Kevin Harvick advanced to the Round of 12 of this year’s NASCAR playoffs and it starts with Sunday’s Dover 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
This weekend at the track known as “The Monster Mile,” most of the talk will be about the driver and his No. 4 Busch Beer / All HARVICK Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).
Busch loves sponsoring Harvick – no other driver more perfectly represents its brand. But in the NASCAR world, the name Busch doesn’t just stand for crisp, cold, refreshing beer, and it’s been giving free advertising to Harvick’s rivals for too long. So, to show its appreciation for Harvick and to make sure there is no confusion about who the brand’s guy truly is, Busch is going All–HARVICK in Dover for the NASCAR Cup Series race.
Every Busch branded item at Dover will now say “HARVICK,” instead. This won’t just be the paint scheme on Harvick’s No. 4 Ford Mustang or his firesuit, but everything at the track – even the Busch beer at the concession stands – will have the driver’s name.
A win at Dover in the Busch Beer / All HARVICK scheme would be beneficial in a lot of ways for Harvick and the No. 4 team. If he takes the checkered flag first, he will automatically advance to the Round of 8 because, if you win, you’re in.
Harvick would also then tie his boss, Tony Stewart, for 14th on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list at 49 career victories. And it would put him within one win of 50 victories. Only 13 drivers are members of the 50-win club.
Harvick scored his first Dover win in October 2015, when he started 15th, led 355 of 400 laps and beat runner-up Kyle Busch by 2.639 seconds. He scored his second win at the concrete mile oval in May 2018, when he started second, led 201 of 400 laps and finished 7.450 seconds ahead of SHR teammate Clint Bowyer.
Sunday will mark Harvick’s 38th Cup Series start Sunday at Dover. In addition to his two wins, he has one pole, seven top-five finishes, 18 top-10s and has led 1,443 laps.
In 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Dover, Harvick has five top-five finishes, as well as a June 2000 pole. Harvick has competed in two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races at Dover with two top-five finishes. In May 2011, he started second, led 18 laps and finished fifth. In June 2012, he won the pole, led 96 laps and finished third in a rain-shortened race.
Last weekend at the Charlotte roval, Harvick scored his 20th top-10 finish of the season to give him 20 top-10s every year since 2013.
As the Round of 12 kicks off this weekend at Dover, Harvick would love nothing more than to deliver a win for himself, his team and his longtime sponsor Busch Beer in the All HARVICK car.
KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Beer / All HARVICK Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Put simply, what do you think of the Busch Beer / All Harvick weekend?
“Harvick beer. It doesn’t get much better than that”
What do you think about heading into Dover?
“When I go to Dover, I think about one thing, and that is, ‘How can I win this race – what do we need to do as a team to focus on what we need to do?”
Describe what it’s like to take a lap around Dover.
“Dover is the racetrack where you feel the sensation of speed more than anything. It’s a place where you drop off into the corner and slam into a lot of banking and then, as you come out of the corner, it’s kind of like jumping out of a hole and up onto the straightaway. It’s a really fun place to race. You feel that sensation of speed and you can be really aggressive.”
Why is Dover one of the more challenging racetracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule?
“I think as you look at Dover, if you look at our history, when I was at RCR (Richard Childress Racing), it was probably one of our worst racetracks. It’s been one of our best since I came to SHR in 2014. For me, the thing I love about Dover is just the fact that it’s hammer down and you’re up on top of the wheel for 400 laps there. It’s violent. Everything about Dover is violent. It’s fast. You can just be aggressive with the car and you have to get in there and wrestle that thing all day because it’s bumpy, slings you up out of the corners, dumps you down in the corners, and there’s just a lot going on. The car is bouncing around a lot and, with as rough as the cars have been just as the ride goes, we are in for a rough ride when we get to Dover this weekend. It’s one of my favorite racetracks to go and race on.”
