Lap 325: Harvick finishes second, his best showing since another runnerup effort in the Daytona 500. It's also Harvick's first top-five finish since running fourth at Atlanta in the spring.

Lap 318: Kahne's lead is 1.37 seconds, but on the track, it looks like three miles as the laps wind down.

Lap 315: Kasey Kahne gets under Harvick for the lead on the backstretch.

Lap 315: Harvick chooses the outside line for the restart. There are 11 laps to go.

Lap 312: Harvick drops onto pit road for his biggest stop of the season. Harvick's rear tire changer and tire carrier are wearing uniforms of Bowyer's team, after apparently making an impromptu swap. The stop lasts 15.2 seconds.

Lap 311: Harvick asks crew chief Gil Martin what he wants to do. Martin says to they have to take on four tires.

Lap 309: Clint Bowyer, Harvick's Richard Childress Racing teammate, spins off turn four. The caution is out. It's certainly not what Harvick wanted to see.

Lap 308: Juan Pablo Montoya nows trails Harvick by 1.62 seconds.

Lap 305: The lead is back in Harvick's hands after making his move between turns one and two.

Lap 304: Harvick goes low between turns one and two, but can't make the move stick.

Lap 303: Harvick has closed in on Juan Pablo Montoya for the top spot.

Lap 298: Second place is Harvick's after he takes the spot from Kasey Kahne.

Lap 297: Harvick moves past David Reutimann for third place.

Lap 291: Harvick slides under Denny Hamlin to challenge for fourth place.

Lap 290: With 35 laps to go, Harvick is in fifth place, 4.31 seconds behind leader Juan Pablo Montoya.

Lap 285: Harvick retakes fifth place from Mark Martin.

Lap 279: The water temperature gauge in Harvick's car is pegged.

Lap 277: Harvick says, "Run 'em hard, boys. Run 'em hard!!!" He's been insistent all night that the smart move is to conserve tires for the first few laps after a restart.

Lap 275: Harvick appears stuck on the bottom of the track. He drops to sixth before finally getting back into line.

Lap 274: Harvick is second on the restart, on the inside of the front row after Kasey Kahne chooses the high line.

Lap 272: Crew chief Gil Martin says that they have enough fuel to make it the rest of the way. "We've got enough to make it to Unadilla," he adds.

Lap 271: Harvick comes in for the ninth time tonight. It takes just 14.8 seconds to complete the crew's work, and Harvick responds with an enthusiastic "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Lap 269: Joey Logano spins in turn four to bring out another yellow flag. It's the ninth caution of the night.

Lap 265: Harvick says, "It's pretty much just junk right now."

Lap 263: Harvick says the car is the worst it's been all night. It's too loose.

Lap 260: Juan Pablo Montoya flies past Harvick for second place on the backstretch.

Lap 253: Juan Pablo Montoya bobbles when the green flag flies, allowing Harvick to shuffle into second place.

Lap 253: Harvick is fourth on the restart. With a little less than 75 laps to go, everyone will have to make at least one more stop.

Lap 248: Pit road ... again. The stop lasts 17.8 seconds, and he drops to sixth at the exit.

Lap 246: The caution is out for an accident in front of Harvick involving Kurt Busch and Reed Sorenson. He's able to clear it without problem. Harvick immediately asks crew chief Gil Martin to tighten the car up, but not much.

Lap 244: Harvick has opened up a lead of 4.04 seconds over Kasey Kahne.

Lap 236: Harvick says he's a little bit loose.

Lap 231: Harvick and Kahne are still side by side for most of the lap, before Harvick clears his foe in turn four.

Lap 230: Kasey Kahne goes back into the lead on the backstretch. Harvick doesn't give it up easily.

Lap 228: Harvick moves past Kasey Kahne to take the lead going into turn one.

Lap 227: Harvick tries to get under Kahne in turns one and two, but the move doesn't work. Yet ...

Lap 226: With 100 laps to go, Harvick has caught Kasey Kahne for the lead.

Lap 220: Harvick charges under Denny Hamlin for second place coming off turn four.

Lap 219: Leader Kasey Kahne leads Harvick by 2.21 seconds.

Lap 218: Jeff Gordon gives up third place in the first and second turns.

Lap 217: Settled into a groove, Harvick easily retakes fourth place from Dale Earnhardt Jr. between turns one and two.

Lap 209: Denny Hamlin gets by Harvick, and so does Dale Earnhardt Jr. He's now fifth.

Lap 208: Kasey Kahne goes to the high side to take the lead on the backstretch. Jeff Gordon follows.

Lap 208: Harvick is the leader as the green flag comes back out. Crew chief Gil Martin gets some screen time on television as the field lines up for the restart.

Lap 203: Harvick makes his stop in 15 seconds. He beats Denny Hamlin off pit road by about half a car length.

