NASCAR Chicago preview: Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski enter Chase playing familiar roles

Like leaves changing colors indicates the end of summer, Kevin Harvick trash talking the competition and Brad Keselowski stressing the need to be aggressive are surefire signs NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff is about to commence.

When NASCAR introduced a new format last season featuring an expanded field (from 12 drivers to 16) and eliminations every three races, no one knew how the proceedings would unfold over the course of 10 weeks. The impetus NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France said was to create “Game 7 moments” that captivated fans’ interest.

And not surprisingly, placing highly motivated individuals in must-win situations elicited the raw emotion and absorbing theatre they were looking for.

The epicenter for much of the drama centered between Harvick and Keselowski. The former acted as an instigator en route to winning the championship, while the latter’s unapologetic bullheaded style earned him the condemnation of fans and competitors alike.

Keselowski’s approach paid dividends when he completed a brazen three-wide pass that saw him split leaders Harvick and Kyle Larson to take the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway. In Round 2 Keselowski staved off elimination with a hard-fought gritty victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

But just as Keselowski’s antagonistic nature produced the indelible moments NASCAR sought when it overhauled the Chase, it also earned him scorn -- and a few punches to the face.

Irate over Keselowski’s over-zealousness, normally mild-mannered Matt Kenseth jumped him between two haulers following the Charlotte race. The ensuing scrum saw Kenseth place Keselowski in a headlock before Paul Wolfe, Keselowski’s crew chief, forcefully pulled Kenseth off his driver.

Another altercation involving Keselowski came three weeks later when he drove between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon during a late-race restart at Texas. But unlike Chicagoland, Keselowski’s maneuver resulted in Gordon suffering a punctured left-rear tire and the loss of a certain top-five finish.

Gordon expressed his vehement displeasure when he confronted Keselowski on pit road. The exchange escalated when Harvick interjected himself and shoved Keselowski toward Gordon, triggering a brawl between their teams.

“Looking back in it, I can’t blame Brad for being aggressive as he was, he had to win to advance,” Gordon said Thursday during Chase Media Day in downtown Chicago. “I wouldn’t have been as pissed off as I was if I had finished fifth or 10th. But he cut my tire with his tailpipe and I finished 29th -- that was devastating.”

Similar theatrics are expected when the 2015 edition of the Chase begins Sunday at Chicagoland.

“I hope it happens,” Kenseth said. “That stuff is great to watch. It makes great TV. It’s great storylines. That stuff is really fun if you’re not in it, so I hope so.”

Said Keselowski: “I don’t expect it to be different. I expect it to look very similar to how it was last year.”

And just as they did last year, Harvick and Keselowski have already assumed their respective roles.

Harvick initiated the pot-stirring when he adamantly dismissed the notion that Joe Gibbs Racing, which has won eight of the past 11 races, should be regarded as championship favorites.

“I wouldn’t consider us behind the Gibbs cars,” Harvick said Thursday. “I think we’re going to pound them into the ground. That’s what I think.”

Cocky and full of swagger is a Harvick trademark. Those characteristics are especially prevalent when he knows he’s got the speed to match his talk, as is the case this season. The defending Sprint Cup champion recorded two wins, amassed 10 runner-ups and led all drivers in top fives, top 10s, laps led and average finish during the regular season.

“We just go about our business and do our things,” Harvick said. “The cars are running good. I feel like we’re in a good spot. We’re in a way better spot than we were last year.”

Harvick backed up the smack by posting the fastest time in practice Friday. That earned him the pole-position when rain canceled qualifying, forcing NASCAR to set the starting lineup off practice speeds.

“He’s an instigator,” Gordon said. “I’m not surprised. It’s just Kevin’s personality. I think he does it in good fun, but he also knows that there are certain individuals out there that, that can affect them and maybe give him an edge. And so, he’s going to try to get every edge that he can get.”

If there’s a benefit to being the only driver so far to successfully navigate a playoff format where one bad race can lead to elimination, Harvick holds it. Twice he came through in must-win situations; the first in the penultimate race at Phoenix to qualify for the championship round, then in the finale when he charged from 12th to the lead over the final 15 laps.

“To be able to do that in this format, to be behind and step up to the plate -- absolutely, I think that gives him an advantage,” Kenseth said.

Keselowski also produced when faced with adversity last postseason, winning an elimination race at Talladega. But his Chase came undone due to mechanical failures, and despite entering the Chase as the No. 1 seed he was a Round 3 casualty.

So did Keselowski glean anything from last year’s playoffs that can be applied to the 2015 Chase? Maybe the importance of tempering one’s aggressiveness and the value of picking your spots?

“I don’t feel like there was anything that I would have done different,” Keselowski said. “I don’t think you will win the championship just letting it come to you. You will have to go get it.”