Nothing churns competitors' stomachs more than watching the opposing team celebrate on their home turf.

Since throwing the ceremonial first pitch before a 2001 New York Yankees game, Kevin Harvick has been a Bronx Bomber fan. That said, there is little doubt how he felt as the Florida Marlins celebrated their World Series title in the middle of Yankee Stadium last week.

Coincidentally, Harvick faces a similar fate this weekend. If Matt Kenseth can pad his lead by 113 points, he will clinch the 2003 Winston Cup championship on a track where Harvick -- currently third in the standings, 262 points behind -- cut his teeth in the Winston West and Featherlite Southwest Series during the late 1990s.

After getting caught in a flukish crash that relegated him to a 20th-place finish in Atlanta on Monday, Harvick sensed defeat.

"It's over," Harvick said matter-of-factly.

Those were words of frustration. Don't think for a minute that it was an actual concession. Technically, it is not over and as long as there is a chance to win, Harvick will swing for the fences. If nothing else, we know this -- Harvick hates to lose.

Nonetheless the Winston Cup trophy is being polished, champagne is chilling and Kenseth is ready to pop the cork on his first championship. There is little Harvick can do to control his own destiny. He needs Kenseth to stumble.

Recently, Kenseth has kept the door open to challenges. Like the track he'll race on this week, he's been flat. Kenseth has recorded just one top-10 finish in the last five races. In two of them he finished 33rd or worse.

Like Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also has his back against the wall this weekend. Earnhardt Jr. is second in the standings, 258 points back. But for him to have any chance he knows this team can't afford the mistake they made last year.

"We were awesome," said Earnhardt Jr., who led 105 laps at Phoenix en route to a fifth-place finish in 2002. "Somehow, we ran out of fuel and had to coast to pit lane. It's safe to say I was about as angry as I had been all season when that happened. That killed any chance we had to win."

The win went to Kenseth, extending Roush Racing's current streak to three consecutive Phoenix victories. Jeff Burton won back-to-back races at the one-mile track in 2000 and 2001.

Roush's bid for four in a row collides with another streak. Jeff Gordon has won the last two (Martinsville and Atlanta) Winston Cup races. He has completed the threepeat twice in his career but would have to do something he's never done to win three in a row this time. Phoenix is one of just four active tracks where Gordon is winless.

"These past two weeks have really given our team the needed confidence to take on these tracks where we know we can win but haven't," said Gordon, who has also been shut out at Texas, Homestead and Chicagoland. "With only three races left, I think we have some more left in us before it's all over this year."

Gordon has recorded six straight top-five finishes and, despite his midseason struggles, continues to claw his way toward the top of the standings.

"We fight for a lot of things," added Gordon, currently fifth in points. "Number one, we always want to win and we fight to win every race. We've had to fight extra hard this season because of all the downfalls we had during the summer.

	“	Somehow, we ran out of fuel and had to coast to pit lane (at PIR in 2002). It's safe to say I was about as angry as I had been all season when that happened. That killed any chance we had to win. ”
		— Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Our main focus has been second in points. We've made big gains toward that. I guess if there is a miracle, there's still a possibility."

Joining Gordon in the cast who could potentially distract from the championship storyline this weekend is Tony Stewart. He has also strung together six top-five finishes. But unlike Gordon, he has enjoyed success at the upcoming tracks. Stewart has won once at Phoenix (1999) and twice at Homestead (1999 and 2000).

Like Harvick, Stewart has a wealth of experience at Phoenix International Raceway. Besides Winston Cup, he has competed in USAC Silver Crown cars, USAC Midgets, Supermodifieds and Indy cars at PIR.

For Harvick and Stewart, the track has lost some of its familiarity. During the off-season Turn 2 was pushed out 12 feet to ease the transition to the backstretch. Furthermore, an underground tunnel replaced the pedestrian crossover bridge in Turn 4.

"That created a lot more room and should allow for more side by side racing," Harvick said. "They've also put in a tunnel off of Turn 4 so there's some new asphalt down and it's added more grip coming to the line. I can tell you right now it's going to be faster, for sure, probably by a couple of tenths."

Stewart's not completely sure how the reconfiguration will impact Sunday's race.

"It'll be hard to say," said Stewart, who has finished among the top-10 three times in four Phoenix Winston Cup races. "Coming off Turn 2 and onto the dogleg as always is a pretty good passing opportunity because that end of the track was tighter. It was difficult to get through.

"With the wall being moved out 12 feet we can run faster through that section of the track, and I'm not sure that it'll lend to as many passing opportunities as it has in the past. I don't know if it'll help passing opportunities because Turn 2 is opened up now, or if it'll hurt it because getting through that corner is a little less difficult."

Regardless of configuration changes, existing streaks and perceived home track advantages, Kenseth could lock up the title this weekend. The magic number is 371. If he leaves the Valley of the Sun ahead by that margin, the sun will set on this year's championship chase.

Mike Massaro covers NASCAR for ESPN and ESPN.com.