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February 21, 2012

Kevin Harvick Event Preview: Daytona 500

"When you are standing in Victory Lane and you look at that Harley J. Earl trophy and you see the names on that trophy, you start to see the recognition and the list of people you put yourself on there with."

Event Preview Fact Sheet

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet

Event/Date:
Daytona 500
February 26, 2012

Venue:
Daytona International Speedway

Race Notes and Quotes:

This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway … The No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team will utilize Chassis No. 387 from the Richard Childress Racing stable for this weekend’s Daytona 500. This is a brand new race car that saw its first on-track activity at DIS during preseason testing in January.

Statistically Speaking… Harvick has 21 prior starts at DIS, including 10 in the Daytona 500. In that time, he has scored two wins, highlighted by the 2007 Daytona 500 victory, and accumulated five top-five and nine top-10 finishes at the superspeedway. Harvick has led 178 laps at DIS and holds an average starting position of 16.1 and an average finish of 15.4. He has also completed 93 percent of the laps run in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition at DIS since July 2001 (3,407 of 3,663).

Dueling for a Spot… Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team posted the 20th-fastest lap in the Daytona 500 qualifying session on Sunday, earning the team a 12th-place starting spot in the first Duel 150 race on Thursday. SPEED will provide live television coverage of the twin qualifying races starting at 2 p.m. EST.

Loop Data… Harvick holds several impressive Loop Data statistics at DIS, including: second in fastest laps run (67 laps); sixth in green-flag passes (2,732); eighth in closers; eighth in laps led (100); 10th in driver rating (86.3).  

Last Time Around … In last year’s Daytona 500, Harvick started the race from the seventh position and led five laps before retiring from the race due to engine failure at lap 22.

The Big Time… The sixth episode of Bud United presents: The Big Time, airing Saturday, February 25, on ABC, will feature three aspiring race car drivers vying for the chance to meet and learn from Richard Childress and compete against Harvick, Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday. In addition to what they will see in the show, fans may view exclusive behind-the-scenes clips of the contestants and hear real-world racing tips from NASCAR legends on The Big Time’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/budunited) and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/bigtime). More information about the series is available online at http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2012/anheuser-busch/bud_united/index.html.

It’s a Boy… Harvick and his wife, DeLana, announced last week that they are expecting a baby boy in July. While the couple is keeping the baby’s name under wraps until he arrives, DeLana is sharing her experience with fans through a weekly baby blog on www.KevinHarvick.com.

Media availability… Harvick will be available to members of the media inside the DIS infield media center at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.

Kevin Harvick Quotes:

You’re locked into the field for the Daytona 500. Looking at the Duel 150 qualifying race, is it nerve wracking in the sense that you want to see what you can do, but also want to make sure that your primary car is in one piece?
“We approach those races the same way that we approach just about every other race. We try to win them and if you get tore up doing it, then that’s just the way it goes. You want the best starting spot that you can get but anything can happen. It’s another step in the process heading up to the Daytona 500. It’s a unique process the whole week starting off with the Budweiser Shootout and qualifying. There are just so many things that usually happen during the week. Sometimes, there are some rule changes and plate changes. You have to be ready for anything. It’s like your whole season all in one week. You can’t let the highs be too high and the lows be too low. You have to stay very level minded about everything, let the week play out and be ready for the (Daytona) 500.”

How do you think the Daytona 500 will play out?
“(The Daytona 500) is just a wide open race. There is a lot of anticipation, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of hype and build up and, usually, you see something crazy happen at the beginning of these races. You want to make it through the first part of the race and try to keep yourself from getting torn up. I think we made it 23 laps last year and had an engine failure. You never know what is going to happen.”  

Is preserving equipment paramount this week with all the carnage in the Budweiser Shootout?
“I think so. I think (the Budweiser Shootout) was definitely an eye-opener as to who you want to race around and how you want to approach things. So, it’s definitely something that you’ve got to think about.”

Will there be a lot of discussions in the garage about who you want to run with and who you don’t?
“I think all the guys you don’t want to run with will most likely eliminate themselves before you get to the end of the race. So, hopefully, it has a self-cleansing type of atmosphere on Sunday.”

When you won the Daytona 500, how did that moment mesh with what you had been dreaming of?
“When you are standing in Victory Lane and you look at that Harley J. Earl trophy and you see the names on that trophy, you start to see the recognition and the list of people you put yourself on there with. It is something that is pretty special. This is our sport’s biggest race and everybody puts their biggest effort into this race because you have the most time. It has the most hype and it pays the most money. It has the most prestigious trophy and there is nothing about this race that is not the biggest or the best.”

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