Harvick currently holds a 293-point lead in the drivers' standings, only three races before the Chase kicks off, following his third win of the season last weekend at Michigan, which was his first victory in a non-restrictor plate event since 2006.
The Richard Childress Racing driver has also claimed victories at Talladega and Daytona earlier this year, but despite those wins he will probably start the Chase behind Johnson and Denny Hamlin, given that both of his rivals have claimed five victories and thus 50 bonus points, relative to the 30 that Harvick currently holds, with another 30 up for grabs in the next three races before points totals get reset.
Even under the current situation heading into the play-off, Johnson believes his rival has shown enough speed and consistency through the regular season that he should be tagged as the favourite to take over the series' crown this year.
"I do think that those guys should be considered the favourites," said Johnson. "If you look at their success on all types of track, the #29 is doing a great job collecting a lot of points everywhere we go. I know for a lot of people the win at Michigan solidified things for them, but to us in the garage area and watching the points total it's all about collecting points, you don't have to win a race in the Chase to be the champion.
"They're on fire right now; they're doing a great job. In racing with Kevin over the years and being around him, I've always known that this is the most important thing to him. I think a lot of us were shocked to see the last few years, the way things have been for them.
"You don't win a Busch/Nationwide championship by accident; you don't win the big races that he's won by accident. He has the talent, the team does and they have it all on the line right now and they're doing a great job. We're definitely working hard to catch those guys."
Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports team-mate Jeff Gordon also believes Harvick to be the man to beat entering this year's Chase. He says his victory last week at Michigan really shows what Harvick and his team are capable of on the fast intermediate tracks that prevail during the final ten weeks of the season.
"As far as who has momentum and seems to be the strongest in my opinion right now, I would definitely say the #29 [Kevin Harvick]," said Gordon. "I think especially that win last week - restrictor plate wins are one thing but to go and win at Michigan when those big fast tracks like that are tracks that you're going to have to be competitive at in the Chase, plus the bonus points they have and the fact that they've been consistent.
"I think that Childress has really stepped it up, especially with Kevin and that #29 team. I think that last weekend they kind of solidified themselves as the favourite in my opinion."
Despite the comments from both four-time champions, Harvick still considers Johnson as the man to beat and refuses to get carried away with the expectations placed upon him. He believes the current situation for the reigning champion resembles that of previous seasons where he has gone on to up the ante in the final 10 races to claim four consecutive titles.
"I still think the #48 [Johnson] team is the team to beat," said Harvick. "No matter how good somebody runs, I still think that those guys are the ones to beat just for the fact that they have won it the last four years being in a somewhat similar situation. I'd like to just leave it all over there and let us keep doing what we are doing.
"Obviously, we've run well and we feel like we can contend for a championship. But contending and winning are two different things and I think we've shown we can win races and have shown that we can run good. But, I still think until somebody completes the deal and knocks them off, they have to be the ones you have to beat just because they have done it four times."
Only once during the last four years has Johnson won more races than this season before the Chase, although he still has three races to match the six victories he claimed during the first 26 races in 2007. In 2006 Harvick won twice before the Chase and then took three wins in the final 10 races, but an engine failure at Dover hampered his chances of seriously contending for the title in the season finale.
Bud to sponsor Harvick from 2011Iniesta - Cesc will stay
