Lap 191: Harvick is credited with a 23rd-place finish. He's now finished 20th or worse in the last five races at Talladega.

Lap 190: There's another big wreck, this time in front of Harvick. His spotter tells him to back down, then come down pit road.

Lap 190: Harvick is 29th on the restart.

Lap 189: Once more, Harvick brings the Shell Chevrolet for repairs.

Lap 188: Harvick is back in the pits. Car after car is running out of fuel, causing the restart to be pushed back at least twice.

Lap 186: Harvick is on pit road for further repairs.

Lap 186: Harvick asks if he and Newman were the only ones in the wreck. "That's pretty much par for our year, huh?" he adds.

Lap 186: Harvick asks if Ryan Newman is OK. The field is stopped on the backstretch, and the red flag brought out.

Lap 185: Harvick is on pit road.

Lap 184:Harvick is involved in a bad crash going into turn three. Ryan Newman appeared to land on Harvick's car.

Lap 178: Ten laps to go. Harvick is in 24th place.

Lap 177: Harvick says he's going to have to make something happen.

Lap 175: Harvick is 16th, less than three-quarters of a second out of the lead.

Lap 172: Most of the field is stacked three wide.

Lap 172: Harvick wants to get out from behind Marcos Ambrose.

Lap 168: Harvick is back in 14th as the competition heats up.

Lap 166: Cars toward the back of the pack are doubling up to make a run to the front.

Lap 157: The leaders are now single file. Harvick is shown in seventh place.

Lap 152: Harvick and Burton are now in the middle of a three-wide pack.

Lap 151: Harvick is tucked on the bumper of teammate Jeff Burton, and pushes the No. 31 Chevrolet into the lead.

Lap 148: Forty laps to go. Harvick is fifth, a quarter of a second behind leader Juan Pablo Montoya.

Lap 146: The pack goes flying by Harvick, dropping him back to 12th.

Lap 145: Teammate Clint Bowyer pushes Harvick into the lead going into turn one.

Lap 144: Harvick is ninth on the restart. Just before the green, Harvick says that he's going to the middle because he doesn't want to stay on the bottom of the track. He is also hoping to continue working with teammate Casey Mears.

Lap 140: Harvick is on pit road for what should be the last time today. His fifth stop of the day lasts 14.6 seconds. As he's leaving the stall, crew chief Gil Martin reminds Harvick to conserve fuel.

Lap 138: Crew chief Gil Martin tells the gasman to pack it fuel of fuel, because they're about 2 1/2 laps short of making it the rest of the way. He also tells Harvick to conserve fuel as much as possible. Harvick says, "I can't tell you how much fun this is."

Lap 137: Denny Hamlin appears to blow an engine in the trioval. The problem brings out the yellow flag.

Lap 136: Harvick is third in the bottom lane of traffic, behind Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. He's fifth in the running order.

Lap 132: It appears that the single-file racing from earlier in the race is a thing of the past. Most of the pack is three wide.

Lap 131: Still moving backward, Harvick is 12th.

Lap 130: The pack again takes advantage of Harvick, dropping him to seventh.

Lap 129: Harvick and Jeff Gordon are side by side for the lead, but Harvick clears him coming off turn two.

Lap 128: Harvick moves into the lead, but Jeff Gordon goes back to the high side to take it back.

Lap 127: Harvick pushes Jeff Gordon into the lead on the backstretch.

Lap 126: Harvick has worked his way up to eighth place, using the low line.

Lap 119: In 23rd place, Harvick trails leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. by just 91/100ths of a second.

Lap 114: Harvick says Denny Hamlin is pushing Jeff Burton through the corners "like crazy. I didn't think that was legal."

Lap 113: Most of the field is stacked three wide, row after row.

Lap 111: Harvick is still in the middle of a nasty looking pack of traffic.

Lap 109: Harvick is in the middle of a three-wide pack.

Lap 109: Harvick is 23rd on the restart.

Lap 106: Harvick joins the rest of the leaders on pit road. He's stopped for 14.8 seconds. Crew chief Gil Martin tells Harvick that the right-front shock absorber looks OK.

Lap 105: The caution is out for debris on the track.

Lap 104: Harvick should be able to make the rest of the race on just one more pit stop.

Lap 102: Harvick tells the crew to have a shock absorber ready, because the car feels as if the left front is broken.

Lap 100: Harvick says, "We've got a problem, boys." The car has developed a fairly severe bounce.

Lap 98: Now second, Harvick is following leader Mark Martin down pit road for a scheduled stop. The crew's work lasts 14.6 seconds, allowing Harvick to exit pit road still behind Martin.

Lap 95: Others have began making green-flag stops. Harvick is currently in fifth place behind leader Mark Martin.

