Kevin Harvick is returning to racing! Yes, you read that right. After retiring from the NASCAR Cup Series last year, the 48-year-old will return to the race tracks this summer.

As a FOX analyst for NASCAR, Harvick has spent some quality time on and off the track. However, NASCAR Race Hub, which premiered its first-ever show in 2009 on Speed and aired its 2500th episode on January 29, 2024, is shutting down earlier than expected—right after FOX wraps up their coverage for the season on Tuesday, June 11, just two days after concluding the race at Sonoma Raceway.

With FOX handing over NASCAR coverage to NBC mid-season, Harvick will be free to race again, starting with NBC’s first race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, June 16. The former Cup Series and Spring Racing champion will have plenty of fans eager to see him back on the track, even if it’s just for two races this summer.

To kick off his return to Late Model competition, the FOX analyst will once again team up with former partner Busch Light for the Super Late Model race. The relationship between Busch Light, Anheuser-Busch ($127 B Market Capital), and Harvick has spanned more than a decade, and they have enjoyed multiple victories, including the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Being all jazzed as he is set to sit in his No. 62 Chevrolet, Harvick said, per the Kevin Harvick Inc. report, “I’m excited to get back in the No. 62 for some short-track racing. We have great partners with Busch Light, carrying the iconic blue and white colors along with the mountain landscape across the car, as well as Hunt Brothers Pizza. Both have been a big part of my career, and to continue those relationships beyond my NASCAR career is special.”

Kevin Harvick is set to come back to Late Model Racing, as he’ll be driving one of his KHI Late Models in the ASA Deep South Cranes Blizzard Race No. 3 on June 28 at Five Flags Speedway. Next, he will compete on the zMAX CARS Tour on August 3 at The Key to the Blue Ridge. This race was originally scheduled for May 15, but the CARS Tour had to postpone the event after rain hit North Wilkesboro Speedway that weekend.

Busch Light deemed a great partner to Harvick could be an understatement. In his final start back in 2023, Harvick, who was then the winningest driver in the track’s history (Phoenix Raceway), Busch Light dashed out a stylistic paint scheme that substituted the Busch logo on the No. 4 Ford to just “Harvick.”

And as expected, more than anyone, fans are going crazy over his return to the driver’s seat of the #62 Chevy.

Fans react to Kevin Harvick’s return to racing

Given Kevin Harvick’s prominence in the NASCAR community, it was only natural that social media was abuzz following his announcement. Harvick has won the Daytona 500, is a three-time winner of the Brickyard 400, a two-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600, a three-time winner of the Sprint Unlimited, a two-time Cook Out Southern 500 winner, and much more. His accomplishments were not forgotten by one fan who said, “Get this guy in the 48 car next year, he’d win at least 4.” By the looks of it, people are still willing to bet on this veteran over HMS’s Alex Bowman who’s currently riding the #48.

Another fan expressed high hopes for Kevin Harvick’s son Keelan, who has won races at several short tracks in the Southeast in a Legend car. He said, “Wonder if his son will be at either of those dates in his Legends Car. Saw the kid at Langley this past weekend. Hard to believe the kid is 11 years old out there running that hard.” Genetics do have some effect on professional skills too, it seems.

For some, it was a chance to see Harvick behind the wheel one more time, an opportunity they were not going to pass up. One fan commented, “I just got into late model racing this year and have been following the CARS tour. I’ve really enjoyed the action. I’m really looking forward to seeing Kevin behind the wheel once again.” Harvick has always commanded a huge fan following, and this comment all but reassures it.

Contemplating if this is to promote the NASCAR ideology of silo racing, one fan responded, “This has nothing to do with anything with NASCAR it’s everything to do with Kevin racing for fun now and eventually racing against Keelan.” Maybe, one day, Kevin and Keelan might indeed be seen racing side by side.