In 2005, Gordon’s No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet suffered a flat just past the midway point of the race as a caution flag waved, and a split second before he reached the commitment line to enter pit road the red light went on, signaling the pits were closed. Gordon had no alternative other than continuing into the pit, a violation that relegated him to 37th on the ensuing restart. He finished 14th.

Last August, Busch won the pole, led 36 of the first 53 laps after surviving a hard bump from Kasey Kahne on the first turn of the race, and appeared to have the car to beat. But just past the midpoint of the 90-lap race, Joe Nemechek spun off course and brought out a caution for debris. Busch, following his crew’s instructions, began to head to the pit for tires and fuel. But just as his front tires were about to cross the commitment line, the red light went on. Busch continued and made his stop, then was sent to the rear of the field on the restart as crew chief Roy McCauley kicked a tire in frustration.

“They played Russian roulette there,” Harvick said. “You try to be aware of what the situation is. If you know somebody’s in the sand trap or wrecked, you know that light’s going to come on at some point. If you’re going to take that gamble, hopefully you get there before. When you commit to pit road and you know the light’s going to come on, there’s really no way out. Once you commit, it’s tough to come back.”

A year ago, Harvick was third heading into the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship and this year he’s ninth with five races remaining before the cutoff. Only the top 12 drivers in the standings after the first 26 races of the season qualify to compete for the title.

Harvick, who finished 17th in the Pennsylvania 500 on Sunday, likes his position.

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“It’s a lot easier to lose points than it is to gain,” said Harvick, who finished fifth in the final standings to 2006 Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. “We just have to keep doing the things we’re doing, try to be as consistent as possible to keep that happening. Last year, we were fortunate to win the last race of the regular season and the first race of the Chase. Then we struggled for three or four weeks.

“Hopefully, we can time it right this year and get the momentum in the Chase instead of right before it.”