Budweiser Racing Team Notes of Interest
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, will film a commercial for ESPN and throw out the first pitch at a New York Yankees Major League Baseball game before heading to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International this weekend where he will compete in Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen 90-lap road course race.
Harvick will race chassis No. 321 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. The No. 29 team utilized this car to score an 11th-place finish at Watkins Glen in 2010.
In 10 starts at Watkins Glen, Harvick has earned one win (2006), two top-five and five top-10 finishes. His average starting position at the road course is 11.7 and his average finishing position is 13.6. Harvick has completed 96.9 percent (874 of 902) of the laps run in the last 10 NSCS races at Watkins Glen. He has also led a total of 29 laps there.
Harvick’s loop data rankings at Watkins Glen include: sixth in laps in the top 15 (65.7 percent); seventh in laps led (28 laps); 10th in average driver rating (89.60); 11th fastest on restarts (114.345 mph); 12th in average running position (15.387); 13th in green-flag speed (118.288 mph); 14th in green-flag passes (227); 14th in speed in traffic (116.330 mph).
Kevin Harvick on racing at Watkins Glen and throwing out the first pitch at the Yankees game on Wednesday:
When it comes to the road course tracks, you seem to run better at Watkins Glen? Do you like it better than Sonoma?
“It’s just different. I mean, for the fact that it’s just a lot higher-speed course. Sonoma is a lot more technical, a lot slower speed. Watkins Glen is high speed, run over all the curbs. I enjoy them both. I enjoy all the road races that we have. I think we need more of them. It’s one of those things that I enjoy getting to do a couple times a year.”
What’s the good and bad and ugly about Watkins Glen?
“Restarts are the ugly usually at that particular track. The road courses seem to have become really rough. They’ve probably become the most exciting races we go to on the circuit. The good is it’s usually a whole lot cooler up in that part of the country this time of year.”
Do you expect the same slamming and banging as Sonoma?
“Probably, but probably not quite as much because the fenders do mean something there because of the high-speed stuff.”
You’re going to throw out the first pitch at Yankees Stadium this week?
“Yeah, it’s going to be pretty cool. I’ve wound up with some good friends in Gene Monahan (head athletic trainer for the Yankees) and Joe Girardi (manager of the Yankees) up there. To go up there, see those guys, hang out for the evening and just take it all in is going to be a lot of fun.”
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