Busch Beer / All HARVICK Racing Team Report
Round 30 of 36 – Dover 400 – Dover
Car No.: 4 – Busch Beer / All HARVICK Ford Mustang
PR Contact: Joe Crowley, True Speed Communication (704) 875-3388 ext. 808 or Joe.Crowley@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)
Primary Team Members:
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Hometown: Bakersfield, California
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Car Chief: Robert Smith
Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin
Engine Builder: Roush-Yates Engines
Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina
Engine Specialist: Robert Brandt
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan
Over-The-Wall Crew Members:
Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois
Rear Tire Changer: Chris Thomas (subbing for Daniel Smith)
Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina
Tire Carrier: Mike “Shrek” Morneau
Hometown: Oxford, Maine
Gas Man: Evan Marchal
Hometown: Westfield, Indiana
Jackman: Stan Dolittle
Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina
Windshield: Matt Custer (also serves as interior mechanic)
Hometown: Bedford, Pennsylvania
Road Crew Members:
Truck Driver: Rick Hodges and Stephen Mitchell
Hometowns: Raleigh, North Carolina and Woodville, Ohio, respectively
Engineers: Dax Gerringer and Billy Keubler
Hometowns: Gibsonville, North Carolinaand Saline, Michigan, respectively
Mechanic: Richie Bean
Hometown: Bradford, Vermont
Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski
Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut
Shock Specialist: Michael McCarville
Hometown: Kensington, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Mechanic: Allen Mincey
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Dover Notes of Interest:
· Dynamic Duo: While this is Harvick’s 19th year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, it’s his sixth with crew chief Rodney Childers. Since joining forces at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2014, Harvick and Childers have combined to produce 25 points-paying victories, a victory in the non-points-paying 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, 24 poles, 102 top-five finishes and 147 top-10s while leading 9,451 laps. They won the 2014 championship, finished runner-up in the 2015 title chase to champion Kyle Busch, finished eighth in 2016 and third in 2017 and 2018. The team has qualified for the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway four times in the last five years.
· Harvick has career totals of 48 wins, 23 poles, 202 top-fives, 356 top-10s and 13,874 laps led in 675 starts.
· His most recent Cup Series win and Busch Pole bothcame four races ago at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Sept. 8, 2019).
· Dover Numbers: Harvick will make his 38th NASCAR Cup Series Dover start Sunday. He has two wins, one pole, seven top-five finishes, 18 top-10s and has led 1,443 laps. He scored his first win at the concrete mile oval in October 2015, when he started 15th, led 355 of 400 laps and beat runner-up Busch by 2.639 seconds. Harvick earned his first Cup Series pole at Dover in September 2014 with a time of 22.095 at 162.095 mph. Harvick has two career Cup Series runner-up finishes at Dover, most recently in May 2015, when he started sixth, led 91 laps and finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson. He scored his second Dover win in May 2018 when he started second, led 201 of 400 laps and finished 7.450 seconds ahead of SHR teammate Clint Bowyer.
· Points Position: Harvick arrives at Dover fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings with 3,028 points, 18 markers behind leader Kyle Busch.
· Harvick’s 48 career NASCAR Cup Series victories puts him in a tie with Herb Thomas for 15th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. He is third on the active driver list behind Jimmie Johnson and Busch.
· Harvick has led 9,451 in 209 races at Stewart-Haas Racing. That’s an average of 45.22 laps per race.
· Xfinity at Dover: Harvick has competed in 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Dover with five top-five finishes. He scored a pole in June 2000.
· Trucks at Dover: Harvick has competed in two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Series races at Dover with two top-five finishes. In May 2011, Harvick started second, led 18 laps and finished fifth. In June 2012, Harvick won the pole, led 96 laps and finished third in a rain shortened race.
· Top-10s: Harvick scored his 20th top-10 finish of the season last weekend at the Charlotte roval. He has scored 20 top-10s every year since 2013.
· Harvick’s Happy Hours on SiriusXM Radio: Harvick is in his third year as the co-host of Happy Hours on SiriusXM Radio channel 90. The show debuted March 28, 2017 and airs on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. EDT, featuring Harvick’s distinctive perspective on the sport and life outside the track. Harvick and co-host Matt Yocum 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.
· 109 and Counting – Harvick scored his 100th career win in NASCAR’s top three series when he won the Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2018. He now has 109 total victories after his most recent Cup Series win two weekends ago at Indianapolis – 48 in the Cup Series, 47 in the Xfinity Series and 14 in the Truck Series. Only three other drivers in NASCAR history have passed 100 wins in NASCAR’s top three series: Richard Petty, David Pearson and Busch.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
