KEVIN HARVICK
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.