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[/media-credit]Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Budweiser Racing Team Notes of Interest
Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet team return to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race as defending champions of the Memorial Day Weekend Coca-Cola 600.
Red, White and Blue Summer… The No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet will don a special red, white and blue patriotic paint scheme for six races this summer starting with Sunday’s 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The paint scheme reflects the special “Red, White and Blue Summer” packaging featured on the iconic Budweiser bottles and cans as part of a summer initiative in which the brand will contribute a portion of all sales from May 20 – July 7 to help raise as much as $2.5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation*, which provides post-secondary educational scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled while serving their country. The Folds of Honor logo will also be featured on the TV panel of the No. 29 Chevrolet. In addition to Sunday’s race, Harvick’s Budweiser ride will feature the “Red, White and Blue Summer” paint scheme for NSCS races at Michigan International Speedway (June 17), Kentucky Speedway (June 30), Daytona International Speedway (July 7), Pocono Raceway (Aug. 5) and Watkins Glen International (Aug. 12). (*Maximum donation of $2.5 million includes $5,000 for every walk-off in select 2012 professional baseball games and a portion of sales for every case of Budweiser sold, 5/20-7/7.)
Going Golfing… On Wednesday, Harvick will tee off in the third annual John Paul Linville Memorial Golf Classic Presented by BB&T Wealth, an event that honors DeLana Harvick’s father, a Kernersville, N.C., native who lost his battle with cancer in 2005. Funds raised at the tournament will go toward the Kevin Harvick Foundation’s efforts to supportlocal programs for children in foster care, including the Chase Your Dreams Grant Program, Kevin’s Krew and Christmas for Kids Party.
The Closer Strikes Again… In last year’s Coca-Cola 600, Harvick solidified his status as “The Closer” as the No. 29 Budweiser team scored their third victory of the season by stretching fuel mileage to pick up the win on the final lap of one of NASCAR’s marquee events. Harvick’s trip to Victory Circle came after overcoming an ill-handling race car that was tight on entry and loose on exit. He also got caught a lap down twice as the caution flag waved during rounds of green-flag pit stops, but was able to get back on the lead lap each time by taking the wave around. Harvick worked to conserve fuel over the course of the final run and passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the last lap to take the checkered flag. The Bakersfield, Calif., native enters this weekend’s race ranked as the No. 1 Closer in NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chassis Info… The No. 29 team will utilize Chassis No. 373 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Harvick raced this car three times during the 2011 season and earned two top-10 finishes,including a sixth-place result at Charlotte in October and an eighth-place effort at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Harvick also scored a 22nd-place finish in the car at Michigan International Speedway last August.
Charlotte Stats… Harvick has made 22 NSCS starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway and during that span he’s scored one win (May 2011), two top fives and six top-10 finishes at the track. He’s led a mere five laps there, but has completed 97.0 percent of the laps run at the track in that time (7,553 of 7,784 laps). Harvick holds an average starting position of 19.5 and an average finish of 18.5 at Charlotte.
Grow One. Save a Million… The No. 29 Budweiser team and more than 60 other members of the NSCS garage are taking part in Budweiser’s “Grow One. Save a Million.” pledge to help save a million gallons of water for World Environment Day (June 5) by not shaving. On average, guys use 3-10 gallons of water every time they shave. So, Budweiser is asking men to make their pledge on Budweiser’s Facebook page to grow a beard as long as they can or for a minimum of two weeks. Additionally, those who can’t grow a beard can pledge to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth for two weeks or shorten their showers by 20 minutes total over the span of two weeks.
RCR Fan Day… The Richard Childress Racing Museum and Childress Vineyards will co-host a full day of activities for fans on Friday, May 25, during the ’12 FAN DAY celebration at the award-winning winery and the RCR Museum. Activities at each venue will begin at 9 a.m. with autograph sessions, show car and partner displays, guided museum and winerytours scheduled throughout the day. Harvick is set to participate in an autograph session at the winery at 2 p.m. along with Richard Childress and his RCR teammates Jeff Burton and Paul Menard. Visit www.childressvineyards.com or www.rcrracing.com for more information about the event.
Racing for Education… Midland, N.C., Mayor Kathy Kitts remains a Harvick fan leading into Sunday’s race. Her town was paired with the driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Charlotte Motor Speedway’s May Race to Education program, which randomly matched up competitors in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with area community leaders vying for a chance to win educational grants. If Harvick wins the Coca-Cola 600, Midland will receive a $20,000 zMAX Race to Education award.
In the Rearview Mirror… In last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Harvick and the No. 29 team started fifth, pitted multiple times under caution to repair damage sustained aftercontact with another car and rallied back to finish sixth. Double Duty … In addition to competing in Sunday’s NSCS race, Harvick will also climb behind the wheel of the No. 33 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet, fielded by RCR, for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The History Channel 300 will air live on ABC at 2:30 p.m. ET and the radio broadcast will air on PRN affiliates and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
For the online version of the Budweiser Racing media guide, please visit .
Follow along each weekend with Harvick and the team on Twitter. Check out @KevinHarvick for behind-the-scenes information straight from the driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet. Get live updates from the track each weekend from @Black29Car, the PR team for Harvick. Also, follow @RCRracing and @RCR29KHarvick for additional information about the Richard Childress Racing organization. Fans can also interact with Harvick on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/OfficialKevinHarvick.
Kevin Harvick discusses racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
With the age of instant gratification that everyone seems to be looking for, do you think it’s still necessary to have a 600-mile race like this weekend’s? “I think (the Coca-Cola 600) is a historic race in our sport. It’s the ultimate test of car, team, driver, engines and every part on the car. The sport is not all about just running a 250-mile race, it’s about making your car last. It’s more than just having a fast car and lining them up and running a short race. It’s really about the attrition of the whole night and surviving that. As things change through the night you have to keep up with the race track and if your car won’t run then you’re done. NASCAR needs a race like this because those are the types of things the sport was built on.”
How big of a deal is that extra 66 laps in the 600? “I think as a driver you are mentally prepared and kind of just know how long a 500-mile or 400-mile race is, but I think the people who worry about it the most are the engine guys just because everything they do is set off of 500 miles, so they probably worry about it a lot more than we do.”
What was the coolest part of winning last year’s race? “The coolest part about winning the Coke 600 to me was walking up to the top (of Smith Tower), seeing all the fans who’d hung out in The Speedway Club and being able to drink a few Budweisers withthem afterward. The fan base we have in this area is very loyal and they’ve been here for a long time. Seeing those folks in The Speedway Club was the coolest part.”
You’ve made it known before that Charlotte Motor Speedway isn’t one of your favorite tracks. What is it that you don’t like about the track? “It’s nothing to do with the facility or the people or anything like that. Charlotte’s just been a place that’s been tough for me to understand the feel that I need in the car to make it go fast and be competitive. As we’ve come here the last couple of years that performance has been better and we’ve had some decent finishes.”
Harvick’s Career NSCS Record at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Charlotte Motor Speedway Track Facts:
Track Length: 1.5-miles
Race Length: 400 laps/600 miles
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 140,000
First Race: June 19, 1960
Banking in Corners: 24 degrees
Banking on Straights: 5 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,980 feet
Backstretch: 1,500 feet
TV: FOX, 6 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio
