CREW CHIEF: Rodney Childers
TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing
POINTS: 2nd
WINS: Three ( Las Vegas, Phoenix I, Dover II)
Top 5s: 23 (career best)
TOP 10s: 28 (career best)
LAPS LED: 2,294 (career best)
POLES: 1 (Phoenix I)
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Harvick won two of the first four race of the year in consecutive weeks and led the points for the rest of the regular season … Topped most of his stat totals from 2014 when he won the championship … Finished in the top two in 10 of the first 15 races … Average finish of 8.7, equaling total from 2010 … Won a race in each of last six seasons.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Harvick’s bid to win consecutive championships ended on a late-race restart in Homestead when he couldn’t track down Kyle Busch … Though he led the point standings for most of the regular season, Harvick did not win for 25 races after his victory in the spring Phoenix race … His only DNF came in the first Pocono race after his engine blew on Lap 20 … Ran out of gas on the final turn of the final lap at Watkins Glen, giving Joey Logano the win … Ran out of gas again in the fall New Hampshire race, finishing 21st at Matt Kenseth won … Crashed in the opening Chase race at Chicagoland thanks to a shredded tire … Suspicion was cast on Harvick after the fall Talladega race, the final race of the second round of the Chase, when it appeared the defending champion may have intentionally caused a crash on the final restart attempt. The resulting accident helped ensure Harvick transferred to the third round.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2016: Another year of Harvick being the man to beat in his third season with Stewart-Haas Racing. Will likely duel with Joey Logano and Kyle Busch for the championship.