ShareThisBy MIKE MULHERN
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Kevin Harvick is happy to finally have his Nextel Cup career turned around. And five wins this season and a shot at the title is quite a turnaround, for Harvick and car owner Richard Childress.
In March, Harvick and Childress were close to splitting, because of his long-running slump. That the Chase for the Nextel Cup is coming down to Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth is certainly not unexpected. But the rest of the Chase has been filled with surprises, including Harvick's win in Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500. That put him in third place in the Chase, 90 points behind Johnson, the leader.
Todd Berrier, Harvick's crew chief for seven years, said that his team's chemistry has clearly jelled, and that it probably won't vanish easily.
"When they go through a year like last year, and then a year like this year, it's just attitude," Berrier said of his team members. "All the guys are jacked up and on a roll. It's all about momentum and attitude, and that's the biggest thing we've got going."
But Harvick probably needed to take a bigger bite out of Johnson's lead Sunday. Despite dominating the race, Harvick gained only 15 points.
So how much ground might Harvick be able to pick up at Homestead-Miami in this weekend's season finale?
"I know we've lost a hundred in some," Harvick said.
"It can happen," Berrier added, about Johnson and potential misfortune. "But if it were to happen, we'd have to be on top of our game to make sure we capitalize on it."
What advice would Harvick offer Johnson for Homestead?
"I'd stay away from everybody and just run 43rd if it was me," Harvick said with a laugh.
But then he added, "It's a lot of pressure. There's a lot on the line. The whole year comes down to one race.
"It will probably be a long week for him. He probably won't sleep much. He probably will try to keep his mind off things. That's what I would do: Avoid the Internet, avoid the newspaper, avoid the radio, and all interviews.
"We've had a great year, though it's been up and down. But for the most part we're just having fun, and racing as hard as we can.
Added Berrier: "For Kevin to have the year he's had ... it's just unbelievable. Glad to be a part of it."
Even with one race to go this season, Harvick and Berrier are already gearing up for next year.
"We all know we have to take the same steps next year we took this year to keep up with everybody," Harvick said. "You have to keep progressing with the sport. We don't have the same car, the same engine package, or the same setup we had here in April. That's how fast our sport progresses."
"We need to take as big a step next year as this year," Berrier added. "There's a million things we put on the list at this time last year that we haven't got to or got handled or done to our satisfaction. So, while I feel like as a company we made a major step, we need to make that same step again."
