Kevin Harvick talks Chase run, spat with Jimmie Johnson

— -- NEW YORK -- Kevin Harvick sits 15th in the Sprint Cup Series standings and 23 points out of 12th place with one race left in the opening round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

So what does that mean for the defending Sprint Cup champion, who has spent most of 2015 as one of the sport's most dominant drivers?

"We're 0-2 in a five-game series," Harvick said Thursday. "You're down 0-2 and you're going to the wrong stadium. It would be a quiet celebration because none of the fans would be cheering."

Harvick faces a near must-win situation Sunday (depending on the weather) at Dover International Speedway in order to keep his championship hopes alive by advancing from the 16-driver challenger round to the 12-driver contender round.

He never has won in 29 starts at Dover, but has led 338 laps in the past three races at the 1-mile oval. Then again, running well hasn't been a problem this year for Harvick, who has led the most laps nine times but has won only twice.

He has 10 runner-up finishes.

Harvick led 216 of the 300 laps last Sunday at New Hampshire but ran out of gas with less than three laps remaining to finish 21st. That followed a Chase opener at Chicagoland where he had contact with Jimmie Johnson, resulting in a cut tire, a spin and a 42nd-place finish.

That has created an uphill climb for Harvick as NASCAR cuts its Chase field after Dover, with opening-round race winners earning automatic berths and remaining spots determined by points.

"It's no different than the best NFL team getting in the playoffs and having their quarterback get hurt in the first half and they come back and lose the game and that's the end of their great season," said Harvick, who had only three finishes worse than 20th in the 26 regular-season races.

"It's sports. You're glad to be a part of it. The fun part about it now it is still not over. There is still that hope."

Harvick spent Thursday in New York City fulfilling media obligations to NASCAR because he was testing during the opening week of the Chase when NASCAR had most of its Chase drivers doing appearances to promote the postseason.

One of the biggest questions he has faced has been whether he has talked to Johnson since he jabbed him in the chest in the motorhome lot after the race at Chicagoland. Harvick told ESPN.com that the two haven't talked, and he indicated it was a situation that has been brewing.

"It's a complex picture that's deeper than one week," said Harvick, who wouldn't elaborate.

Harvick seemed most frustrated that the altercation was caught live from a camera used to capture overhead track images during the race, which was televised on NBC Sports Network.

Harvick indicated that even though he was outside, he felt that area should be treated as private.

"The worst part of that situation is the fact that you had the cameras on the motorhome lot -- that's the worst fact," Harvick said. "I wonder if they're watching my wife and kids in the motorhome lot."