Kevin Harvick can clinch a Chase spot by finishing 40th. Credit: Autostock

Harvick's gameplan: Keep doing the same

Locking up a Chase spot will put him in position for two titles

RICHMOND, Va. -- Kevin Harvick may be dominating the Busch Series, and virtually assured of being in his first Chase for the Nextel Cup -- but don't try to tell the driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet it's anything approaching a sure thing.

Kevin Harvick will start fifth for Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Credit: Autostock

Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Lineup Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. D. Hamlin 127.986 21.096 2. J. Burton 127.805 21.126 3. J. Gordon 127.690 21.145 4. M. Martin 127.407 21.192 5. K. Harvick 127.316 21.207 6. S. Wimmer 127.215 21.224 7. M. Truex Jr. 127.065 21.249 8. G. Biffle 127.041 21.253 9. C. Edwards 127.023 21.256 10. M. Kenseth 126.981 21.263 • Complete lineup, click here Pole sitterDenny Hamlin secures pole for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Falling shortKasey Kahne has a tough run, qualifying 20th Strong runJeff Burton has a strong run at Richmond, qualifying second Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Harvick is third in the standings, with no less than 10 men scheduled to begin the third annual Chase at New Hampshire International Speedway next weekend.

He is 147 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne, with 156 points the maximum that Kahne can make up on Saturday night if Harvick starts the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

But even if confidence reigns supreme this weekend around Harvick's team, comfort does not -- even after Harvick qualified the car fifth behind hometown Bud Pole winner Denny Hamlin.

"It is still a pretty stressful weekend," Harvick said. "There are still things that can go wrong [and] obviously we can still be on the outside looking in if we have a disaster.

"We want to do everything we can do to put ourselves in the right position to capitalize on Saturday night."

After qualifying was over, drivers currently qualified for the Chase held the top-five positions in the lineup. Eight of the 10 men in front of Kahne in the standings qualified ahead of him.

Harvick and crew chief Todd Berrier are tremendously bolstered by the fact that they've finished in the top 11 in 10 of the last 13 races, only two of which have been worse than 13th.

After not making the Chase for its first two editions, Harvick made an almost jocular comment to team owner Richard Childress and running the full Busch and Nextel Cup schedules was the result. Harvick came into Richmond leading the Busch Series -- which he won in 2001 -- by more than 500 points.

His credo for Richmond -- and the Chase if he makes it -- is to not change a thing.

"Nothing is going to change," Harvick said. "We are going to do the same things that we are doing. We are going to approach the races the same, we are going to approach the Busch Series the same, and we are going to run all the races.

"We are going to do everything just as we have been doing it and I think that is the only way you can do things -- because that is what got us here [and] what put us to the point where we are having a good year.

"If you change that up, it breaks your rhythm. It is all about rhythm and it is all about being consistent; knowing what you have got when you show up at the racetrack and doing the things that you do to get you to this point. You just have to keep doing those things.

"If that is not good enough to get it done, then it probably wasn't good enough to get in the Chase. You have to be consistent and keep doing the things you have been doing."

If he gets into the Chase, Harvick has a chance to make history as the first man to win the Cup and Busch titles in the same season. But he can wait until Sunday to think about that, he said.

"The first thing we have to do is to get through this weekend to hopefully put ourselves in that position to be racing for those championships and just have the opportunity to maybe do that," Harvick said. "I am proud of everybody just for the fact that we have turned everything around and the performance of everything has been really good.

"We have had a great year [so we'll] just get through this weekend, then it will be a reality hopefully and we can go from there and we can try to [win both championships]."