The Indy 500 is a race steeped with prestige. Only a handful of NASCAR drivers have ever won the race and just two drivers, A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti, have won the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500. As the 2025 motorsports season approaches, another legendary NASCAR driver is set to take the stage at the Indy 500, however, his place will be in the broadcast booth!

2014 Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick might have retired in 2023, but his passion for the sport has never died. The 60-time Cup Series race winner established a golden legacy in NASCAR, picking up two Xfinity Series championships and clinching a Truck Series championship as a team owner. After his retirement, he served as a reserve driver for Kyle Larson, as the latter was at the Indy500 qualifying in April 2024. In 2025, Kevin Harvick’s name popped up once again alongside the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. However, this season, the veteran will be performing with his captivating voice instead of his skilled hands. This has come to surface after Fox Sports’ new media deal – as a new update tells us.

Kevin Harvick bolsters FOX’s IndyCar coverage

Kevin Harvick is currently a wildly popular Fox broadcaster. He also runs the ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’ show, dissecting everything related to racing. This talent of Kevin Harvick sprung from earlier days. He was on a ‘drivers only’ annual broadcast for an Xfinity Series race with Fox when he drove for Stewart-Haas Racing. At that time, there were no play-by-play announcers or pit reporters, as only a group of drivers did the job. Clearly, Fox has fostered a long bond with Harvick. And it is willing to take it a notch upward along with its new season plans.

In June 2024, Fox announced a multi-year media deal with the NTT IndyCar Series and Indy NXT by Firestone. All 17 IndyCar races and two days of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 will have a live network broadcast. In a jaw-dropping revelation, Kevin Harvick is now part of this roster. This is against the usual trend where FOX appoints different broadcasting line-ups for NASCAR and IndyCar. The veteran posted his broadcasting schedule for 2025, and the Indianapolis 500 peeped out at the end of a long string of NASCAR races. He wrote, “From the booth to your screen—I’ll be calling the action for these races in 2025! How many will you be tuning in for? #NASCAR #FOXSports”

The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 will be a grand occasion not just for FOX, but also for Kevin Harvick now. Eric Shank, CEO and executive of FOX Sports, commented on the new partnership with IndyCar. “Adding the iconic Indianapolis 500 and delivering the entire NTT IndyCar Series to the FOX Sports roster fits perfectly within our model of teaming with sports’ largest events and best-in-class brands. We’re honored to be the new broadcast home to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” an incredibly special event to everyone at FOX Sports.” This comes after FOX cut down its NASCAR presence as Amazon, TNT, and The CW also occupy the stock car series schedule.

Kevin Harvick’s involvement may be shocking for people. However, the signs were there for some time.

Harvick had teased about his future role

Kevin Harvick’s long NASCAR career started in 2001, and his broadcasting career also developed on the side courtesy of his moonlighting stints in the Xfinity Series. Finally, after retirement, Harvick could pick up the microphone and lend his powerful voice to races. He joined the FOX Sports booth alongside longtime play-by-play announcer Mike Joy and former driver Clint Bowyer. After his FOX duties wrapped up in June 2024, he said that his first year in the booth “went quick” and that it “became more fun every week.”

That should be a hint towards Harvick’s enthusiasm to expand his schedule for the prestigious Indianapolis 500 race. Kevin Harvick made his enthusiasm clear in October last year. “When you look at the Indy 500 and everything that comes with the Indy 500, that is an experience from the open wheel side of that, that hopefully I get to experience this year. I don’t have anything to do that weekend, so I’d love to experience what heaven might be like.” Although Harvick will not be on the racetrack, his presence in the broadcasting booth will make this race one to circle on your calendars.

Harvick has been a fan-favorite broadcaster for FOX and we look forward to his expert analysis during the NASCAR season and are highly anticipating his Indy 500 run. What are your expectations from Kevin Harvick broadcasting the Indy 500?