Paul Menard
No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala
NASCAR Nationwide Series Race 28 of 34 – Chicagoland Speedway
CHICAGO BOUND WITH MENARD: The NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend with Paul Menard returning to the driver’s seat of the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet Impala. Menard will make his fifth start this season with the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team. In four previous starts, the Eau Claire, Wis., native finished inside the top six with a best finish of second at Richmond International Raceway in April. Menard also qualified the KHI Chevrolet inside the top 10 for each race, including starting on the pole at Michigan International Speedway in June.
TEN FOR KHI: KHI has made 10 starts at Chicagoland, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this season. KHI, in its 10th year of competition this season, has yet to earn a victory at Chicagoland. The organization has one top-five and four top-10 finishes with KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick earning the best finish of seventh after starting from the pole in last season’s race at the track.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Rheem team headed to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the Nationwide Series second visit of the season at Richmond International Raceway last Friday night. Harvick started from the 13th position and fought through early-race handling issues only to get involved in a late-race accident that left the team with a 20th-place finish.
CHASSIS HISTORY: For the Nationwide Series’ second race this season at Chicagoland, the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team prepared chassis No. 071. This will be the eighth time the KHI team will utilize this particular chassis, most recently with Harvick at Atlanta Motor Speedway where he drove to a fourth-place finish. Chassis No. 071 has a trio of third-place finishes as top results.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: PAUL MENARD
“This is a big weekend for me. Chicago is close to home and is the closest track to home that I’ll get to run, and I have spent a lot of time in the area through the years. There will be a lot of friends and family there as well as Team Members from our Chicagoland stores. We’ll look to continue our success from the previous races and get the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevy its first win.”
About Menards:
With 263 stores in 13 Midwestern states, Menards has the tools, materials and supplies for all your home improvement needs whether just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember. Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town and the way guests are always treated like family in a hometown hardware store atmosphere.
