything about his penalty being one way or the other, I made a crack about maybe I got in trouble in the wrong era and it was more expensive then. (SMILES) Things change and the sport changes and I’m not up-in-arms about anything like that. As far as the fake comment, I mean, you can’t be the nice guy; you can’t be the bad guy and you can’t be the bully. So….that is just how I feel about that.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT YOU STRUGGLED AT ATLANTA BUT RALLIED BACK TO NINTH AND DO YOU CONSIDER THAT ONE OF YOUR BETTER TOP-10 FINISHES? “That was the best weekend we have had so far this year. I think for us, when we have had those weekends in the past, and you have a 20^th-place car, we always finished 20^th or 25^th with it and as the day progressed on we got worse. We made something out of it. That, to me, is a huge step in the right direction for us as far as competing for wins and championships and the things that we need to be doing. That was the most productive weekend that we have had because of how bad it was at the start of the weekend.  We ended the weekend with a top-10 and probably didn’t have a top-10 car and we made it in to that. Those are the things that you have to do and for me that is what made it the best weekend of the year.”

WHAT IS IT LIKE BEHIND THE WHEEL WHEN THINGS ARE NOT GOING WELL AT BRISTOL? “When things aren’t going well at Bristol, you have a tendency to be in the way which makes for a long day because it is hard enough to do when you are looking forward. And when you are having to look backwards to make sure you stay out of the way, you really can’t make any progress, it gets pretty frustrating pretty fast. It is a frustrating place when things are going good, but when things are going bad, it is not more fun at all.”

THE LONGER YOU ARE IN THE POINTS LEAD AS THE SEASON ROLLS ALONG, WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE? “From a confidence standpoint, it is very good for us to keep doing the things that we are doing. You want to look ahead to make sure that you don’t get behind and you want to keep pushing things forward. Right now the ball is in our court as far as how we push things forward and how we make things happen. We have to continue to do that and hopefully things keep going well. Leading the points in this part of the season is great, but it really only matters in the last 10 races.”

DO YOU CHANGE ANYTHING HERE AT BRISTOL BECAUSE YOU ARE LEADING THE POINTS? “We come in with the same mentality that we had every week and that is to try to do the best job we can to put ourselves in position to win the race and whatever you have to do to do that. When you 100% realize that that goal isn’t able to be accomplished, then you want to gain the most points out of the weekend that you can. It is win the race first and do what you can to make that happen.”

WHAT DID “HAVE AT IT BOYS” MEAN TO YOU? “I think it is a lot of things. I think a lot of this stems from the bump-drafting rules that we saw put in to place at Talladega. I think that is where a lot of this got started and that is really the majority of what I think they were talking about. I think it tells you that they (NASCAR) aren’t going to come down and give you the $50,000 fine and a week or two suspension. I think it is very clear for everybody on where it all stands. I think everybody knows how it is going to be treated.”

IS THE RACING HERE AT BRISTOL DIFFERENT THAT WHAT IT WAS BEFORE THE TRACK WAS REPAVED? “It is very different. The style of racing is very different from what it was before the new configuration because now you can really run from the bottom to the top and you see a lot less caution flags. The track is very smooth. Before it was very much a rhythm-type race track. It’s still a rhythm-type race track, but you have options as far as where you go in the corner and those types of things. It is a very different style racing from the driver’s seat than it was in the past.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET A WIN KNOCKED OUT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS? “We started the year off winning the Shootout so that was good for us. We have been close a couple of times. We need to win the races, not only to get the bonus points and things like that, but we need to win, that is for sure.”

WHEN COMPARING LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR, WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED TO SEE OUT OF RCR TO EVEN CONSIDER STAYING WITH THEM OR RESIGNING WITH THEM LONG TERM? “I think the difference between last year and this year we all ran for the most part terrible at California. We were mediocre at Daytona. I think the first three weeks; we have had a chance to win every race. Atlanta, we struggled and made something out of it. It is much different. Last year we just kind of hung on those first four or five weeks and we got decent finishes but never in contention to lead laps and win races like we have been this year. The most important thing to me is that we take the next step as far as making the cars better, making engines better, making everything better in order to keep the competitiveness of the team at the level that it needs to be because everybody is going to continuously get better. Those are the types of things we need to do. We can’t always play catch up. At some point you have to be ahead to win a championship.”

HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? “I think it is going to be a lot easier to measure this year because we have such an obvious change with the spoiler coming on to the car. The odd part about this year is you are going to have five weeks with the wing on the car. It is going to be 10 weeks in to the season before you really know where you stack up from a competition standpoint with the spoiler on  the car. I mean you are creeping up on half-way to the Chase getting through the first 26 races to make the Chase before you even know kind of where you stack up. To me that is a lot different than seasons past because you would have known by now if you were in trouble like we were last year from a competition standpoint.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE KEEPING UP? “I don’t think you really know until you race. You can go off of your test speeds and you can go off of all the things that you have but until you actually put that car on to the race track and get around other cars and race and see where your speed winds up when everybody is under the same conditions at the same track, the tires come in with different staggers and different compounds and different constructions as we saw at Atlanta. It all depends on how everything that you have done measures up on the speed of the car when you get to the track around everybody else. You think you are doing a good job but we thought we were doing a good job when we got in to the beginning of last year too and you  get to the race track and you see that you don’t’ have speed and you aren’t competitive with the other cars. We are going to have to get through Martinsville and Texas and Phoenix and those types of places and just see where the speed of our car racks up to really give an honest evaluation of that.”

IS THE TEST NEXT WEEK IMPORTANT FOR THOSE THINGS? “I think the test is important but you still aren’t going to be racing around people. I mean, you are going to be on the track at the same time, but there is just a difference between race conditions and how everything reacts in traffic. I mean, we all think we know how it is going to react, but you never know until they drop the green flag and you are side-by-side and have to pit.

At Charlotte, are you going to do a 50-lap run? Probably not, I’m not. You have to do those things in the race. Are you going to have tire trouble? I don’t know. Do we have too much front down force in traffic? Do we have enough down force? There are just so many questions that have got to be answered.”

TOMORROW SOME OF THE EARLY GREATS OF THE SPORT ARE GOING TO BE RACING, DO YOU THINK YOU WILL WATCH IT? “I think it is great that those guys are a part of our sport. Over the past couple of years, NASCAR has done a lot better job of getting the guys that made our sport what it is today involved in events. Bristol does a good job of involving them in their events over the past couple of years too. I think that is very important to pay those guys the tribute that they deserve for helping make our sport what it is today. It is great to see them involved and it is fun to watch.”

ARE YOU PARTICIPATING IN A FAMILY FEUD TONIGHT? “Yes. It is fun. They do a great fan event here that is open to all of the fans and they get involved and they can come watch us make fools out of ourselves so it is entertaining for them. As long as they don’t ask too many engineering questions with (Ryan) Newman on the other side, we should be ok.”

Chevrolet is one of America’s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers two hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet Impala SS - Richard Childress Racing with Driver Clint Bowyer

ON MAKING A STRONG STATEMENT THIS SEASON AND RACING AT BRISTOL…

“Well, certainly our cars have been way better than they were last year; I’m very excited about that. And um, we had a hiccup last week.  We had a bad race in Atlanta and we were able to work hard and dig deep and we had ourselves running in contention for another sixth place finish at Atlanta.  But you know circumstances at the end of the race prohibited that we ended up 23^rd and crashed.  It’s a bummer though, but it’s a long road ahead, yet and we got to just need to keep digging, keep being consistent, staying upfront, and doing the things that we’re doing and we’ll be there.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO COME OUT OF THE MEETING BETWEEN CARL EDWARDS AND BRAD KESELOSWSKI TOMORROW?

“I didn’t even know they had one.  I’m sure a big hug and enjoyment and satisfaction and big smiles.  I would expect that.  Does that sound correct?”

Audio: 2010 Bristol Food City 500 Prer-Race Conference with Clint Bowyer

I EXPECT THAT THEY’LL BE WATCHED PRETTY CLOSELY BY NASCAR ON SUNDAY, BUT HOW CLOSELY DO YOU THINK EVERYONE WILL BE WATCHED IN LIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENED IN ATLANTA?

