The Associated Press

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The statistics show that Kevin Harvick is the driver to beat at Phoenix International Raceway.

His speed, coupled with the unbelievable momentum he’s had since late last season, shows he may not be beatable at all in the desert.

Harvick won the pole Friday at Phoenix, where he’s won four of the last five races and six for his career. His lap of 140.751 mph gave him his first ever Sprint Cup pole at the track.

Asked what it will take to beat him Sunday, Harvick smirked.

“There’s just so many circumstances that you can’t control, so many things that can go wrong, mistakes that you can make,” Harvick said. “We can make some bad decisions as we go through practice and miss the balance when we start the race. There’s just a lot of things that can go wrong.”

Joey Logano qualified second. Jamie McMurray will roll off third, Matt Kenseth fourth, Ryan Newman fifth, Brad Keselowski sixth and Carl Edwards seventh.

Kurt Busch, back from suspension, will start eighth.