Spotter's Stand: Kevin Harvick Has Steady, Quiet Hold of Points Lead

For 10 straight races, Kevin Harvick's No. 29 team has staked claim to the stall No. 2 in the Sprint Cup garage -- indicating his position at the top of the series point standings.

The team in that stall -- with Jimmie Johnson taking the champion's No. 1 stall each week -- will remain the same Sunday at Pocono Raceway as Harvick regained his consistent form with a runner-up finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Harvick credited what he called a bit of a "gamble" late in the race for his strong run -- one that nearly netted the Bakersfield, Ca., native a second Brickyard 400 win.

"We took a gamble there at the end to take two tires," Harvick said. "On the first restart, it took off great. We were able to run Jamie (McMurray) down and pass him. Second restart, it didn't take off so great. Just got tight."

A win in the second-biggest race of the NASCAR season surely would have been nice, but the finish was a welcome improvement over his previous outing. Fuel pump issues two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway relegated Harvick to 34th place.

The No. 29 has two wins this year -- Talladega in April and Daytona in July -- and stands 184 points ahead of winless Jeff Gordon in the series standings. Gordon suffered through tire trouble at Indianapolis to finish 23nd, while Johnson struggled to 22nd.

Harvick was asked afterward if he worried about his position of points leader with fewer wins than other drivers this season in the Sprint Cup Series.

"You know, we've won a couple of times this year, been in contention to win a few a more," Harvick said, somewhat defiantly. "I didn't see the 48 or the 11 today, so... you figure it out."

WHO'S HOT: Can you say anybody but Harvick? That 184-point lead means a virtual cakewalk to the Chase cut-off at Richmond in September. A few more wins would be nice.

WHO'S NOT: Jimmie Johnson has piled up three-straight finishes of 22nd or worse. Fans and non-fans of the No. 48, of course, know one thing: this doesn't matter -- yet -- for Johnson's Chase chances.

QUOTABLE: Jamie McMurray on his Chase chances after winning at the Brickyard:

"Getting to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 means more to me this year than making the Chase. This year or in 10 years, the guy that won that race one time everybody will talk about. The guy that finished third in the points, nobody cares. I would really like to be in the Chase, but I have no focus on that at all. I know Bono doesn't want to hear that, but I don't."

JUST A THOUGHT: The good seats at Indianapolis were full, and the cheap seats at Indianapolis were full. It was the in-betweens that were empty. Is that indicative of the economy, or of a lack of interest for the middle-ground fans?