“I definitely think everyone will be watched a lot more. You know, they said that they’re going to allow us to work things out and they have pretty much set a precedent that they are going to do that.  A three-race probation for Carl, and I don’t think you’re going to see anymore problems there.  That got scary enough and I think enough is enough, and they were probably told that and realized that after a scary incident there.  We’re at Bristol. Anything can happen here.  As luck would have it, I guarantee that they’ll be side by side, probably starting the race.  It’s just the way it is.  Throughout my racing career it never failed, you would be racing your arch-rival at your local race track.  You’d go to the big race either in Boone, Iowa, or somewhere, and you’d start side-by-side with each other in the first heat race of the week.

“It’s just the way it is, and I think that is God’s way of having a little enjoyment.  You know, awesome race track here; it is a lot of fun.  I think the thing to be most concerned about here and to watch is this wall and how it plays out over the course of the race and how that changes things.  It looks like turn four carries down a little bit rather than off of [turn] two; it’s tight in the corners coming off of our and I’m looking forward to seeing that more than I’m looking forward to any rivalry or anything like that.”

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING IS OBVIOUSLY BETTER THIS YEAR. CAN YOU TELL IF YOU GUYS HAVE CLOSED THE GAP ON THE PEOPLE THAT WERE AHEAD OF YOU? OR DO YOU SEE THAT YOU’RE BETTER AND THOSE GUYS WILL IMPROVE AND IT HASN’T REALLY CHANGED ANY?

“I definitely think we closed the gap.  They’re closer to us.  Last year, we couldn’t see them a lot of races, and now we can see them and we’re passing them.  So it’s a lot more fun to be able to

race against them.  We’re enjoying ourselves and everyone is working hard.  We’re not where we want to be yet, but the thing that I’m most excited about is the direction we’re headed as a company and the things that we’re doing to be good not only here this weekend, but on into the future.”

YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU FIRST SAW THE EXITS OF TURNS TWO AND FOUR AND YOU SORT OF EYEBALLED IT, WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION?

“This is tight quarters anyway.  It used to be that you couldn’t pass somebody without uprooting them off the bottom and potentially wrecking them and causing a huge uproar, and I know that people like to see that.  But it was good racing, racing side-by-side around here, having the option of being able to get up beside a guy, diamonding the corner and getting off underneath of him. I thought it was awesome racing.  I thought they did an awesome job repaving the place.  You know, time will tell; maybe it won’t change anything, but it looks pretty tight.”

BACK TO THE BRAD/CARL INCIDENT.  IS THAT GOOD FOR THE SPORT SINCE PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT?  IT WAS LIKE THE LEAD STORY ON ABC NEWS AFTERWARD.

“Well I mean, they say any news is good news.  But that was—that could have been bad.  That’s a different kind of news, that’s a different kind of news all together.  You know, that could have been extremely bad, and we’re just extremely lucky that it wasn’t bad and that they weren’t talking about other things.  We got to learn from that mistake—all of us as a group, and handle it accordingly and go on.  That’s the biggest thing, we need to learn from it and go on.”

DO YOU REMEMBER ANY INCIDENTS OR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED HERE AT BRISTOL THAT STICK OUT IN YOUR MIND, MAYBE EVEN FROM BEFORE YOU WERE HERE RACING LIKE YOU ARE NOW?

“Probably that Earnhardt/Labonte [incident] that’s the one that always comes up and you see it and you’re like that was pretty bad.  That’s the way those guys [raced], there are hard-nosed racers, and that’s why this track is awesome, that’s why it packs that house every time we have a race here.  That’s why the grandstands are to keep going higher and higher because of the racing that it holds within the bull ring here.  It’s just a lot of fun.  I love this race track.  You can come out of here with a smile on your face or pissed off beyond belief, but nevertheless, this is an awesome race track.”

I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE STRUGGLED HERE BEFORE, OR HAD A BAD CAR, BUT WHAT IS IT LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A CAR THAT IS JUST NOT WORKING FOR THE 500?

“Worse that any track we’ve ever been to.  I mean growing up, any track you have ever been to because you cannot get out of the way, you can’t get settled in, and you can’t get comfortable.

And I mean if you’re really loose, you’re trying to just settle in somewhere and find a hole to take a breath and get your composure—it ain’t going to happen.  You better just do it right while you’re holding on to the thing and try to maintain because the next thing that is going to happen is that you get turned around and wrecked.  It happens so fast here.  Everything happens so fast here.  You just got to maintain and try to hold your composure throughout the race.  That’s what happens here, you get into somebody accidently, or they’ll get into you and turn you sideways a bit and they’ll ruffle your feathers, but you better get calmed back down and settled in or you’re in for a long rest of the race.”

HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN INCIDENT HERE WHERE YOU’VE COME DOWN BOTH PIT ROADS UNDER GREEN?

“No, but I’ve seen sports greats do it [come down both pit roads under green].  When one of the best drivers in the sport has a mistake like that, you see it and you’re like if he can do it anybody can do it.  You have to learn from that and I think we all did.  It is tricky because there is so much going on.  You go out there and your heads in it.  You’re trying to pass the car in front of you, or you’re trying to figure out where you can gain grip, trying to figure out what you need to do to make your car faster so you can keep up.  There are just so many things that are normal for every race track, but you have to confine them to a pretty tight area, so there are just a lot of things happening fast throughout your mind, that it’s easy to slip up and make that mistake.  It’s just natural, everything you do is off the cuff and by the seat of your pants and in that split-second decision and you just do it and things happen here and certainly that’s one of the things that can bite you in a big way.

Chevrolet is one of America’s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers two hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com

- Team Chevy, Press Release

2010 NSCS Jeff Burton - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

TALK ABOUT RACING HERE AT BRISTOL THIS WEEKEND: “First of all, I would like to say something about Jeff Byrd. His absence this week is certainly being felt. He is one of those people that when you come to his race track, it is like coming to his house. He always wants to make you feel like you are welcome, like a guest at his house is honestly how I always felt whenever I talked to Jeff. He has done an incredible job with the fans here and his presence will be missed this weekend. I know he will be back strong in the future and it will be good to have him back.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL COME OUT OF THE MEETING ON SATURDAY BETWEEN CARL (EDWARDS) AND BRAD (KESELOWSKI)? “I expect they will come out there understanding that they are not in charge, that NASCAR is and if they continue, NASCAR will remind them in a way they won’t soon forget that they are in charge. I think it will be demanded of them to behave in a certain fashion and find a way to work together. Race hard, but work together. I think that will be the gist of the conversation I would imagine. If Mike (Helton) is involved in it, that is how the conversation will go. That is what I will expect. I would also expect them to be able to try and get some things off their chest and NASCAR, I’m sure, will encourage that. I don’t think Mike ever minds hearing a good argument, but he’ll have the final say.”

Audio: 2010 Bristol Food City 500 NSCS Pre-Race Conference with Jeff Burton

DO YOU FEEL LIKE EVERYONE WILL BE WATCHED MORE CLOSELY ON SUNDAY? “I don’t think it is any different honestly. I think what happened at Atlanta, it wasn’t pretty. It was a situation that I think surprised a lot of us. It’s not how it should have been handled. At the same time, I don’t think it really changes a lot for this weekend. We haven’t seen that end result happen in NASCAR, but we have seen the beginning of it happen in NASCAR before. I don’t think it really ever changed the way I approached the race and I don’t think it will truly change the way anybody else approaches the race.”

THE WING WAS INTRODUCED THREE YEARS AGO AT BRISTOL AND NOW IT IS HERE THAT WE WILL SEE THE END OF THE WING, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT IF IT HAD LOOKED GOOD, COULD IT HAVE BEEN MADE TO WORK OR WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? “I think the majority of the reason the wing is being changed is because of the way it looks.  That means I believe the wing could have worked and we’ve seen that. If you look at the races at the end of last year, the middle part on last year, you look at the racing we have seen this year, all those races that we have had that have been really good have been with the wing. So it doesn’t mean we can’t be successful with the wing nor does it mean we can’t be successful with the spoiler. I think the cars will be good with the spoiler. As I told you guys many times, the biggest improvement in the car has been the tires. We now have tires that make reasonable grip and now the cars drive much better because of the grip the tires make. I believe the car could be successful with the wing because we have seen it be successful with the wing. But in no way do I think it can’t be successful with the spoiler.”

