NASCAR TRUCKS: J.R. Fitzpatrick Dover preview

J.R. Fitzpatrick
No. 4 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet Silverado
Team Race Preview
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race 7 of 25 – Dover (Del.) International Speedway

J.R. Fitzpatrick to Make First Start for Kevin Harvick Inc.:

This weekend marks the beginning of J.R. Fitzpatrick’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career as a driver for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI). Fitzpatrick will drive the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado in the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The Cambridge, Ontario, Canada native will compete in eight Truck Series events for KHI throughout the remainder of the 2009 season. Fitzpatrick will also climb behind the wheel of a KHI entry in two Nationwide Series races at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International Raceway on August 8 and Cicuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 30.

What Time Is It? It’s Game Time:

To prepare for his first start at Dover (Del.) International Speedway (DIS), J.R. Fitzpatrick plans to spend time this week playing a computer game that simulates the one-mile oval to make himself familiar with the track before he makes his first laps in Thursday’s practice sessions.

KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick sat on the pole in his first NASCAR Natiowide Series start at DIS on June 3, 2000, having never seen the track except on a racing simulated game. He ended the race with a sixth-place finish and led 97 laps.

Jaret’s Angels: This weekend, the No. 33 and No. 4 trucks of Kevin Harvick Inc. will run a special decal in honor of Jaret’s Angels. Jaret’s Angels is a family-and-friend support group for 10-year-old Jaret Arneson, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (often referred to as juvenile diabetes) at the age of two. All of the donations collected by Jaret’s Angels go directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). With more than $15,000 raised in 2009, Jaret’s Angels has reached a true milestone, collecting more than $100,000 since Jaret was diagnosed in 2000.

While KHI is racing with Jaret’s Angels on the trucks at Dover, Jaret will be leading a contingent of family and friends a short distance away at the JDRF Walk for the Cure at Washington Nationals Stadium in Washington D.C. In June, he will be among 150 kids from around the country selected to participate in the JDRF Children’s Congress, where children with diabetes tell their stories to Congress in search of support for government-backed research funding.

Behind the Wheel with J.R. Fitzpatrick:

What do you expect during your first experience at Dover? “For one thing, I’m hoping that I do not find out why it is called the “Monster Mile.” I have never raced on a concrete track before, but I have a lot of confidence and I expect to do well. I know I will have a good truck at Dover. It is the same truck Ryan Newman drove at Lowe’s Motor Speedway two weeks ago and finished fourth. I am just ready to get back in a truck and race.”

Is there any advice about Dover that you have been given? “I talked with Kevin (Harvick) a little bit and the main thing he told me is that Dover is easy to overdrive. In practice, I plan to follow my teammate, Ron Hornaday, around the track for a few laps and learn about how I should drive the track. One of my friends back home has a racing simulator on his computer that has Dover on it, so I’m also going to use that to help prepare myself for this track.”

Chassis No. 014 Returns to the Track for Back-to-Back Races:

J.R. Fitzpatrick will drive the same truck that was driven to a fourth-place finish by Ryan Newman in the Truck Series’ last race, the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, two weeks ago. The truck is now in its third season of competition and has won two races in the past two seasons. Ron Hornaday took it victory lane at Lowe’s in May 2007 and Jack Sprague finished second in this truck at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in June 2008. Ryan Newman scored his first career truck series win in his first race for KHI at Atlanta Motor Speedway with chassis No. 014 in October 2008 and Cale Gale started on the outside of the front row at Texas Motor Speedway one week later.

About Kevin Harvick Inc.: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions, the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ricky Carmichael and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala competing full-time in the Nationwide Series, with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), Hornaday and Cale Gale. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.

From Tyler Patterson   |   Kevin Harvick Inc.