Kevin Harvick Taking Week-To-Week Approach To NASCAR Chase

Kevin Harvick was nearly rock-solid through the 2010 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The Richard Childress Racing driver had an average finish of 5.8 and only one finish outside the top 10, yet still finished third in the championship hunt.

Back in contention this season, Harvick said the key to winning the title will be “minding your business” and taking things one week at a time.

“Right now it’s just a one-week grind,” Harvick said. “One week at a time. We go from race to race. We don’t think about next week.”

Through the first two weeks of the Chase, Harvick is second in points – just seven marks behind Tony Stewart. On both ends of the fuel mileage strategy at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, Harvick is a fan of strategy races and “trying to out-think” the competition.

With so many teams capable of winning each weekend, he said everyone on the team has to take chances to put themselves in the best possible position.

“These crew chiefs have figured out so much of the fuel mileage stuff, the gas man, everyone on pit road knows so much of what’s going on on that side of it,” he said. “The drivers have figured out better ways to save gas and do things. Things have changed. The game has changed a lot this year, it seems like.”

Missing out on the title last year, Harvick said the biggest thing the team needs to do in the Chase is remain focused on their efforts and nothing else.

“Do your own thing. Worry about what you’re doing week-to-week,” he said. “We don’t need any added distractions at any point of the year. It’s all about the 29 (team), whether it’s on the track or off the track. It’s about my guys and RCR and myself and that’s it. Anything else we bring upon ourselves is our own fault.”

One thing Harvick said has not been a distraction is the pit crew swap that took place for the final 10 races of the year.

Starting in Chicagoland, the crew pitting the No. 33 of Clint Bowyer hopped over the wall to service Harvick’s car. With Harvick the lone RCR entry in the Chase, arrangements were made to have the top crew working on his car throughout the Chase.

Harvick said everyone knew the pit crews were “going to be moved around” for the final 10 races, depending on how many cars made the Chase, and he does not expect that to change over the final eight events.

“That’s the one thing I like about our company at RCR right now, is we have some depth,” he said. “Internally (at RCR) they’re being very aggressive, which is not something that we’ve always done at RCR.”

Instead of hearing rumors about possible changes, Harvick said changes are put into place right away and the team moves on.

With Chase experience, depth internally at RCR and a week-by-week approach to the championship battle, Harvick appears confident in his team’s chances at the title.