IS THE SELF-POLICING A REALITY AND WHAT IS THE RESULT? “I’m ok with the sport self-policing, I am ok with that. I think one of the coolest things about our sport is that every lap at every race track, someone could spin somebody out to take the position. The truth of the matter is the reason that doesn’t happen is because you know that if you do that; it is going to get done to you. So the sport really self-polices itself anyway.  If you go back and look at the number of times people have been penalized for spinning someone out, it is very very small. The percentage of penalties per incident is a pretty small percentage. I don’t know what that number is, would be interested to see, but I bet it is in the single digits. I would be shocked if it wasn’t in the single digits. That in and of itself means the sport polices itself already. I think, NASCAR, and there has to be, I think Mike said it this winter or what I heard was Mike said to me, there would be a line that we could cross and they’ll handle it. And we have to have that. There has to be a limit that we cross and NASCAR steps in and says we are not going to put up with that, that is across the limit and we’re not putting up with it. But they can’t make every call. You guys have set up in the media centers that are above the race track, it is very difficult to make every single call when you have to determine what a driver’s intention is.  The drivers know. So I believe the sport is self-policing anyway and I believe that there is a catastrophic, and I am over-using that word, policy and that is when NASCAR steps in. When you have crossed that line, that is when NASCAR steps in, but prior to that, it needs to be left up to us.”

HOW TOUGH HAS THE ECONOMY BEEN ON RACING AND IS THIS THE TOUGHEST YOU HAVE SEEN DURING YOUR CAREER? “It is the longest it has been. There was a time, and I don’t remember the years, but there was time when we had a tough year when we had the number of cars down and we had number of people in the seats down, but it lasted for a much shorter time than this has lasted. This economy has been the way it is for a period of time now and no one has seen major signs of improvement. There have been small signs of improvement but you had to look really hard to find them. We feel that. It costs money to do this. No matter what part of it you are doing, whether it is what you guys do, what we do, what the fans do, it costs money to do it. Any time that money starts getting looked at hard, when stuff costs money, stuff gets eliminated. People are having to make hard decisions about not coming to the race track. The thing that I feel good about is I think our sport is strong. I think our sport full of competitive people and long-term I feel good about the success we can have. But, anytime we have a situation where we have an economy the way we have now, it is going to be felt.”

WHAT IS THE MADDEST YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE CAR? “I’ve been mad a lot. I don’t get as mad as I used to. I’ve learned to control myself a little bit. I got really mad at Sears Point one time; I wanted to rip Johnny Benson’s head off. Problem was, it wasn’t Johnny Benson that spun me out. So that was kind of embarrassing. There have been a bunch of times I have been really mad and my emotions got the better of me.

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“Being around long enough, I now understand that this is really important and we work really hard at it.  When something bad happens, the way you handle it means a lot. Learning from it means a lot and just flipping out about it fixes nothing.  It makes nothing better. It is not that I don’t care about it, but I think that how I handle it is a lot different.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CHARLOTTE TEST GOING TO BE NEXT WEEK TO GET EVERYBODY READY FOR THE SPOILER? “I think we’d be ready if NASCAR told us today without the test. If NASCAR said here, this is what the rules are; we would all go there and be ready.  Talladega is probably a track where we need testing the least. The only thing we really need testing there is to understand when a lot of cars get together, what the speed it. That is really the reason to go to Talladega to test. More so that than it is to make the teams smarter or make the teams understand more. It is much more about what is the closure speed, what is the top speed, what is the average speed?  All those things are hard to calculate when you get big groups of cars. That is what I think about that.”

AS A COMPETITOR, DO YOU THINK NASCAR LOOKS AT HOW POPULAR A DRIVER IS WHEN DECIDING A PENALTY? “I think they take who you are into consideration, but I don’t think they take into consideration who you are as in are you popular or are you not popular. I think they take who you are…listen, if Mark Martin spins somebody out, they can look at him and say most likely he didn’t mean to do it. But if there is another guy that constantly does it, they have to look at him and say maybe he did mean to do it. So your history and past and you reputation, the same way it does in everyday life. If you are a model citizen and you screw up, you are looked at a little bit differently than a citizen that completely screws up all of the time. I think that it is only fair to have people’s history looked out when determining what penalties should be doled out. I think it would be completely unfair to dole out penalties based on people’s popularity. That isn’t fair. The day that I feel that NASCAR makes decisions based on someone’s popularity will be the day I walk in here and tell you that I feel that and will be the day that I walk out of the gate and go find something else to do. If I don’t feel like I have a fair shot because I am not as popular as somebody else, then I just need to go do something different.”

WAS THE TALLADEGA TEST LAST WEEK THE HIGHEST SPEEDS YOU HAVE EVER GONE IN A STOCK CAR? “Talladega, we had all kinds of different stuff on the car at one point or another. We had tall spoilers, short spoilers, bigger (restrictor) plates…we had a lot of different combinations on so there were some speeds that NASCAR felt were excessive. But I don’t think that is necessarily what we are going to see when we go back there to race. I think in the fall race there last year, I was pushing Junior (Dale Earnhardt, Jr) and I think they recorded us a 212 miles an hour and they flipped out because the speed was so high.  That was in the race. I don’t know plate/blade combination they are going to come up with, I don’t know what they are going to do, but they are going to pull that down so we don’t see those big speeds just for the sake of keeping cars on the ground I think.”

WHAT IS A LESSON YOU WERE “TAUGHT” THAT YOU REMEMBER THE MOST? “Jack Ingram taught me a lesson I will never forget. Although I have to admit that I didn’t heed it as well as I should have. I went down there and ran my little mouth and he let me know real quick that wasn’t going to be tolerated. NASCAR wasn’t involved. NASCAR didn’t have anything to do with it. I didn’t go running to NASCAR although I wanted to. I wanted to go running to my Momma. He let me know in his own way that my attitude wouldn’t be tolerated in that garage. It was something I look at today. It is kind of funny the way it all went down. He doesn’t remember it, I asked him about it and he doesn’t remember it which says something about it. Because, to me it was a big deal, but to him, he doesn’t even remember it. It kind of says something about the way things were, versus the way they are today. He physically, literally picked me up off the race track. I was behind his trailer. He literally had my feet off the ground. His son, I remember the words like it was yesterday, said “Daddy, put Jeff down, he’s a good boy”. That was like music to my ears man. Put Jeff down. Honestly, it was a good experience for me because here I was, these guys were racing to put food on the table, ok. I never had to worry about where my food was going to come from. My father could afford to feed me.  I never had to worry about that. Here’s a guy that is making a living putting food on the table doing something I thought was just a hobby. It was an eye-opening experience for me.”

WHAT IS 500 LAPS AT BRISTOL LIKE IF YOU HAVE A CAR THAT IS A PIECE OF JUNK? “My perspective of that is you have to understand the situation you are in and it is your responsibility to get 100% out of it. So on the days you do have a car that is not very good, it is really hard and this is one of the places that is the hardest. But this is also one of the places when you don’t have a good car; you have the advantage of a small track. At Michigan you can’t do anything about it, people are going by you. At Bristol you can do some things as a driver to get the most out of to be a nuisance to people to try and make something happen. That is really how you have to look at it. You have to get over the fact what your car….you have to quit complaining and worrying about what your car won’t do and pay attention to what it can do and understand it is part of a big picture. It is one of 26 races and ultimately one of 36 races. But that perspective has to be kept and if you keep that perspective on a bad day, it helps you turn a bad day in to a good day. You have to also shift your goals. So you come in to every race with I’m going to win the race. Where there are some races when you finish 17^th and you leave here thinking I drove better than everybody else did today. That is all you can do. You have got to go make more out of less. It turns into a challenge. It turns into what can I do. You can’t get mad about it, you can’t get emotional about, you just have to pull your boots up and go to work. That is how I try to do it.”

Chevrolet is one of America’s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers two hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

Bristol Motor Speedway Logo

At the end of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup campaign, Harvick found himself sitting in 19^th place in the point standings. It had been an uncharacteristically rough year, but things did start turning around for Richard Childress Racing and Harvick before the season ended.

In the off-season, the general consensus was that Harvick and his RCR teammates – Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer – again would find consistency and victory lane this year. Heading into the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway March 21, they are certainly headed in that direction.

While none of the three have won yet, all have run extremely well. Burton is sixth in the standings, Bowyer, fifth and Harvick leads the standings and Matt Kenseth by 26 points.

With BMS looming, the odds definitely look good for the Childress drivers. Childress has nine wins at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile as a car owner and all of his current drivers have Bristol wins. Both Harvick and Burton have Cup victories and each of the three have won in the Nationwide Series.

Just two years ago, they made history at BMS, finishing 1-2-3 in the Food City 500 as Burton won, followed by Harvick and Bowyer. No other team had ever swept the top three positions at the concrete oval.

Obviously, Harvick is feeling good as he gears up for one of his favorite tracks.

“It feels really good to be in the position we are right now heading into Bristol,” he said. “We’ve come a long way from where we were last year and I have to thank (crew chief) Gil (Martin) and all these guys on the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet.  I always look forward to Bristol because you never know what the outcome is going to be, which makes it exciting for the fans.”

“Bristol is one of my favorite places to go. I grew up on a half-mile, high-banked racetrack and enjoy the beating and banging. I have been very fortunate to have a lot of success there and hopefully that continues this time around.  RCR has always run really well there, and we go there with high expectations because of that. I always go into a race at Bristol feeling like I can win.”

Harvick and the rest of the Sprint Cup field will begin their quest for the Food City crown Friday, March 19 as qualifying is set for 3:40 p.m.

Race Weekend Notes: This is the 99^th race at Bristol Motor Speedway since the track opened in 1961… David Pearson returns to race at Bristol in the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown Saturday afternoon for the first time since finishing seventh in the 1979 Volunteer 500… Chevrolet leads all manufacturers at BMS with 41 wins… Jack Roush leads all active car owners at Bristol with 10 wins…Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon have five wins each at BMS to lead active drivers… Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has never won a race at Bristol… No driver has ever won a Cup race starting from the 16^th of 17^th position on the .533-mile oval… Mark Martin’s nine poles tops all current drivers…Ryan Newman holds the Cup qualifying record with a lap of 128.709 mph (14.908 sec.) set March 21, 2003…. Charlie Glotzbach, also competing in the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown, owns the race record of 101.074 mph (2:38.12) set July 11, 1971.

Tickets are still available for Food City 500 weekend. A package, consisting of Ford Fan Friday qualifying (March 19), the Scotts Turf Builder 300 and the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown (March 20) and the March 21 Food City 500, starts at only $99.

For fans who can only attend the Food City 500, single day tickets may be purchased, starting at $93. Tickets for Saturday’s doubleheader start at just $45 while fans can watch Ford Fan Friday qualifying for only $5, then attend Food City Race Night at BMS for free.

A season ticket package featuring nine events during the March and August NASCAR weekends starts at only $199. The package includes NASCAR’s two most popular Sprint Cup races, along with a pair of Nationwide events, a Camping World Truck Series race, the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown, a Whelen Modified event, qualifying and Food City Race Night.

For more information concerning tickets, please visit www.bristoltix.com or call the BMS ticket office at 423-BRISTOL (274-7865).

Speedway Motorsports is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates the following premier facilities: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. The Company provides souvenir merchandising services through its SMI Properties subsidiaries; manufactures and distributes smaller-scale, modified racing cars and parts through its 600 Racing subsidiary; and produces and broadcasts syndicated motorsports programming to radio stations nationwide through its Performance Racing Network subsidiary. The Company also equally-owns Motorsports Authentics, a joint venture formed with International Speedway Corporation to produce, market and sell licensed motorsports merchandise. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.speedwaymotorsports.com

- Bristol Motor Speedway, Press Release

2010 NSCS Clint Bowyer - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

Race Notes and Quotes:

• This Weekend’s BB&T Chevrolet Impala at Bristol Motor Speedway … Clint Bowyer will pilot Chassis No. 268 from Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Bowyer drove this Chevrolet three times last season, finishing 11th at Dover International Speedway in June, 10th at Michigan International Speedway two weeks later and third at Pocono Raceway in August.
• Milestone Start … This weekend’s 500-lap race at BMS marks Bowyer’s 150th career NSCS start. In 149 NSCS starts, Bowyer has earned two wins (New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Sept. 2007 and Richmond International Raceway – May 2008), two poles (Darlington Raceway – May 2007 and NHMS – Sept. 2007), 21 top-five and 64 top-10 finishes. The Emporia, Kan., native has led 774 laps, boasts an average finish of 15.5 and has been running at the finish in 144 of the 149 races. Bowyer made his NSCS debut at Phoenix International Raceway in April 2005, where he started 25th and finished 22nd.
• Bowyer in Thunder Valley … In eight NSCS starts at Bristol, the two-time NSCS race winner has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Bowyer boasts an 18.6 average start, to go along with a 15.2 average finish and has led 81 laps while completing 97.8 percent (3,923 of 4,013) of the laps contested at the .533-mile oval.
• Former Bristol Winner … Bowyer and the No. 2 BB&T team won the rain-shortened 171-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series race at BMS in March 2008. He started fourth and led a race-high 122 laps en route to the victory.
• Starting Out Strong … Over the first four events this season, Bowyer has earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has an average start and finish of 10.8. Additionally, Bowyer has led 46 laps and has been running inside the top 15 for 799 of 1,066 laps contested (75.0 percent), third most amongst his competitors.
• Rearview Mirror … Bowyer finished 23rd in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago. The Shane Wilson-led team rebounded from an early flat tire to lead the field to the first of two green-white-checkered flag restarts. As the field exited turn four, the No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet was collected in a multi-car accident, resulting in the team’s first non top-10 finish of the 2010 season.
• Meet the Press … Bowyer will be available inside the BMS infield media center to field questions from the gathered media on Friday, March 19 at 10:30 a.m.
• Let’s Get Ready to Rumble … On Friday, Clint ‘The Bruiser’ Bowyer will go head-to-head with reigning BMS Wii Boxing Champion Elliott ‘Bam Bam’ Sadler. This free event begins at 6:35 p.m. inside the BMS hospitality village. Other NSCS drivers set to duke it out include A.J. Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Scott Speed. For more information, check out www.bristolmotorspeedway.com
• Burning Rubber … Goodyear has invited Bowyer to test their new high-performance street tire at Road Atlanta on Wednesday. The 30-year old driver will go out and push a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to its limit and give his feedback on the tires, which are set to hit stores early this summer.
• Homecoming … Michael Hodges, shock specialist for the No. 33 team, is the only member of the BB&T crew that calls the Tri-cities area his home. Hodges grew up in Abingdon, Va., where he graduated from Abingdon High School in 2001.
• Shaving Time … Bowyer is teamed up with driver Carl Edwards as the Gillette Young Guns try to shave 500 miles of faces before April 30. Check out www.Gillette500.com for further information and to join Team Carl/Clint.

CLINT BOWYER QUOTES:

What track would you send a person to who has never been to a race?

“As a race fan, if someone asked me where to go to watch a race, I’m sending them to Bristol first. Then they go around and see the other tracks. You haven’t seen a race track until you’ve seen Bristol. It’s an awesome spectacle of what we do as race car drivers and as a sport.”

What’s your opinion on the new safer barriers that have been added to Bristol?

“I’m a fan of the way the racing surface is right now. I like the two-wide racing and I think you’ll still be able to do it there. I don’t think the safer barriers will change the racing much. I like being able to run side-by-side and being able to race your way around somebody. Bristol has always been one of my favorite race tracks and the fans always get their monies worth no matter how wide or narrow it is.”

What’s your opinion on the new racing surface at Bristol?

“It’s better because you can race side-by-side and you don’t have to just clean somebody out. I do see, as a fan, that there are not as many cautions and you don’t see the emotions flare up as much, but it’s definitely created better racing. It’s still Bristol. We’re still racing in and out of two-wide traffic. It’s just a little cleaner racing than what the fans used to see there.”

Can you describe what Bristol is like for a driver?

“Bristol can get you in trouble quickly. You have to be able to get in there, get settled in and get comfortable. If you can’t, you’re in for a rude awakening, big time.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

2010 NSCS Jeff Burton - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

Race Notes and Quotes:

• This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 293 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Food City 500. Built new for the 2010 season, Burton drove this Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala to an 11^th-place finish three weeks ago at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• Bristol Details … In 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Burton owns one win, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Since joining RCR in August 2004, he has four top-five and six top-10 efforts at the 0.533-mile race track in 11 starts. The South Boston, Va., native won the 2008 Food City 500, leading the final two laps and RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer to the line. The win gave RCR its first ever one-two-three finish.  
• Burton Loopy in Bristol … According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Burton is the sport’s best Closer at BMS. The veteran driver has improved an average of 1.7 positions in the last 10 percent of laps in each race. Over the last 10 events at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Burton gained 17 positions during the final 10 percent of those races. Additionally, the 21-time Sprint Cup Series winner is the series’ fifth-best Green-Flag Passer. Since the inception of loop data statistics in 2005, Burton has made 371 passes under green-flag conditions.
• Season Numbers … Over the season’s four races, Burton has made 629 passes under green-flag conditions, the most of all current active drivers. He is also one of nine drivers who have completed all laps contested thus far. Burton also holds an 11.3 average finish and has led 47 laps of competition.
• Survey Says … As part of Food City Family Race night, Burton will participate in a game of Family Feud. The 2008 Food City 500 winner, along with fellow RCR stablemate Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana, will face off against, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and his wife Krissie on Friday, March 19 at approximately 7:20 p.m. The event is free to the public and will take place at the Food City Stage in Bristol Motor Speedway’s hospitality village, located outside turn four. For more information log on to www.foodcity.com/racing.
• Meet the Press … Burton will be available inside the infield media center at BMS to field questions from the gathered press on Friday, March 19 at 10:45 a.m.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:

Why is winning at Bristol a big deal?

