Kevin Harvick, who hails from Bakersfield, Calif., is a tough man to beat on the mile oval in Phoenix -- the place he considers his home track.Hes also been difficult to keep out of Victory Lane when he needs a win to advance in the Chase, which is once again the case in the penultimate round of this years pursuit of the Sprint Cup.Last year, Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing Chevy team advanced to the finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway with a runner-up finish behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in a rain-shortened race.It was his only loss at Phoenix since 2013. Its a remarkable record and Harvick could be forgiven if he doesnt add another trophy on Sunday. But even second place wont do this time around, because Harvick is too far back in the points after a poor performance in the Round of 8s first race at the Martinsville Speedway.Known for biding his time before charging to the front in NASCARs version of the rope-a-dope, Harvick at least doesnt have to worry much about rain relegating him to another second place. Last years cancellation of the last 93 scheduled laps is not likely to happen. It was the first occasion where rain had shortened a race in the desert since NASCARs premier series first raced at Phoenix in 1988.There was some moaning about the unfairness of calling such a crucial race early last year that sent NASCARs most popular driver into championship contention.Likewise, NASCAR was questioned by social media about the call to end the Texas race last weekend won by Carl Edwards, who along with Jimmie Johnson is locked in for Homestead after their wins. But why do things any differently than the usual way of producing a winner? The same practical reasons for not staying at a track for an unpredictably extended period of time always rule.Two drivers wouldnt be unhappy with a runner-up finish at Phoenix. Joey Logano and Kyle Busch can guarantee themselves a place among the final four Sprint Cup candidates with second place if they lead laps. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch must have a victory to guarantee a shot at the title in Florida.Ford and Team Penske seem to have finally found some speed, which bodes well for Logano. JGR driver Busch, meanwhile, appears to be imitating last years strategy of points racing in order to get a shot at winning in Homestead. Team owner Joe Gibbs, meanwhile, has three bullets left including Kenseth and Hamlin, and he hopes to get two of his Toyotas into the final running for the first time.Harvick is uncomfortably familiar with the come-from-behind role he finds himself in yet again. Four times in the last three years he has been on the verge of Chase elimination before posting a victory. Two of this seasons four victories have come during the Chase when he needed them the most. Its a fix in more ways than one.When you get in these situations, its fun to be able to succeed, Harvick said following his victory in New Hampshire in September. Its kind of like an addiction. You just love the rush of being able to be behind and be able to perform and make that happen. Its something that is very gratifying.If Harvick has a secret at Phoenix, its being able to adjust to different track positions and to competitors who have raised their game. Any advantage his SHR team might bring to Phoenix can disappear overnight, he said.Thats the hardest thing about having success. You have to have an open mind to try new things to keep moving forward, Harvick said. If you dont have an open mind or are not willing to try a fresh approach, then it will get stagnant. Youre going to become stale and get left behind.Before his current stretch of six wins in his last eight Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix, Harvick won five times in the Camping World Truck Series. He also has a Xfinity Series victory on the desert mile. His over-all Sprint Cup statistics are off the chart. He has led 1,484 laps at Phoenix -- 18 percent of the total he has run -- and has posted 757 fastest laps.He swept both races in 2006, but Harvick really came on strong once the track was repaved and the backstretch was somewhat straightened in 2011.Although he has only one pole, Harvick prefers being close to the front. Theres always a dilemma about when to pit for tires and give up track position.Phoenix is a really flat racetrack where you want to have the freshest tires possible, but track position is really important, he said. A lot of what happens at Phoenix depends on the weather and how hot it is -- how much fall-off and how you have to manage track position throughout the day. The cooler the day is, the more you have to manage your track position. The hotter the day, the more you have to manage the fall-off. Better-handling cars will have a little easier time of getting through the field.It remains to be seen how a new rule announced by NASCAR for Phoenix will affect Harvicks SHR team as well as the other Chase contenders. In the eternal pursuit of trying to keep skewed cars in check, the sanctioning body circulated a new tech bulletin about how the truck trailing arms in the rear suspension are mounted to their brackets. Its a rule that will be carried over to 2017. The object of teams skewing their cars is to gain an advantage in the corners by picking up more aerodynamic sideforce.The new rule will present at least one new challenge for Harvick and his crew. The other challenge as always on a relatively short track will be contact from other drivers. Harvick has always seemed to know when to bang fenders and when to avoid contact that could cut a tire or possibly put his car into the wall. He won in the spring by banging into Edwards on the last lap coming to the checkered flag.Not surprisingly, Harvick believes the Phoenix track belongs to him until someone can prove otherwise. In the last four years, only the rain gods have beaten him. Nike Vapormax España . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Nike Vapormax En Oferta . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. http://www.baratasvapormax.es/ . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. Nike Vapormax Comprar Online . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Nike Vapormax Rebajas . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. CLEVELAND -- The Detroit Tigers have placed right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, who was scheduled to start Tuesday against Cleveland, on the 15-day disabled list because of a right neck strain.Adding to the Tigers woes, starter Daniel Norris then left Monday nights 5-3 loss to Cleveland in the top of the third inning because of a right oblique strain. The team said the left-hander will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the strain.Norris gave up three hits and two earned runs in his two innings pitched while walking one and striking out three. He is 1-0 in three starts this season, with a 4.85 ERA. He was replaced by right-hander Dustin Molleken, who had been called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day and was making his major league debut.Zimmermann is 9-4 with a 3..dddddddddddd95 ERA in 15 starts. He won his first five starts of the season and is 4-4 in 10 starts since. The move is retroactive to July 1, the day after Zimmermann allowed four runs over six innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay.Zimmermann signed a five-year, $110 million contract with Detroit in the offseason, after compiling a 70-50 record in six seasons with Washington and making the National League All-Star team twice.The Tigers announced the move about two hours before Monday nights game. Right-hander Anibal Sanchez will start Tuesday. Sanchez is 5-8 with a 6.05 ERA in 20 appearances (12 starts).The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '