In Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Las Vegas, Kevin Harvick underwent a bit of déjà vu as he crossed the finish line. For the second week in a row the driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has finished second to Jimmie Johnson.

“It was a good day,” Harvick stated. “For us, I put us behind on Friday when I smacked the wall there in practice. The guys did a great job fixing the car. We just got behind from that point and were able to make up ground.”

Had Harvick not wrecked his car during the qualifying run, he feels that a good start to the race instead of opening the race in the 34th spot would have given him a great chance to go home with the win.

“You know, having a better Friday would have been very beneficial for us to keep our track position where we needed it to be there at the end. If we had been second or third, I think we could have run with him.”

Harvick continued, “Do I think we could have beat him?  I don't know.  But I think we would have at least had a shot.”

Despite the sight of Jimmie Johnson’s rear bumper when the checkered flag was waved for the second consecutive week, Harvick still has reason to
celebrate. Harvick’s seventh place outing at Daytona and his runner-up finishes at California and Las Vegas have put him at the top of the point standings heading into the fourth week of NASCAR season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In the past two years Harvick has seen great results in the Kobalt Tool’s 500. Finishing seventh in the event in 2008 and fourth in 2009, the RCR veteran’s chances of remaining on top of the standings are astonishing.

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