“It’s such a hard and physically demanding race track. It’s so unique from any other race on the circuit we go to that it makes it special. It’s not about money or a cool trophy. It’s about being able to say ‘hey, I won at Bristol.’ Everybody knows what racing at Bristol is like and it’s a challenge to race the race track and 42 other drivers. To say you won at Bristol is rewarding.”

Do you think the new surface at Bristol has produced a race that is exciting for the fans to watch?

“I’m a race fan, too, and I certainly like the controversy. But, I can honestly say that the racing at Bristol is the best it’s ever been. There are not as many incidents and wrecks as there used to be, and I guess it’s taken some excitement out of it in some eyes, but from a racer’s standpoint, most drivers like the way the track is today.”

Will the newly-added soft walls in turns two and four affect the racing at Bristol?

“When soft walls were first introduced, a lot of people flipped out about it but, in the end, they had very little impact. It maybe changed your line a little bit. I suspect it will make a little bit of a difference at Bristol because the outside line may not work as quite as well. You may not be able to arc the exit quite as much as you used to do. So, we’ll have to wait and see how much it will affect the racing.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

No. 29 Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet (Kevin Harvick) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Race Notes and Quotes:

• This Week’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 281 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable.  This Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet became a workhorse for the team during the second half of the 2009 season.  This particular chassis was used six times last year, including a runner-up finish in the fall Atlanta race and a sixth-place finish in the Brickyard 400.
• Career Bristol Stats … The Food City 500 marks Harvick’s 327th career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 18 Sprint Cup Series starts at the 0.533-mile oval, Harvick has claimed one victory (Apr. 3, 2005), nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. In addition, the Shell-Pennzoil driver has completed 97.5 percent (8,792 of 9,013) total laps, and he has led at least one lap in nine Bristol starts for a total of 390 laps.
• RCR Trifecta … Harvick and RCR teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer dominated the 2008 Food City 500.  Burton claimed the victory, while Harvick and Bowyer crossed the finish line in second and third, respectively.
• Fifty-Fifty … Viewed as one of his favorite race tracks, Harvick has scored top-five finishes at a 50 percent clip at Bristol (nine of 18 starts).  His nine top-five finishes at Bristol are the most of any other track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. 
• Passing Grade … Two weeks ago in Atlanta, the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team’s performance was awarded the O’Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award.  Harvick started the race 35^th and improved his finish by 26 positions, finishing ninth. 
• Survey Says … As part of Food City Family Race night, Harvick and his wife DeLana, will participate in a game of Family Feud. The 2005 Food City 500 winner, along with fellow RCR stablemate Jeff Burton, will face off against Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and his wife Krissie, on Friday, March 19 at approximately 7:20 p.m. The event is free to the public and will take place at the Food City Stage in Bristol Motor Speedway’s hospitality village, located outside turn four. For more information log on to www.foodcity.com/racing.

•       Winner, Winner … In addition to his Sprint Cup Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, Harvick has also secured five Nationwide Series victories at BMS (four with RCR), including last spring’s Scotts Turf Builders 300.  In total, he owns 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 19 Nationwide Series starts.  Harvick has led an astounding 1,075 of a possible 4,839 laps in Nationwide Series competition.

§          Double Duty in Bristol … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick will drive Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s No. 33 Chevrolet Impala in the March 20^th Scotts Turf Builders 300 Nationwide Series event. The race will air live on ABC beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and will also be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

You had two really strong races at Bristol in 2008, but then last year, you struggled by finishing 30^th and 38^th.  How tough was that to take, considering it has been one of your best tracks?

“The first race, we didn’t practice much at all.  We kind of went with the trick of the week, and tricked ourselves.  And then, the second race we crashed, and that was just kind of the story of the year.  So, it was definitely not a typical Bristol for us to say the least.  It has generally been a money track for us, and I look for that to continue this weekend.”

The way RCR ran the last part of the season a year ago, you guys were really strong.  Did you think that was a good indication that you would start off the year so strongly?

“I believe so.  For me, it’s all about consistency.  It’s not to be consistently 30^th, but it’s taking a 30^th-place car and finishing 10^th to 15^th with it.  You have to capitalize on every opportunity and just be solid.  You don’t have to win every race, but you just have to be consistent week in and week out, and we are doing that.”

What was the biggest emphasis with the team during the offseason?

”They worked on a lot of structural changes, and a lot of small, little detailed changes that they already had in motion from the end of last year.  Then, Scott (Miller) was just getting his feet underneath him, as far as what his role was going to consist of, and then making it work on a daily basis.   That has been a real positive move.  And now, our cars are close enough to where we can really go to work on the details, and that’s when things start going in the right direction.”

Tell us what your thoughts are regarding the change to the spoiler?  Will that be a good thing?

”Yes, I think the spoiler is going to be a good thing.  It’s something that we all thought should have been on there from the start, or at least a lot of us thought that.  The spoiler is what it’s all about, compared to the wing, because that’s what NASCAR racing is all about.”

– Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

Richard Childress Racing

• RCR in Thunder Valley… In 116 Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol, RCR boasts nine wins – seven with Dale Earnhardt, one with Kevin Harvick and one with Jeff Burton– three poles, 30 top-five and 52 top-10 finishes.  RCR-prepared Chevrolets swept the podium in the 2008 Food City 500 when Burton drove to Victory Lane, Harvick finished second and Bowyer rounded out the top three finishers.
• Get to the Points … All three of RCR’s Sprint Cup Series drivers are in the top six of the overall championship point standings heading into the fifth race of the 2010 season. Eighty-six markers separate point leader Harvick and Bowyer’s fifth-place tally. Burton is sixth in the point standings, 106 points in arrears to Harvick.
• Testing, 1-2-3, Testing … In preparation for the upcoming races, RCR’s Sprint Cup Series teams have been steadily busy, testing at various race tracks in the southeast region. The Nos. 29 and 31 teams participated in NASCAR’s spoiler test at Talladega Superspeedway on Tuesday, March 16. The No. 33 team tested at Rockingham Speedway on Monday while the No. 31 team will visit the same facility on Wednesday. Additionally, the No. 33 team participated in Goodyear’s tire test at Darlington Raceway on Tues., March 9.
• Name that Tune … Bristol Motor Speedway will introduce the starting field for Sunday’s 500-lap event to each driver’s song of choice. Burton will be introduced to the tune of Guns N Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” while Bowyer chose “Burning Love” by his all-time favorite music artist Elvis. Point leader Harvick will wave to the fans to Limp Bizkit’s melody “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).”
• RCR on Twitter … To keep up-to-date with the latest news and information and to view exclusive content, visit RCR’s Twitter page – @RCRracing – along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages – @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton and @RCR33CBowyer.
• Catch the Action … The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, March 21 beginning at 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time on Fox. The race will also be broadcast live on Performance Racing Network and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the fifth of 36 points-paying races will be televised on SPEED Fri., March 19, beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

“Youngster Still Looking for Sponsorship Help to Run Event with Eddie Sharp Racing in April”

Brandon McReynolds

McReynolds was the second-quickest of the 21 cars in attendance at the ARCA Racing Series open test session. McReynolds’ time of 29.071 seconds (185.752 mph) was less than 0.04 of a second off the fastest time turned in during the one-day test.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled out onto the track for the first time,” said McReynolds, who has been to the track before as a spectator, but never driven on the ultra-fast speedway in Fort Worth. “But right away, the car was fast. We were on top of the charts after the early runs, then got pushed down the list as cars were bolting on new tires. When we put on new tires, we got right back up there on top of the list.

“At the end of the day, we were second fastest on the speed charts. I really think we were the best on old tires as well, which is where we wanted to be. So overall, I think it was a very productive day.”

