In the current NASCAR Playoffs system, the significance of every race is equally high. A win can put a driver directly in the next round, but it is still important to do well in the other races of that round. So, drivers look at tracks and expect more from themselves at certain venues. But that is not the case with this season’s best driver, Kevin Harvick.

The second round of the Playoffs has a couple of challenging tracks in the form of the Talladega Superspeedway and The Roval at Charlotte.

While drivers have a tendency to push just that extra bit at tracks where they are comfortable, to have a safety net before the difficult tracks approach, Harvick’s focus is just in the present moment.

What Kevin Harvick believes helps him mentally

“I think for us, you just don’t want to read anything that’s happening in the sport, honestly, at this particular time of the year. You just want to keep your mind as clear as possible,” Harvick said after his win at Bristol, on Saturday.

“We’ve made a decision of how we want to think and what we want to talk about and pay attention to, and it’s us. I know that sounds selfish, but the thing that I can tell you is it’s way less mentally exhausting than worrying about where you need to have a good race and where you need to have a bad race,” Harvick added.

Harvick won his ninth NASCAR Cup Series race this season and revealed the mindset that has been the key to his success.

Taking things one day at a time

“It’s how do we get the most out of this week, and once you start the race, it’s okay. What do we need to do to our car, are we good, are we bad, where do we need to work and just try to be productive and proactive of thinking towards what we need to do next,” Harvick expressed.

The 44-year-old believes that overthinking stops him from focusing on other important aspects during a race weekend. He is one race win away from being the first driver since Jimmie Johnson to win 10 NASCAR Cup Series races in a single season.