Harvick aiming for another Xfinity win at Atlanta

Feb 28, 2015 - 2:52 PM Hampton, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Xfinity Series will begin NASCAR's doubleheader at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Shortly after the 250-mile Xfinity event, the Camping World Truck Series will be on track here for 200 miles of racing.

Kevin Harvick is one of six Sprint Cup Series regulars scheduled to compete in the Xfinity race at Atlanta. Sam Hornish Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, and Paul Menard are the others.

Harvick has a record-tying three Xfinity wins at this 1.54-mile racetrack, including victories in the series' most recent trips here (August 2013 and August 2014). His first win happened in September 2009.

"Atlanta has been a great racetrack for me the last few years," Harvick said. "The track surface is really worn out, and the speed of the car changes a lot from the start to the finish of any given run. It makes for some good hard racing as the cars start moving and sliding around the track."

Atlanta is the first of 12 races that Harvick is scheduled to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. He is also expected to compete at Phoenix (March 14), California (March 21), Bristol (April 18 and Aug. 21), Richmond (April 24), Charlotte (May 23), Michigan (June 13), Indianapolis (July 25), Darlington (Sept. 5), Kansas (Oct. 17) and Texas (Nov. 7).

In 15 Xfinity races with JRM last year, Harvick scored four victories and finished no worse than eighth.

Harvick is the defending Sprint Cup champion. His first victory in NASCAR's premier series occurred at Atlanta in March 2001. It came in just his third start.

Series: NASCAR Xfinity. Date: Saturday, Feb. 28. Race: Hisense 250. 300. Site: Atlanta Motor Speedway. Track: 1.54-mile oval. Start time: 2 p.m. ET. Laps: 163. Miles: 251.02. 2014 Winner: Kevin Harvick. Television: Fox Sports 1. Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.