McReynolds is hoping to find sponsorship that will allow him to compete in the Rattlesnake 150 on April 16th at Texas Motor Speedway with Eddie Sharp Racing. The Friday event is scheduled to follow both NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series practice as well as Sprint Cup qualifying, which will bring a potential sponsor added attention. In addition to the live audience at the track, the race will be aired on SPEED TV as well.

“We are working a lot of angles and trying to put something together,” said Larry McReynolds, Brandon’s father. “There is a lot of interest out there, but putting everything together is the hardest part. We’re working on giving a potential sponsor not just their name on a racecar, but a competitive package with a championship-winning team. And after Brandon’s test at Texas, I think we are on our way to that. I’m really proud of what Brandon did down there never turning a lap on that track before. It was quite different from his ARCA test at Daytona and he adapted to it rather well.”

Larry joined son Brandon at the test, which helped Brandon get a feel for the track a little faster than most.

“Obviously, with Dad over here, it is amazing the things he can tell you even though he didn’t drive the race car; he really knows what he’s doing,” added Brandon. “There were a lot of good cars down here; a lot of cars that had some sort of Cup affiliation. The RCR guys had Scott Wimmer at the track helping one of their drivers and that turned out to be a lot of help to me too. I watched Scott closely and learned from what he was doing.

“I came out of there with a new respect for Texas. That place is really fast. I thought Daytona was wicked, but this place is just unreal. I thought coming into it that you would use more throttle than you did, but you have to let out and get the car set. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.

“If we get the chance to come back for the race, I think we will be a favorite to run up front.”

Brandon is coming off the most successful season in his young racing career. Brandon piloted his #28 Team McReynolds Dodge to three wins and three poles in 16 UARA-Stars Series starts, coming home third in the final point standings. He also had seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes along the way. In addition to his UARA accomplishments, McReynolds finished second in the annual Bailey’s 300 at Martinsville Speedway in early October.

Team McReynolds hopes to move to the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series or USA Racing Pro Cup Series for the 2010 season, along with continuing to run a handful of UARA events. Brandon also has it on his schedule to compete in a 250 lap NASCAR Late Model event at Southside Speedway in VA. This race is sponsored by NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin and will run on the Thursday night prior to the Sprint Cup Weekend at the Richmond International Raceway in late April.

The biggest challenge to accomplish any of this is to secure sponsorship. With the package of a talented young driver, a championship caliber race team and the likes of Larry McReynolds, any company would benefit in a relationship with Team McReynolds to help promote their product or company. Please contact the shop office at 704-799-9170 to discuss the opportunities available.

As always, check out Brandon McReynolds’ official website, www.brandonmcreynolds.com, for all the most recent news and information on Brandon and the entire team.

-

Keyed-Up Motorsports looks to turn program around by adding one
of the sports major engine suppliers, Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines

Keyed-Up Motorsports

ECR develops and builds engines for its Chevrolet NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams and also leases engines for teams in NASCAR’s top three series. ECR engines dominated the Daytona International Speedway earlier this season, as ECR engines were used by Nationwide race winner Tony Stewart (No. 4), Sprint Cup Bud Shootout winner Kevin Harvick (No. 29), and Daytona 500 race winner Jaime McMurray (No. 1). The season’s second race of the year (Auto Club 500, Fontana, CA) saw ECR engines take the top three starting spots, with McMurray on the pole.

“This is a huge step in the right direction to be competitive,“ Keyed-Up Motorsports driver Casey Mears stated today.  “We still have a lot of short-term work to do to accomplish our goals, but this gives us a more of an advantage to making races.”

“We ran an ECR engine in the Gatorade Duel race back in February and we were very competitive amongst the multi-car teams,” stated Keyed-Up’s owner, Raymond Key. “We utilized another company’s engines following Daytona, and after failing to make the last three races, we decided to make some serious adjustments.  Our engine program was high on our list.”

The next stop on the 2010 Sprint Cup circuit is the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 21st. The team currently sits outside the top 35 in points; therefore, it must rely on one of the fastest speeds amongst the cars listed as “go-or-go-homers”.

“We have missed the last few races by less than fourteen-tenths (.14) of a second”, added Key. “With an ECR engine in the car, we feel our horsepower struggles are over and we a better opportunity to qualify for races.”

About Keyed-Up Motorsports

Founded by Virginia businessman Raymond Key, Keyed-Up Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fields the No. 90 Chevrolet Impala driven by Casey Mears. For more information about Keyed-Up Motorsports on the web, please visit: http://www.KeyedUpMotorsports.com.

- Keyed-Up Motorsports, Press Release

No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet (Regan Smith) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

“It’s been approximately six weeks since we formed an alliance with RCR, and we can already feel a special synergy between the two organizations,” said Garone. “We’re being treated as a teammate of RCR’s multicar operation, and it’s exciting to be aligned with one of the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup organizations. With the data sharing process going both ways, it will no doubt be a valuable asset for Furniture Row Racing and RCR.”

Garone added that as the alliance with RCR moves forward, the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy, driven by Regan Smith, will be under the same chassis program as the three RCR teams of Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, Jeff Burton’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet and Clint Bowyer’s No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet.

Garone also wanted to clear up any confusion about Furniture Row’s engine program.

“We are again running Hendrick engines,” Garone said. “This is our third full season of having Hendrick horsepower under the hood of the Furniture Row Chevy.”

Garone said he is upbeat about the No. 78 team’s performance. After suffering an early accident and a 39th-place finish at the season opening Daytona 500, Smith and the Furniture Row team have rebounded with finishes of 19th in California, 21st in Las Vegas and 14th in Atlanta. Smith is 26th in driver points.

“We made a number of personnel moves during the off-season, and you can sense that we have a special team chemistry,” said Garone. “We still have a ways to go, but the key right now is that we’re heading in the right direction.”

The three RCR Cup teams are off to an incredible start. Harvick is first in driver points, Bowyer is fifth and Burton is sixth.

“Looking at the current standings, it’s obvious that we find ourselves in a great position,” stated Garone. “It’s an exciting time at Furniture Row Racing.”

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing, Press Release

“Last Minute Opportunity Makes for Busy Off-weekend”

Tim George Jr.

George Jr. returned to RCR’s shop following the Tire Kingdom 150 to prepare for the ARCA open test at Texas Motor Speedway on March 9th. Then, George Jr. took a late night flight to Miami Thursday to practice in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series on Friday.

The ARCA Racing Series driver spent 2007 competing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series. He finished the season with three top-10 qualifiers, five top-10 finishes and 20th in overall driver points out of 101 drivers. This made for a great season, as George Jr. had only two years of prior racing experience participating in the Skip Barber Racing Series. George Jr. then moved up to the Grand-Am Rolex Series before making the switch from sports cars to stock cars.

“I am honored to be able to race with Ken Wilden and the Rehagen group,” George Jr. said. “I look forward to any chance to come back, race competitively in a sports car and strengthen my road course skills. And, I am very grateful that RCR allowed me to participate.”

The Rehagen Racing No. 58 team had mechanical problems in practice but worked hard to get back on the track. “We had a brake issue in practice and could not get the car ready to make qualifying. However, the guys worked very hard overnight, and it shows why this team won the championship last year. We were sixth in this morning’s practice which is a good sign for the race. I’m excited to be sponsored by Cabana again; running into them at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival was great!”

Having missed qualifying, George Jr. and Grunewald took the green flag for the Homestead 200 in the 38th starting spot. The team had two and a half hours to work their way up through the field. George Jr. took the wheel and navigated into the top-10. Unfortunately, the No. 58 car had a different pit strategy than the leaders and had to pit under green for gas and a driver change. In the end, the No. 58 moved up 13 spots from their starting position and took the checkered flag in 25th.

“It’s good to be back in the sports car garage driving with my good friend and pro drifter Conrad Grunewald,” said the ARCA regular. “We didn’t finish as well as we had hoped, but I did benefit from the experience in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.”

The RCR Development driver then flew to Atlanta, where he accompanied RCR VP of Competition, Mike Dillon on the spotter’s stand and observeded his RCR teammates in the Kobalt Tools 500. George Jr. will continue to keep busy before the next ARCA race at Salem Speedway. He will test the No. 31 RCR Development Chevy at the ARCA open test at Texas Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Talladega Super Speedway in two weeks. He will also be co-hosting the Race 2 Win internet radio show, which fans can listen to every week on the race2win.net, Thursdays at 1 PM.

Tim would also like to send his best wishes for a speedy recovery to Judy Childress, who is hospitalized in Winston-Salem.

