J.R. Fitzpatrick, driver of the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) No. 4 Auto-Owners Insurance Chevrolet Silverado, will not have to travel very far this weekend when he makes his first career start at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Saturday's Michigan 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Fitzpatrick resides in his hometown of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, which is 252 miles northwest of MIS. While he knows his immediate family will be attending the race, Fitzpatrick also expects that there will be a strong fan presence from his home country cheering him on from the grandstands.
"This weekend will be exciting for me, especially racing close to home," said Fitzpatrick. "There are a lot of NASCAR fans in Canada and I know they will be keeping an eye on me in the truck race on Saturday. Hopefully I can put on a good show for them and give them something to be proud of."
Behind the Wheel with J.R. Fitzpatrick:
What are your thoughts going into Michigan coming out of your first race with a new team and is your comfort level with the team, crew chief and owners higher than it was at this time last week? "Just like all the other speedways that I have been to, my first laps at Michigan will be about learning the track and how to drive it. I have been to a track that is similar to Michigan, so hopefully that will give me somewhat of an advantage."
"As far as my comfort level going into my second race with KHI, I feel very comfortable. I first met John (Monsam, crew chief) all the guys on the crew when I visited the shop the week before Dover. Then at the track in Dover, I got to be around them and get to know everybody better and they got to know me better. It felt really good because we all got along great and worked well together."
Michigan is a track where drafting can come into play. Based on your experiences at Daytona and California earlier this season, what is the key to being to make the draft work in your favor? "I feel very comfortable at tracks where drafting comes into play. I know I will have a great truck, so I think if I can just get a feel for the track and make sure the truck isn't too tight to drive, we will be able to draft pretty well. I am looking forward to having a great time and going for a top-10 finish."
New Truck for Fitzpatrick at Michigan:
When J.R. Fitzpatrick takes his first laps around the two-mile Michigan International Speedway this weekend, he will do this behind the wheel of a brand-new truck. Chassis No. 029 is new to the Kevin Harvick Inc. stable for the 2009 season, having only recently been used as a back-up truck and has never been on track.
Auto-Owners Insurance to Sponsor Fitzpatrick at MIS:
Auto-Owners Insurance, based in Lansing, Michigan, will be the primary sponsor on Kevin Harvick Inc.'s (KHI) No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado this weekend at Michigan International Speedway with J.R. Fitzpatrick behind the wheel.
Race Recap - Texas Motor Speedway:
In his sixth start of 2009, Ricky Carmichael overcame a tight-handling condition to finish in the 11th position in the Winstar World Casino 400 last Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. Carmichael, who started the race from the eighth position, dropped as far back as 22nd before rallying back to score his second top-15 finish of the season. His next start behind the wheel of the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado will be June 19 at The Milwaukee Mile.
