When the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series ended, Kevin Harvick elected to hang up his boots for good. Fortunately for his fans, he has not completely stepped away from the NASCAR limelight. Instead, he is plying his trade in the Fox Sports commentary booth, swapping his steering wheel for a microphone.

Recently, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion sat down for his first interview as a pundit. The interviewee was none other than former rival and 2-time champion Kyle Busch. Interestingly, both veterans have been rivals for a while. As a matter of fact, the two drivers often traded paintjobs on the racetrack. One of the most significant incidents is during a 2005 Xfinity Series race at the Dover Motor Speedway, where the two collided off Turn 4 when running side-by-side. Since then, the two have developed a great amount of mutual respect.

Kevin Harvick has made peace with his decision to retire

He told Kyle Busch, “I think you’ll get to this point that I’m at. That is saying, ‘I’m going to get out of the car at this particular time’. It gave me such closure to be able to say ‘That’s it!’. We planned everything, got out of the car, perfectly happy with it. I can tell you that for me, being able to look around and not walking that race track with that competitive mindset, that you know so much about. You just have never experienced getting out of it yet. Going through the winter and being able to look and see the things that are happening in our sport, and look down at that crowd. Seeing those cars come to the green flag, I truly am excited about it. I don’t feel like I’ll have any FOMO, I closed that chapter of the book and I was very fortunate to be able to do it on my terms.”

In essence, the 48-year-old knew that it was the right time to hang up his boots. So when Busch asked whether he was worried that he would be missing the thrill of racing, Harvick had a clear answer. After all, he knows that he cannot keep racing forever, and he acknowledged that one day Kyle Busch would also entertain such thoughts.

Is Kyle Busch thinking of retiring?

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Busch is approaching his 40s, but his current form suggests something else altogether. As a matter of fact, the Richard Childress Racing driver has still been incredibly competitive.

Last weekend at the Daytona International Speedway, the #8 driver was often fighting for the race win and his first Daytona 500 win. Although he missed out yet again, he proved that he still has the pace to win a Cup race. Additionally, he was inconvenienced twice during the pitstop phases, and still made a comeback.

READ MORE: Kyle Busch Isn’t the ‘Chosen One’ Claims Bubba Wallace as He Predicts a Daytona 500-Less Career for the 2-Time Champ

Further, considering that he has had at least one win every season since 2005, this lends even more truth. Now the big question is, when will his next Cup win come, and can he snatch a third career Cup title, and his first for RCR?