HARVICK AND SHELL-PENNZOIL TEAM RETURN TO SHORT TRACK ACTION AT RICHMOND

Harvick Scores Fifth Top-10 Finish in 2008 Season

RICHMOND, VA (May 4, 2008): Kevin Harvick and the Shell-Pennzoil team rolled into Richmond International Raceway (RIR) ready to run under the lights for the Crown Royal presents the Dan Lowry 400. Harvick, a former winner at RIR was looking to score his first win of the season and first points win since the 2007 Daytona 500.

Action on the ¾-mile track began on Friday with qualifying. Harvick qualified the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy just outside the top 10 with a fast lap of 21.524 seconds (125.238 miles per hour) putting him in the 11th starting position.

Rolling off on the inside of the sixth row, Harvick settled in for what was sure to be 400 laps of intense competition. Having worked his way into the top 10, Harvick remained silent on the radio until lap 20 when he reported the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy wanted to break loose whenever he touched the throttle.

The race remained green until the first caution flag waved on lap 65. Harvick was looking forward to the caution as it would allow him the opportunity to bring the No. 29 Chevy in for adjustments after fighting loose conditions throughout the opening laps of the event. Harvick entered the pit lane on lap 66 and the Shell-Pennzoil crew made air pressure and chassis adjustments along with servicing the No. 29 Chevy with tires and fuel. The 14.40 second stop gained the team three spots as Harvick prepared to restart the race in the eighth position.

As laps continued to click off, Harvick broke into the top five running positions. Lap 100 rolled around and Harvick remained quiet on the radio. It was on lap 127 when caution waved again and Harvick asked for additional adjustments to the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy.

Once racing resumed, the Bakersfield, Calif., native began to experience loose conditions as he made his way off the corner again. Handling issues continued for the Shell-Pennzoil team while Harvick was able to remain in the top 10.

When caution waved at the half-way point on lap 200, crew chief Todd Berrier began to call out necessary changes to get the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy back to where it was before the last set of adjustments.

Thirty circuits later, on lap 230, an 11-car wreck brought out the red flag as track officials cleaned up the raceway. Once racing resumed after just over 21 minutes, Harvick remained in the top 10, however handling remained an issue for the Shell-Pennzoil team.

Harvick's teammate Clint Bowyer won the Crown Royal Dan Lowry 400 on Saturday night by leading only the final handful of laps.

Berrier and his crew continued to work on the No. 29 Chevy in the remaining laps of the race however they were never able to get the car dialed into Harvick’s liking.

The closing laps of the race brought out several cautions between the leaders and the 2007 Daytona 500 champion was able to steer clear of the trouble and bring the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy home in the eighth position, scoring his fifth top 10 finish of the season.

“We just weren’t very good tonight. We are going to have to try and figure some things out here. I think everyone was pretty loose at the start of the race. Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys kept working on our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet to get it better. There was a point there about mid-race when we were pretty good and made some good moves to the top-three, but then the car just started going away again and we couldn’t seem to get it back. It was a decent points night for us, but we want to be running up front and contending for wins. I know everyone at RCR will continue to work hard on our program to get us where we need to be.“

Harvick’s finish moved him up one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. He now sits in fifth just 145 points out of first place.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Dodge Challenger 500 under the lights at Darlington Raceway. Live coverage will take the green flag Saturday, May 10 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will be telecast live on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 7:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).