2010 NSCS Jeff Burton - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND COMPETITION-WISE THIS WEEKEND?

“That’s a good question. This has been a really, really slick race track for a long time. Goodyear has brought a new tire. I think that’s the big question for everybody. Is this tire going to be as much as an improvement as we had in Vegas and California? I think that’s the big question. We really can’t answer that until we get out there. That’s the competition thing that’s looming is how much more grip, if more grip; and what’s the durability going to be like because this track has really gotten tough. That’s the thing I’ve got on my mind.”

Audio: 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 Pre-Race Conference with Jeff Burton

THERE IS TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS GOING TO BE A MARCH RACE IN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO HERE IN ATLANTA. WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES ABOUT THIS TRACK, PARTICULARLY IN THE SPRING?

“(Kevin) Harvick winning right after Dale’s (Earnhardt) death was a pretty dramatic moment. That was certainly an incredible thing through a bad situation to have that come around was probably one of the biggest things I’ve ever seen here. My worst memory is coming here second in points and missing the race. That was on the back straightaway, what’s now the back straightaway and those garage areas and I can remember Saturday morning having to go out and try to qualify and lay a lap time down knowing that the track is always slow on the second day and it was going to be almost impossible to do. And every time I come through the tunnel I think of that. This track has always reminded me of that; not that it’s a bad thing. It’s a good grounder. But those two moments to me are pretty big.”

AS A DRIVER, WHAT DO YOU WANT THE TIRES TO DO WHEN GOODYEAR MAKES A CHANGE? WHAT DO YOU HOPE THEY’LL ACCOMPLISH?

“That’s a great question. Goodyear’s hardest job to do is to figure out what makes the best racing. And when you have 40 drivers, you have 40 opinions. And so that’s a really, really tough thing. For me, I like a tire that makes good grip, doesn’t make crazy grip, but it keeps a fair amount of grip during the run. What I’ve seen is that the racing is better when the tire makes more grip. I told all you guys (the media) last year that the racing was going to be better this year because of the new tire that was coming. And I was right; just for the record (laughter). And so personally, that’s really what it’s about. I’d love to have a tire that falls off a great deal and we could use that as our advantage because every team and every driver says that worse the tires are then we’re going to be better because we’re better than everybody else. That’s what you want to believe. But the reality of it is, the tires have to make reasonable grip. They have to keep a reasonable about of grip as the grip falls off, if you want to see a good race.  So when I do a tire test, that’s what I look for. I look for a tire that is durable and that makes good grip and a tire that will keep reasonable grip. It needs to fall off. It’s going to have to fall off. But that falloff can’t be huge. That’s my opinion. But you’ll have a lot of opinions on that.”

HOW MUCH INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS YEARS ARE YOU ABLE TO USE WITH NO TESTING? “Everybody is using simulation to setup cars now.  Everybody is using and trying to combine good experience with technology and the technology today has the ability to change the grip level of the tire.  I’m not telling any secrets, every team has it.  Teams are trying to figure out the amount of grip the tire has, what is the amount of grip the track is going to have.  In all fairness, it’s a guess, it’s a scientific guess, but it’s a guess.”

DO YOU EXPECT THE SPOILER TO REACT THE SAME WITH THE NEW CAR AS IT DID WITH THE OLD CAR? “The thing that this car has and I don’t know how this impacts it, but the quarter panels are going to be longer, which is going to help keep side force.  The greenhouse is a little bit bigger, I’m not real sure if that helps or hurts the side force.  Those are things that when you’re underneath a car and lose side force and lose down force.  The wing in theory is more efficient in that area.  I’m trying to tell you I don’t know.  I guess I could have just said that.  Until we start racing them, we don’t know.  They’re doing some things to try to help it by making the quarter panels longer, but I just don’t know.  I see people today, not to the same extent, but I see people today that can run up behind people and get the car lose, get the car out of the race track — the wing has been pretty good about being underneath another guy.  It’s not as bad as I remember it being with the spoiler.  The spoiler has some positives and it has some negatives.  At the end of the day, what’s the net going to end up being and I will just be frank, until we get out racing, I don’t know.”

DOES JIMMIE JOHNSON WINNING TWO RACES THUS FAR HURT THE HOPES IN THE GARAGE OF OTHER TEAMS BEATING HIM? “Well listen, here’s the way I view it — the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) car and has been the team to beat which makes them the team to beat.  Their history, their success, speaks for itself.  No one in the garage area is surprised that they have done what they’ve done at the beginning of the year.  The question is who is going to knock them off.  My approach to it and it hasn’t been as successful as I would like it to be, but my approach to it is that I need to focus on the 48 just from the sense of learning, but the only way we can beat them is for us to do our job better.  I can’t control the way they do their job.  I can control the way I do my job.  The focus that I put to it, I’m around a lot of people, not just my team, but I’m around a lot of people that the last two weeks have just flipped out.  ‘How did he win that race, he’s lucky, pisses me off.’  I’m not that way, I’m honestly not.  I look and it and I say they got a lucky break at Vegas and they took advantage of it. They made the right call and you can really look back and see that they didn’t really have the best cars in those two races when it looked like they needed to have the best cars and they still found a way to win.  I don’t think that’s luck, I think that’s skill and they’ve done a hell of a job doing it.  We just have to be better.  My motivation isn’t knocking them off; my motivation is us doing better.  I think that’s the only focus you can have.  I don’t race Jimmie with animosity; I don’t race him with jealousy.  I’m envious of him, no question, who wouldn’t be?  The only way I can do it is to go out and do it.  To do that, we just have to focus on all the things that we have to focus on.  The 48 isn’t it, that’s not what we have to focus on.”

CAN YOU COMMENT ON THE FACT THAT JIMMIE JOHNSON’S NEXT WIN WILL BE HIS 50^TH IN ONLY 300 CUP STARTS?: “(Jeff) Gordon is the first fastest so you’ve got two teammates that drive for Hendrick Motorsports that are the two fastest to get there — that’s a remarkable feat for the drivers, but it’s, I don’t know what a bigger word than remarkable, but it’s more than that for Hendrick Motorsports.  They have been the leaders, end of story.  I respect them a great deal.  I know there’s probably a belief in here that the garage area has this animosity or negative energy about the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and Hendrick Motorsports in general.  I just don’t have that.  I want it to be me and don’t get me wrong, I’m not cheering for them, but I also respect a great deal of what they’ve done.  It’s unbelievable what they’ve been able to do when it’s at a time where it’s the most competitive that it’s ever been.  It truly is.  He makes it look like its not.  The 48 has made it look like its not the most competitive that it has ever been, but I’ve been here for a long time and it is the most competitive that it has ever been.  That makes me hold them in even higher regard.  The way they’ve been able to do it is extremely impressive.”

DID YOU PURPOSELY SAY JIMMIE JOHNSON MAKES IT COMPETITIVE VERSUS THE 48 TEAM LATER IN YOUR COMMENTS?: “Yeah, because if we go win the race this weekend, I don’t win the race, we win the race.  It’s a team effort.  Race car drivers always try to put the little, it’s always on the tip of their tongue, ‘Well if I was driving that car, I’d be doing that too.’  I’m not there and I’m not going there.  I don’t believe that.  I believe that it’s a team effort.  Whether they have success this weekend or don’t.  Whether I have success this weekend or don’t.  It’s because of us as a team and everybody has to pull their weight.  I don’t want to disparage the team’s effort, Hendrick Motorsports effort, Chad Knaus’ (48 crew chief) effort nor would I want to disparage Jimmie Johnson’s.  They have done it together and it’s fair to say that I don’t think they would have been as successful no being together.  That also is not a disparaging remark.  They’re a great combination and they’ve done a great job.”

Chevrolet is one of America’s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers two hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet Impala SS - Richard Childress Racing with Driver Clint Bowyer

TALK ABOUT COMPETITION: “Good things.  RCR (Richard Childress Racing) — we’re still doing well.  Early in the season, but I’m must excited about the way our season has gotten off.  We were a little bit off in Vegas, but nonetheless, another top-10 finish.  If you give me any more of these in a row I’d be ecstatic.  It’s all about consistency this time of year.  We need to win races.  Jimmie (Johnson) is already two races up on all the competition so definitely need to win races to be able to be in the Chase and be able to compete with him.  Nonetheless, I’m confident about the way we’ve gotten started off with RCR.”