Lap 202: Harvick asks for some water during the upcoming pit stop.

Lap 201: Jimmie Johnson's spin bring out the yellow flag.

Lap 200: This is the most Harvick has led since last fall at Richmond, where he paced 80 laps. So far tonight, he's been out front for 30.

Lap 196: Harvick is asked is he wants to be told how far second place is behind him. He replies, "Nope ... I'll just cruise."

Lap 192: After the cycle of green-flag stops, Harvick is back in the lead. Second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 5.53 seconds behind Harvick.

Lap 191: A replay shows that Harvick slammed on his brakes as he entered pit road, sending smoke flying.

Lap 190: Here we go ... Harvick is on pit road. In just 14.7 seconds, Harvick peels out of his stall on pit road.

Lap 186: Given the team's problems on pit road the last several races, this will be a crucial stop.

Lap 185: A few cars are beginning to make their stops. According to plan, Harvick stays out.

Lap 178: The team's next scheduled pit stop should come around lap 190, according to crew chief Gil Martin.

Lap 171: Harvick is easily the fastest car on the track. His last lap speed was 163.7 mph.

Lap 168: Harvick takes the lead between turns three and four. It's only the second race Harvick has led all season.

Lap 167: Harvick tries to slip under Jeff Gordon for second place.

Lap 165: The race is just past the halfway point. Harvick is quickly catching Denny Hamlin for second place.

Lap 162: Harvick is several car lengths behind second-place Denny Hamlin. He trails leader Jeff Gordon by 2.94 seconds.

Lap 159: This is fun to watch! Jimmie Johnson is no problem for Harvick as he takes over third place in the running order.

Lap 158: Fifth place. Harvick takes it from Dale Earnhardt Jr. He takes fourth from Brian Vickers moments later.

Lap 157: Harvick flies by Mark Martin to take seventh, then goes after Juan Pablo Montoya for sixth.

Lap 154: See ya, Kyle. Harvick easily takes eighth from Busch.

Lap 153: Harvick has caught Kyle Busch, who currently holds the eighth spot.

Lap 152: Harvick scoots by Kasey Kahne for ninth place.

Lap 149: Still in 10th, Harvick trails leader Jeff Gordon by just 6.1 seconds.

Lap 147: Harvick has a rocket ship tonight. He dives under both Tony Stewart and Joey Logano coming off turn four to make his way back into the top 10.

Lap 136: Harvick is shown in 18th place when the restart takes place. So far, Harvick has been much less demonstrative tonight in voicing his displeasure following substandard pit stops.

Lap 133: Harvick says, "It's hard to get excited coming off pit road. ... I must be talking to myself." Team owner Richard Childress lets the crew know, in no uncertain terms, that they have a car capable of winning the race.

Lap 133: Harvick is on pit road. The stop lasts 18.8 seconds, dropping him to 18th place.

Lap 131: Jeff Burton, Harvick's Richard Childress Racing teammate, has a problem on the track to bring out the caution.

Lap 130: Harvick takes eighth from Mark Martin on the frontstretch. He's one of the fastest cars on the track.

Lap 127: Kurt Busch is on the high side as Harvick takes over ninth place.

Lap 125: Harvick dives under David Stremme in turn four. He briefly clears the Indiana native in turns one and two.

Lap 123: David Stremme is in 10th place. For now.

Lap 121: Brian Vickers presents little trouble to Harvick as he charges into 12th place. Kasey Kahne is next up in Harvick's sights.

Lap 115: Harvick goes side by side with Joey Logano, trying to take over the 13th spot. He clears the rookie in turns four the next lap around.

Lap 111: Harvick has dropped to 14th since the restart. If the pattern holds, he's choosing to take it easy on his tires early in the run.

Lap 109: Harvick is 11th when the green flag drops.

Lap 106: Harvick stops in his stall for service. His 15-second stop is the team's best of the night.

Lap 104: Harvick tries to go three wide under Juan Montoya and Brian Vickers going into turn three. At the same time, Max Papis slams the wall in turn two. Harvick says that if they can get the car to work like it has been for 200 laps, the team will be in good shape.

Lap 101: With 100 laps down, Harvick is in 13th place. He's 8.93 seconds behind leader Martin Truex Jr. On the track, that's about a quarter of a lap.

Lap 96: Harvick has moved back up to 14th.

Lap 87: Harvick stacks three wide with Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the restart. He drops to 17th on the leader board.

Lap 87: The green flag flies once again. After Matt Kenseth makes a second stop, Harvick is 13th.

Lap 84: Harvick is on pit road. His third stop lasts 16 seconds, and he exits in 14th place. It's a drop of a couple of spots, but Harvick is apparently satisfied for the time being.

