Johnson or Harvick: Who is Chasing Who?

In all sports, the defending champion usually begins the following season as the ‘One to Beat.’ For 2015, Kevin Harvick is that man in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. On the other hand, is he?

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Johnson May Have a Say in the Matter

Coming off his first Sprint Cup Series championship Harvick picked up right where he left off. Finishing first or second in five consecutive races plus three going back to last year, commentators were ready to hand the 2015 championship to Harvick. Winning back-to-back races at Las Vegas and Phoenix did not hurt Harvick’s cause in the least. Harvick currently sits atop the point standings 26 points ahead of Joey Logano.

However, six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson may have some input this season on who is the man to beat. You see, Johnson is chasing history. That alone begs the question, is not everyone really chasing Johnson? Following his dominant victory this past weekend at Texas, Johnson now has two victories this season and sits in sixth place in the standings.

With Johnson and Harvick both having two victories already, they are guaranteed to be facing each other in the Chase after the first 26 races.

Great Starts (A Look Back to 2001-2002)

Both Harvick and Johnson were running full-time Xfinity Cup schedules, and both scheduled to drive a few Sprint Cup races for their respective teams during the year.

This all changed under devastating circumstances. The 2001 Daytona 500 would not only change stock car racing forever, it would change Kevin Harvick’s career trajectory. Driving his usual No. 3 car for Richard Childress Racing, seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. died following a horrific crash on the last lap of the race.

Called up from the Xfinity Series to drive a renumbered No. 29 car in the Sprint Cup Series, Harvick found himself running two full-time race schedules every weekend. A first for any driver at the time. Harvick would go on to win the Xfinity championship and Rookie of the Year in the Sprint Series winning two races. Harvick left no question as to whether he was ready to step in for a fallen legend.

Then came 2002 and Johnson would run full-time in the Sprint Cup Series. He would win three races, be the first rookie to ever lead the series in points and win four pole positions on his way to being Rookie of the Year.

Harvick and Johnson looked as if they were ready to take over the Sprint Cup Series. Unfortunately, the excitement, at least for one of them stops here.

By the Numbers

Jimmie Johnson (2002 to April 11, 2015):
Races to date – 478
Championships – Six (second all-time behind Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., both with seven)
Johnson won an unprecedented five championships in a row from 2006-2010. He is currently looking to tie the legends that have seven.
Wins – 72 (eighth all-time)
Top 10’s – 296
Poles – 32
Driver of the Year – 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013
Associated Press Athlete of the Year – 2009
ESPN ESPY Award – 2

Kevin Harvick (2001 to April 11, 2015):
Races to date – 509
Championships – One
Wins – 30 (23rd all-time)
Top 10’s – 236
Poles – 15

For the 2014 season, Harvick left RCR for Stewart-Haas Racing. The fresh start seems to have done him some good considering he won the Sprint Cup championship in his first year with SHR. After his electrifying rookie season, Harvick appeared mired in mediocrity for several seasons. In his defense, the pressure put on him to fill the shoes of Dale Earnhardt Sr. was unfair and would have affected anyone similarly. Harvick is a talented driver, but he is emotional. His on and off track incidents are many, almost weekly for a while. Especially, with Joey Logano for the past couple years. Harvick is prone to get upset and make a bad decision in retribution rather than looking at the big picture. His 2014 championship gave the impression that he was past all the sideline issues. Darryl Waltrip even began calling him ‘Happy’ Harvick. The question now is can he stop Jimmie Johnson from making history?

Jimmie Johnson is cold and methodical, almost robot-like when he is in his No. 48 car. Sometimes, those traits appear out of the car and show up in interviews. Johnson does not appear bothered by such accusations. He just gets in the car week after week and lays down laps like no one else.

Johnson will make history, whether it is this year or next or even a couple more down the road. The only question is, who will be the one chasing him to history? Maybe it is Harvick this year, but the fact remains they are all chasing Johnson.