Another good finish for Kevin Harvick leaves him sitting solidly in contention to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images) » More Photos

HARVICK MAKING HEADWAY Kevin Harvick heads into Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway on something of a roll, having finished sixth or better in three of the last four NASCAR Sprint Cup races. And that’s pushed the California native from 13th in points to 11th, which leaves him well positioned for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, especially with the improvements that Richard Childress Racing has made in recent weeks.

“I feel like we have made a lot of improvements on our cars since the last race at Michigan,” said Harvick. “Everything that we are racing now is totally different from where we were with bump stops, chassis and all the different things that are on our cars now. Performance-wise, we have made big gains. Michigan is one of those places that you need the entire package to compete for the win. Being successful has a lot do with the horsepower that is under the hood and I think our engine department has stepped up over the past several months, as well. I look forward to a strong finish this weekend.”

SAFETY FIRST Bobby Labonte escaped a horrific late-race crash at Watkins Glen last Sunday with nothing more than getting his bell rung, something that veteran was most thankful for. “I’m probably as guilty as anyone of not giving NASCAR enough credit for all of the safety initiatives they have introduced to our sport in the last five years,” said the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. “I’ll tell you, all it takes is to be involved in an accident like we had at the end of the race at Watkins Glen to send you a reminder. There is no doubt that this is the safest racecar in the world. We don’t think of road courses as places where hard wrecks like that can occur. Everything in the car worked like it was designed to do. I appreciate NASCAR bringing safety to the forefront and keeping it there.”

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to