· 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 Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway ranked 10th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 198 points after a fourth-place finish Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. He trails leader Kyle Larson by 117 points. Harvick also has scored three playoff points for stage wins.
· Lap Leader: Through the first seven NASCAR Cup Series events of 2017, Harvick has been at the front of the field more than any other driver with 419 of 2,142 laps led. That’s nearly 20 percent of the total laps contested. He holds a six-lap advantage over Kyle Busch’s 413 laps led.
· Pole Position: Harvick has won two poles through the first seven events of 2017. He scored his first of the year March 3 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a lap of 29.118 seconds at 190.398 mph in the third round of knockout qualifying. He won his second pole of the season April 7 at Texas with a lap of 27.217 seconds at 198.405 mph in the third round of knockout qualifying. Coincidentally, they are also the only two races of the season that Harvick ran both the Xfinity and Cup Series races in the same weekend. He has won 13 of his 18 career NASCAR Cup Series poles since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.
· Harvick in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol: The Food City 500 will mark Harvick’s 33rd career NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol. Harvick has two wins (April 2005, August 2016), one pole (August 2014), 11 top-five finishes and 15 top-10s at the half-mile oval. He has led 862 laps, has an average starting position of 16.6, an average finish of 13.9, and has completed 97.7 percent (15,657 of 16,027) of the laps he’s contested there.
· Bristol Night Race Winner: Harvick started 24th and raced his way to the win in August 2016 in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Bristol Night Race. The race was postponed due to inclement weather and raced during the day Sunday afternoon, when Harvick led 128 laps and beat runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the finish line by 1.933 seconds to score his second NASCAR Cup Series win at the .533-mile oval.
· Bristol Sweep:Harvick’s win in the 2005 Food City 500 at Bristol came in convincing fashion as he led three times for 109 laps and beat Elliott Sadler by 4.652 seconds. A prelude to that win was Harvick’s victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race the day before, giving him a sweep of the Bristol race weekend.
· Harvick in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Bristol: Harvick has made 29 starts in the Xfinity Series at Bristol. He has five wins (August 2000 and 2001, March 2003, April 2005 and March 2009), three poles (August 2000, March 2001 and 2006), 15 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s. He has led 1,217 laps, has an average starting position of 9.1, an average finish of 7.5, and has completed 99.0 percent (7,615 of 7,691) of the laps he’s contested there.
· Harvick in the Camping World Truck Series at Bristol: Harvick has five starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Bristol. In his most recent Truck Series start at Bristol in August 2011, he started sixth, led 103 of 200 laps and beat runner-up Johnny Sauter by .434 of a second. In addition to that win, he has two top-five finishes and four top-10s. He has led 227 laps with an average finish of 8.8.
· Career NASCAR Cup Series Totals: Harvick has 35 wins, 155 top-fives, 287 top-10s and 19 poles in 581 career Cup Series starts heading into Sunday’s Food City 500.
· Harvick the TV Broadcaster: Harvick will serve as a broadcaster in the FOX TV booth for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Bristol. He also has served as a guest broadcaster for the Xfinity races Feb. 25 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and March 18 at Phoenix International Raceway, as well as the Camping World Truck Series event April 1 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Healso will be in the booth for Xfinity races May 6 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway andJune 10 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. He is slated to broadcast the Truck Series races July 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Oct. 13 at Talladega.
· Harvick’s Happy Hours on SiriusXM Radio: On March 14, Harvick announced he will hostHappy Hours on SiriusXM Radio. The show debuted March 28 and airs every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. ET, featuring Harvick’s distinctive perspective on his sport and life outside the track. Harvick and co-host Matt Yocum will take calls from listeners and give NASCAR fans a unique view on the driver’s life and interests when he is away from the racecar. In June, the show will begin airing every other week.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK! |