– Overwhelming Start – First Sprint Cup Win: Following Dale Earnhardt’s death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Harvick was named the driver of the No. 29 car for Richard Childress Racing and made his Sprint Cup debut at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, where he finished 14th. The following Wednesday, as the Sprint Cup Series headed west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Harvick married his wife, DeLana. The following Sunday, Harvick scored his first career Sprint Cup top-10. Then, on March 11, less than one month since his debut in NASCAR’s top series, Harvick won his first Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
– Freaky Fast Since 2014: Harvick enters his 17th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and his fourth at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) with crew chief Rodney Childers at the helm. In their first three seasons together, Harvick and Childers combined to produce 12 victories, 11 poles, 54 top-five finishes and 75 top-10s; led 5,815 laps; won the 2014 Cup Series title; finished runner-up in 2015 to champion Kyle Busch and eighth in 2016.
– Points Position: Harvick arrives at Atlanta fourth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 42 points after a 22nd-place finish in the Daytona 500. He scored eight points in the Can-Am Clash at Daytona, scored nine points in the first stage of the Daytona 500, 10 points plus a playoff point for winning the second stage of the race, and 15 points for the final stage.
– Playoff Points: Harvick is one of three drivers to score a playoff point at Daytona. SHR teammate and 2017 Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch leads with five playoff points, while Harvick and Kyle Busch each scored one playoff point for a stage win.
– Harvick in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta: The Folds of Honor 500 will mark Harvick’s 27th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta. Harvick has one win, six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s at the 1.54-mile oval. The 41-year-old driver has led 679 laps, has an average starting position of 17.3, average finish of 17.6, and has completed 97.9 percent (8,242 of 8,415) of the laps he’s contested there.
– Harvick in the Xfinity Series at Atlanta: Harvick has won three of his last four Xfinity Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has top-five finishes in nine of his last 10 starts. He will make his 16th career start in the Xfinity Series there Saturday. Harvick has four wins, nine top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. He has led 768 laps, has an average starting position of 9.1 and average finish of 7.2, and has completed 96.8 percent (2,809 of 2,901) of the laps he’s contested there.
– Career Sprint Cup Totals: Harvick has 35 wins, 154 top-fives and 284 top-10s and 17 poles in 575 career NASCAR Cup Series starts heading into Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta.
– Double Duty: Harvick will make his Xfinity Series debut for Stewart-Haas Racing driving the No. 41 Textron Off-Road Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon. It marks his first of five appearances in the Xfinity Series for 2017. His 2017 schedule also includes Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on April 8, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on May 27, Kentucky Speedway in Sparta on July 7 and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway onSept. 3.
– Harvick the Broadcaster: Harvick appeared in the television booth for FOX and called the Xfinity Series race Saturday at Daytona. He also will broadcast NASCAR Xfinity races at Phoenix International Raceway onMarch 18, Bristol Motor Speedway on April 22, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on May 6 and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on June 10. He is also slated to broadcast NASCAR Truck Series races at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on May 11, Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway on July 21 and Talladega on Oct. 13.
– Jimmy John’s: Jimmy John’s, maker of gourmet sandwiches with “freaky fast” delivery since 1983, will be the primary sponsor of the No. 4 Ford Fusion for 16 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2016, highlighted by the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK! |