Harvick Launches SHR’s Second NXS Team

Date:  Saturday, March 4, 2017

Location:  Atlanta Motor Speedway

Layout:  1.54-mile oval

– Kevin Harvick is scheduled to make five XFINITY Series starts in the No. 41 Ford Mustang for SHR in 2017.

– He is making his 16th career NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Atlanta.

– Harvick has four XFINITY Series wins at Atlanta, including three consecutive wins from 2013 to 2015.

– He also has nine top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in 15 XFINITY Series starts at Atlanta.

– In 335 XFINITY Series starts, he has 46 wins, 178 top-five finishes, 250 top-10s, 25 poles and 9,322 laps led.

– Harvick will share the field with SHR teammate Cole Custer in the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang at Atlanta.

“It’s a great weekend for us to feature the new Textron Off Road name for the XFINITY Series debut of the No. 41 Ford Mustang. I’ve had a partnership with Textron for a long time and have used their off-road vehicles for many years. I was able to test the new Stampede vehicle a few months back. It was a lot of fun to drive and tough enough to take virtually anywhere. Hopefully, we can take them on a ride this weekend in Atlanta and celebrate their new name in victory lane.”​

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How did your opportunity to join Stewart-Haas Racing materialize?

“I worked with Kevin (Harvick) over at JR Motorsports for about two years as an engineer on the XFINITY side. When Stewart-Haas Racing was looking for a crew chief for the next XFINITY Series deal, Matt Goslant reached out to me. He knew that I had worked with Kevin in the past. I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to try. I’d been looking for an opportunity to move up to the crew chief role and this was too good to pass up.”

What made working on the No. 41 Textron Off Road Ford Mustang team at Stewart-Haas Racing’s appealing to you?

“The opportunity to work with Kevin Harvick was big, especially since we’d worked together in the past, but this was a chance to take a step up into a higher-level role. This is a part-time deal and I’m used to full-time racing, so that’s taking a little bit of getting used to. Being at the racetrack every week helps you learn a lot, but working with one of the best drivers in the garage helps you learn a lot, too. That was really the biggest reason – it was a chance to work with Kevin and Stewart-Haas Racing.”

This team is starting from scratch. What has been the biggest adjustment so far?

“The biggest adjustment so far is really just trying to manage all the different areas that a crew chief has to touch. I’m trying to be as hands-on in every area so that I can help the guys who are working on the car and still know what we’re bringing to the racetrack when we unload. Managing all of that has been a bit of an adjustment.”

Is this a new Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang?

“It’s a brand new car. It’s the first Ford Mustang that we’ve built from top to bottom in-house at Stewart-Haas Racing for the XFINITY Series.”