Winston: Kevin Harvick preview

Kevin Harvick
Keeping with Tradition

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 13, 2003) - If there is one thing synonymous with the running of The Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., it's special paint schemes. Since 1995, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and GM Goodwrench have been at the forefront of new looks for NASCAR's All-star event, and they don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

It started when RCR and GM Goodwrench unveiled the silver GM Goodwrench Chevrolet celebrating the 25th anniversary of Winston's sponsorship of NASCAR's premier series. That was followed by the Goodwrench Monte Carlo decked in red, white, and blue commemorating the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in the United States. In 1997, RCR ran a Wheaties paint scheme celebrating Dale Earnhardt's appearance on the General Mills Wheaties box.

Bass Pro Shops, a newly signed associate sponsor with RCR, adorned the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet in 1998. The Wrangler Jeans Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a blast from the past for RCR, ran at the 1999 Winston. Peter Max put his touch on NASCAR when his work of art hit the banks of Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2000. In 2001, Harvick piloted the No. 29 AOL/GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Last year, Harvick took to the 1.5-mile speedway in the "On a Roll/We Sell Tires" GM Goodwrench Chevy.

This weekend they'll debut the No. 29 Snap-on/GM Goodwrench Engines "Decade of Dedication" Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the ninth year in a row a special paint scheme will run alongside the GM Goodwrench colors. A creation of two RCR sponsors, it was unveiled at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March and will surely catch the eyes of spectators when it hits the track on Friday.

No. 29 GM Goodwrench driver Kevin Harvick on The Winston...

What's your favorite part of NASCAR's All-star event?
"That it doesn't mean anything points-wise. You can bring your trickiest motor and your newest car. There are special paint schemes and a different buzz in the air from your normal race. It's not just 'I'm here to get as many points as I can get and go on', it's 'I'm here to win the race and everything else doesn't matter'. That's pretty cool."

Do you like the uniqueness of qualifying, with team involvement?
"Yeah. If we were to win the race, we'll take all the money and split it up between the guys because they are really part of the reason why you win. They've worked as hard this race, if not harder, than they have to go to any other race. It means a lot to them, too."

How important is it for NASCAR to have an event like this?
"I think it's very important. It's our all-star event. It's something that you have to win to get in it, and it's the best of the best. That makes it a lot of fun for us and the fans."

With all the inverting, can you take any strategy into it?
"No, not really. You pretty much have to make your car as fast as it can go. If you don't have the fastest car, then you are probably not going to win. There are going to be a couple of cars that will be really fast, and you never know who that's going to be."

Would you like it to stay in Charlotte?
"Everybody's families are close to Charlotte and all the crews are close to Charlotte. They all pretty much consider this their home track so if you take it away, you are going to have to go through a lot of people first, and you'll probably have a lot of people mad at you."

What do you think of the car's special paint scheme?
"From what I saw in Atlanta (Ga.), it's going to be sweet. I know how long it took the guys to paint the car, and I can't wait to race it. I get excited to drive anything that's part of the RCR organization. It's a lot of fun to be involved with the things Richard and a lot of his sponsors have come up with over the years. Heck, they started everything that happens at The Winston with special paint schemes."

What are you going to do if you win the million?
"Put it in the bank."

No. 29 GM Goodwrench crew chief Todd Berrier on The Winston...

How can you prepare for the craziness of The Winston?
"This will be my first time participating in The Winston so I'll be relying heavily on Gil (Martin, Team Manager) and the rest of the crew to figure out the best strategy we can use. It helps to be automatically in it and not have to worry about burning up a motor. Speaking of which, it seems like we'll have to prepare a motor for shorter runs, make it go from the start. It will also help to have some luck when it comes down to how they switch the field."

Points of Interest...

* Team GM Goodwrench will take chassis No. 107 to race under the lights in Concord Saturday night. Recently fitted with a new body and paint scheme, the car has seen action at (Rockingham) North Carolina Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in 2003.

* Harvick will run the inaugural NASCAR Truck Series Hardee's 200 Friday night at the 1.5-mile speedway in his No. 6 Kevin Harvick Incorporated Sonic Chevrolet Silverado. This will be his third truck race (Darlington and Martinsville, Va.) of the season.

* Start time for The Winston is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET. TV coverage of the race on FX starts at 7:00 p.m., with radio coverage on PRN beginning at 7:00 p.m. Remember times and dates of the race may change, so check your local listings.

-rcr-