Lap 82: A car begins smoking in front of Harvick, and the caution comes out. It's evidently Carl Edwards.

Lap 77: Jeff Gordon gives up 12th place to Harvick, who, again, has not said anything since the restart.

Lap 76: Harvick moves under David Reutimann coming off turn two. It's nearly a full lap before Harvick clears Reutimann's Toyota for 13th place.

Lap 73: Harvick moves past both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and David Gilliland on the frontstretch to capture 14th place.

Lap 71: Harvick tries to follow David Reutimann past the very loose car of Dale Earnhardt Jr., but he can't make the move stick.

Lap 66: Harvick that it's important to take care of the tires for the first 15 laps, because after that, he says, "They're junk."

Lap 65: When the green flag comes back out, Harvick is in 14th place.

Lap 62: Harvick pulls into his pit stall for the second time tonight. It's a better stop, by more than 3.5 seconds. Harvick tells the crew, "Good job, guys." Harvick says he has to leave Atlanta with a top-five finish, because if he does, Ricky Carmichael, who drives in a development deal for Harvick's team, will evidently have to shave his head bald.

Lap 61: Harvick is currently listed in 15th place. Pit stops have been an issue for the team for the last several weeks. Let's see how this goes ...

Lap 60: Jeff Gordon sees Harvick roar past. Moments later, Hornish again spins off turn four. Harvick says to just put tires on the car.

Lap 59: Harvick catches David Ragan in turn four to take 16th.

Lap 57: David Reutimann is next to fall to Harvick's charge. He's now 17th.

Lap 56: Bobby Labonte comes ... and goes. Harvick is 18th. He's said nothing since the last stop.

Lap 54: Next up is a pack of traffic that includes David Stremme and Joey Logano. Harvick easily dispatches them both to move back into the top 20. He's now 19th.

Lap 52: Harvick moves under Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 21st place. He trails leader Martin Truex Jr. by 11.11 seconds.

Lap 42: On the restart, Harvick is almost immediately engulfed in heavy traffic. It somehow manages to sort itself out.

Lap 42: Harvick is shown 24th in the running order when the green flag comes back out.

Lap 40: Martin says, "We owe you seven spots." Childress asks what happened, and he's told that a lug nut fell off. Childress tells everybody to take a breath.

Lap 39: Harvick drops onto pit road with most of the rest of the field. His four-tire stop takes 18.8 seconds to complete. It's not the best of stops. Harvick says, "I don't even need to say anything, do I?" Crew chief Gil Martin says very simply, "No, sir."

Lap 37: Sam Hornish Jr. spins on the frontstretch to bring out the event's first caution. Harvick says the rear of the car is really loose.

Lap 33: Unadilla, by the way, is the home town of fellow Cup driver David Ragan. Harvick has been chasing Ragan for several laps.

Lap 30: Crew chief Gil Martin tells Harvick that Unadilla is about two hours from Atlanta. Harvick responds by saying, "If we win tonight, let's drive down there." He adds that the car is now loose.

Lap 27: Harvick asks if anybody on the team knows where Unadilla, Ga. is. Nobody does. For the record, the town, population 2,772, is about 90 miles from Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Lap 24: Not so fast ... now, Harvick says the car is losing forward grip.

Lap 22: Harvick says the balance of the car isn't bad now. If anything, he says, the car is loose coming off the turns.

Lap 21: Now 17th, Harvick trails leader Martin Truex Jr. by 16.79 seconds. That's almost exactly half a lap.

Lap 19: Matt Kenseth is the next to fall to Harvick as he scoots into 17th.

Lap 18: Harvick gets under Ryan Newman, trying to take the 19th spot.

Lap 8: Harvick says that he's too tight through the center of the turns.

7:49 p.m.: The green flag is out. We're racing!!!

7:45 p.m.: Harvick is having problems with his radio not getting very good reception.

7:43 p.m.: The field begins to roll off pit road. The race will go green the third time by the starter's stand.

7:38 p.m. Grand marshal Brian Zuckerman gfives an awesome command to fire engines.

7:32 p.m.: Country music group Diamond Rio is singing the National Anthem.

Race Day, 7:31 p.m.: Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, gives the invocation.

Pre-Race: The car Kevin Harvick is driving this weekend has been used by the team on four previous occasions. Its best finish was a sixth at Indianapolis in July.

In 17 previous Cup races at Atlanta, Harvick has one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Harvick's win here was one of the most memorable races in NASCAR history. In just the third race of his Cup career -- after taking over the car in the wake of Dale Earnhardt's death -- Harvick beat Jeff Gordon in a photo finish.

Richard Childress-owned cars have made a total of 109 starts at Atlanta, with nine wins -- eight of them with Earnhardt behind the wheel.

Harvick qualified 18th for tonight's race. It's his second straight top-20 qualifying effort.