Audio: 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 Pre-Race Conference with Clint Bowyer

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SAFER BARRIERS NARROWING BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY?: “The racer in you, I liked the two-wide racing.  I still thing you’ll be able to do it.  I don’t think it will change much.  It is going to narrow it up.  It seems like the fans, they like the emotion, they like the beating and banging on each other and having to knock somebody out of the way to pass them.  I’m a big fan of the way the surface is right now, I like being able to run side-by-side, being able to race your way around somebody.  Bristol has always been one of my favorite race tracks, no matter before they repaved it or after they repaved it.  I think our fans will always get their monies worth, no matter how wide or how narrow it is.”

WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO TRY TO BEAT JIMMIE JOHNSON SEEING THEY HAVEN’T SLOWED DOWN AT ALL?: “Nobody expected them to.  You don’t win four in a row.  I think the naysayers, they can finally go to sleep and rest on that until somebody else knocks them off the pedestal.  Somebody is going to and it could be this year.  I believe this could be the year that somebody could stop them in the Chase.  Competition is getting closer and closer to catching them.  Have they won two of the last three, yes.  Was one of them, I’m going to say that with one of them there was a little bit of luck involved in that.  Nonetheless, when they got up front, they drove away from my teammates and my teammates couldn’t run them back down.  I feel like the competition is getting closer to the 48 (Johnson).  Look at Jeff Gordon that was his race to win.  Jimmie took it from him there at the end.  The was a difficult situation, nobody wants lead that many laps, you go into that last caution leading that many laps, it doesn’t matter what you do, they’re going to do the opposite to try to beat you.  That’s the only way and the only hope they have of beating you.  I hated that for Steve (Letarte, Gordon crew chief), he’s a good guy and it’s just a tough situation.  For us at RCR, we’re pumped up about the way our season is getting started, we have room to grow and that’s what we’re excited about.  We’re just getting started in this thing.  We’re two down force tracks into this season and I feel like we’re still learning and still moving in a positive direction.”

IS MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY STILL A HOT, STEAMY TRACK WHERE PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT THEIR BRAKES?: “It still is that, but technology has come a long ways.  The brakes, we don’t have drum brakes anymore.  There’s 40-thousand dollars worth of brakes on these things.  It’s incredible what the equipment goes through at a track like that.  If you think about the hard braking like what we’re talking about, the acceleration and trying to hook them things up and what they do trying to get that heavy of a race car to stop that quick and then take off and accelerate as quick as we’re asking it to do, that’s asking a lot out of the stuff.  Technology has definitely come a long ways, but again, as a short track Martinsville was one of those tracks that I struggled at big time early in my Cup career.  The last couple times we’ve run there, we’ve run inside the top-10, had a top-five there — I feel like that’s a track where I’ve improved a lot and hopefully when we go back there I can contend for a win.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM THE SPRING RACE AT ATLANTA AND DO YOU THINK THIS TRACK NEEDS TO BE REPAVED?: “You’re talking about here in Atlanta?  Leave it alone, leave them all alone.  I feel like this is an awesome race track, it races well.  As a race car driver, you look for multiple groove race tracks and as these tracks age over time, they keep getting better and better.  Every time we go back to California and Fontana in my opinion, is one of the best races we’ve ever had out there this spring.  It’s been a lot of fun to be able to race on these older race tracks like Atlanta, slipping and sliding around, running high, running low.  It’s a lot of fun to be able to pass and be able to run all over the surface like that.  If you run up on somebody and they’re in your groove, you get up on the outside and get down on the white line, run in the middle, wherever it takes to find grip and to get around that guy.  You certainly can do that here.  Daytona, those potholes that track is getting old, but in my opinion, that track is because of its age, still races better than Talladega.  Again, slipping and sliding around out there, we had all of our cars and as a fan, everybody’s favorite driver, with the exception of just one or two was up there racing for the win at the end and had a chance at winning the Daytona 500.  Whereas with Talladega, until it ages a little bit and we’re separated out a little bit, we’re running so close together right there that one little slip up on anybody’s part and it wrecks the whole field and you have 12 of your favorite drivers racing for the win.  Daytona, it was pretty cool to be able to .have the whole field have a shot at winning the Daytona 500.”

DO YOU KNOW WHAT AFFECT THE SPOILERS WILL HAVE ON YOUR RACE CAR?: “Everybody is looking forward to that and everybody is working hard towards that.  I don’t think anybody knows exactly what its going to do yet.  Yeah, we’ve tested with the spoiler.  By yourself, its hard to tell, but when we get out there racing I think some of the things that we used to see bring out cautions and bunch us back up and ultimately make us race side-by-side and race hard are going to happen again.  You see and remember the spoiler days, you would get loose under somebody, they would suck you around and you crash and a caution comes out and bunches us all back up and we’re all back racing hard.  Now that the double-file restarts are in effect, I think it’s just going to be more important and bring more of that racing back to the fans and that’s what it’s all about.”

Chevrolet is one of America’s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that range from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevrolet has nine models that offer an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers two hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevrolet delivers expressive design, spirited performance and strives to provide the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

- Team Chevy, Press Release

No. 29 Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet (Kevin Harvick) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Race Notes and Quotes:

• This Week’s Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 288 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable.  This Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet scored a runner-up finish two weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway.  Harvick also raced this chassis three times in the latter part of the 2009 season, finishing 18^th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, fifth at Texas Motor Speedway and third at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Career Stats … The Kobalt Tools 500 marks Harvick’s 326th career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 18 Sprint Cup Series starts at the 1.54-mile oval, Harvick has claimed one victory, four top-five and five top-10 finishes. In addition, the Shell-Pennzoil driver has completed 97.3 percent (5,625 of 5,782) total laps and has led at least one lap in six Atlanta starts for a total of 136 laps.
• It Didn’t Take Long … Harvick’s lone Cup win at Atlanta came in just his third ever start in NASCAR’s top series.  Harvick won the 2001 Cracker Barrel 500 in a photo finish over Jeff Gordon, securing the emotional victory by .006 seconds, the fifth-closest finish in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. 
• Happy Harvick in Atlanta … Viewed as one of his favorite tracks, Harvick enjoyed quite a bit of success last year at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  In the spring race, Harvick finished fourth, and he improved that result by two in the fall AMS event, leading 66 laps and finishing second.
• Passing Grade … Last weekend in Las Vegas, the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team’s performance was awarded the O’Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award.  Harvick started the race 34^th and improved his finish by 32 positions, finishing second behind Jimmie Johnson. 
• Kevin’s Krew … As part of a continued outreach program with Shell Oil Company, Harvick will visit with a group of at-risk children, called “Kevin’s Krew,” just before Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  The children will take part in various activities, including meeting their favorite driver near the Victory Lane area just prior to driver introductions and before watching the Kobalt Tools 500 from the stands.   This is the third year that Shell, Harvick and RCR have been involved with the effort, and there will be a total of 10 “Kevin’s Krew” events during the 2010 season.

•       Meet the Press … Harvick will be available in the media center’s deadline press room to field questions from the gathered media on Friday, March 5 at 11:45 a.m.

•       Winner, Winner … In addition to his Cup victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Harvick also owns one Nationwide Series victory at AMS when he claimed the Degree V12 300 Nationwide race last year.  In addition, Harvick has made one career Camping World Truck Series start at AMS, dominating last year’s event by leading 68 laps and finishing in second place.

§         Double Dip in Atlanta … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet, Harvick will drive Kevin Harvick Incorporated’s No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado in the Mar. 6 E-Z-Go 200 Camping World Truck Series event. The race will air live on SPEED beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

In the spring race last year at Atlanta, you started 10^th and finished fourth.  You had a solid afternoon.  Tell us about why you like Atlanta so much?

“Atlanta, over the last few years, has just been one of those places that seem to fit everything that we do.  We have had chances to win there, whether it’s been in a truck, a Nationwide car or our Shell-Pennzoil car, we have had a chance to win there in anything the last few years.  So, hopefully, nothing has changed.  Atlanta has just always been really good to us.”

In last year’s fall race, you were the runner up and led a lot of laps.  Does that give you that much more confidence at that track?

“Yes.  We go there expecting to be in contention for the win, and anything short of that will be a disappointment.”

There was another tire test at Atlanta over the winter.  Why do you think they continue to test tire compounds at Atlanta?

”In my opinion, they have the tire tests at the wrong time of the year.  At those types of race tracks, you need to have the tire tests when the weather is going to be closer to what it will actually be for the race.  And, you need to have it when there is a bunch of rubber on the race track because they get some false indications of where the tires need to be because the track is green.  The tires react very differently under those circumstances.”

– Richard Childress Racing, Press Release