Things will be twice as nice for Kevin Harvick this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway when he competes in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series as well as the Sprint Cup Series Dickies 500 on Sunday afternoon.
With Harvick's track record at the 1.5-mile speedway it's easy to understand why he's participating in Saturday's Nationwide Series O'Reilly Challenge.
He'll be looking for his fifth career Nationwide Series win in 11 starts at TMS and holds the title of the most successful Nationwide Series driver at the track having won four races (2007, 2006, 2005 and 2001). Mark Martin and Kyle Busch both trail Harvick with three Nationwide Series wins each.
In 10 Nationwide Series starts at the track, Harvick has scored four wins, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. In his 10 Nationwide Series starts at the track, Harvick has one pole and has started inside the top seven nine times.
"Texas is a track that I've found success at from the get go," Harvick said. "My first start there in the Nationwide car we had a top-10 finish and since then managed to pick up four wins. I always look forward to going back to Texas and competing for a win."
The lightning-fast Texas track isn't an easy place for many drivers to figure out but Harvick has a handle on doing well at TMS.
"To be successful at Texas you must have a good-handling race car and great pit stops," he said. "Picking up positions on pit road is key when it comes to moving forward through the field."
If Harvick can find victory lane yet again in Saturday's race, a fifth Texas win will be one of the most satisfying accomplishments of his career.
"Any time you win a race it is always exciting, but going for a fifth win at the same track is a good feeling," Harvick said. "(Crew chief) Ernie (Cope) and the guys always give me a car that is capable of winning each and every week. Hopefully this time around we can put our No. 33 Chevrolet back into Victory Lane for the third time this season and get Jimmy John's their second win of the year."