Lap 92: Harvick's lead didn't last long after Juan Pablo Montoya pushes Mark Martin to the top spot.

Lap 91: Denny Hamlin pushes Harvick back into the lead in the trioval.

Lap 89: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya drop Harvick to third. As soon as they do, they slide back into single file.

Lap 84: Harvick should be pitting in about 15 laps. Fourth-place Denny Hamlin is evidently trying to figure out a way to make a move for the lead. Harvick tells his spotter, "Tell him to go ahead and give it a whirl. It's a long way to the back!"

Lap 72: All the tearoffs have blown off Harvick's car.

Lap 68: The field is again strung out single file, with Harvick at the head of the pack.

Lap 64: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is glued to the rear of Harvick's bumper.

Lap 63: Harvick is now in first place, after getting a shove from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lap 62: Denny Hamlin pushes Harvick to the lead, but then darts to the outside to take it away.

Lap 61: Harvick is just behind Jeff Gordon, the first car on the inside line.

Lap 59: Harvick's line of traffic has moved him up to eighth.

Lap 56: Harvick is 18th when the green flag comes back out.

Lap 52: With virtually nothing to lose, Harvick will pit for fresh tires and fuel this lap. The stop takes 14.6 seconds.

Lap 51: Harvick is listed in 27th place, on the lead lap behind leader Michael Waltrip.

Lap 50: Kurt Busch spins through the trioval grass, bringing out the yellow flag.

Lap 47: Harvick is now being shown in 23rd place, with the cycle of green-flag stops not yet complete.

Lap 42: Harvick is pitting this lap. The four-tire stop takes 15.8 seconds to complete. Harvick's drafting partner, Casey Mears, will be penalized for speeding on pit road.

Lap 40: Harvick says racing like this would be easier if his car had a cruise control. Crew chief Gil Martin responds that Harvick needs an iPod.

Lap 33: Harvick asks with a hint of wonder in his voice if the whole field is single file. It is.

Lap 32: Harvick will be pitting in about 10 laps.

Lap 30: Leader Casey Mears has said that if third-place Jeff Gordon makes a move for the lead, he'll stick with Harvick, even if they go to the back of the pack.

Lap 25: Most of the leaders have sorted themselves into a single-file line, virtually all the way through the field.

Lap 22: There you have it ... Harvick is second, right behind Casey Mears.

Lap 21: Harvick is fourth ... the draft can be a huge boost, and it can also be a nasty beast.

Lap 20: Harvick is tucked on the rear bumper of teammate Casey Mears. Harvick is now eighth.

Lap 18: Now on the high side of the track, Harvick is 14th, just 71/100ths of a second behind leader David Reutimann.

Lap 15: Harvick is now back to 15th, right in the thick of the pack.

Lap 11: Harvick is in the inside line, with two lines of traffic stacked above him. Nobody seems to be able to move.

Lap 9: Harvick didn't pit during the caution, while some further back in the field did. He's fifth on the restart.

Lap 6: Evidently, Harvick and Richard Childress Racing teammate Casey Mears planned to work together today. Whatever they discussed is working very well for the time being.

Lap 5: Paul Menard and Joe Nemecheck crash off turn two to bring out the day's first caution.

Lap 4: This can't be a mirage ... Harvick has picked his way through traffic to fifth place.

Lap 3: Finally, Harvick is clear low ... but it doesn't last long.

Lap 2: Harvick is stuck in the middle of a three-wide pack ... NOT where he wants to be.

1:22 p.m.: The green flag is out!!!

1:19 p.m.: The race will go green the next time by the starter's stand.

1:18 p.m.: Today's race is 188 laps, 500 miles in length.

1:16 p.m.: Team owner Richard Childress tells the crew, "See you guys in victory lane." Crew chief Gil Martin responds, "Yes, sir. We'll be there."

1:15 p.m.: The field has made its way onto the race track.

1:08 p.m.: Pepsi vice president Jim Dubiel gives a rousing command to fire engines.

1:07 p.m.: Because rain washed out qualifying, the field was set via the NASCAR rulebook. Based on his position in the Sprint Cup point standings, Harvick will start today's event in 21st place.

1:01 p.m.: The 82 Airborne Division "All-American Chorus" sings the National Anthem.

Race Day, 1 p.m.: Rev. Billy Wyatt is giving the invocation.

Pre-Race: The car Kevin Harvick is driving this weekend at Talladega has been used by the competitor in this season's three previous restrictor-plate events. Its best finish was a second in the Daytona 500.

In 17 Sprint Cup starts at Talladega, Harvick has three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Team owner Richard Childress has a total of 116 starts at the facility, with nine wins here, all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel.