Kevin Harvick
It is crowded near the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with three drivers within 16 points of each other. After that point there is a little gap filled by Kevin Harvick. Harvick is holding down 4th place in the cup standings so far on the season and stands 61 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.
The start of this season looks excellent for Harvick after a disappointing 19th place finish in the points standings last year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings. Harvick has shown flashes of brilliance in the past in the Sprint series, winning 5 races and placing 3rd overall in 2006, but has not been nearly as good since then.
Since winning 5 races in 2006 Harvick has won only 1 race in the following 3+ seasons. It is difficult to be a contender to win the whole series if you can’t even win an individual race on the season.
The key to the success of Harvick this year has been his 2 second place finishes at California and Las Vegas this year. He led quite a few laps in those races and started off well.
Following those races Harvick’s crew has struggled to produce a solid car. Harvick started three races this season in the 33rd position or worse. He has been able to make the best out of those races, posting strong finishes each time, but it makes life a lot easier if you don’t start the race at the back of the pack.
