Ever since retiring from racing, Kevin Harvick has gone headfirst into the world of media. Unfortunately, his venture into the podcasting world has not been very well received by fans. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver was just not able to stay away from the sport he loves and he had his plans set long before his final race of the season. Fans were initially quite excited to see The Closer in a different role, but things have not gone the way the 48-year-old might have expected.
In his final season, Harvick was not able to win a single race and remained frustrated throughout, but that had more to do with the SHR car than himself as a driver. He still managed to get the most out of the #4 and managed to make it to the playoffs. It was not the perfect farewell for the veteran motorsports insider, but he will go down as one of the modern-era greats.
Kevin Harvick’s first-ever guest was an arch-rival from back in the day
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As a part of his partnership with FOX, Kevin Harvick is the host of a new NASCAR podcast called Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. Two other co-hosts join the racing legend on the show, Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, as they speak about the sport they love. So far, there have been 3 episodes of the show – one about the Daytona 500, one about the Atlanta race, and a special episode with one of Harvick’s biggest rivals.
The first person Harvick interviewed in his new career as a media personality was his onetime arch-rival, Kyle Busch. The two drivers had one of the biggest rivalries in modern-day NASCAR and sometimes, things got ugly. Now that they have matured quite a bit, there is nothing but mutual respect between the two.
However, the episode still started with Kevin Harvick saying, “This is weird,” and Rowdy responding with, “Don’t make it more awkward than it already is.” So there is a bit of that rivalry that rears its head. The problem is that for some fans, that is the best moment in the entirety of the Happy Hour podcast. To be fair, it has pretty stiff competition from the shows Dirty Mo Media produces.
Although the podcast has a good rating on Spotify, several racing fans on Reddit expressed their displeasure with the podcast. One of the biggest complaints that fans have had is that the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver is just too flat to be a podcast host.
Fans lay the blame on The Closer and FOX for lackluster podcast presentation
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Not everything is meant for everybody and while it may be early doors, podcasting may just not be for Kevin Harvick as per fans on Reddit. One user was not surprised that he fell flat in the initial few episodes of his new podcast. “I’ve always found him boring,” they commented.
“I’ve also been a Harvick fan for a long time and I’ve always thought his personality is a bit boring. He’s good at analyzing things, but he’s just not super loud like a Clint Bowyer type. Maybe in the long run he can find himself in the Larry Mac role for this sport,” quipped another.
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But putting Kevin Harvick and boring in the same sentence is a bit strange considering how he used to be. One fan believes that the 2014 Cup Series champion lost a lot of his mean streak ever since he became a father. Harvick used to be quite the prankster as well, but not anymore.
Perhaps his new calm demeanor is too flat for a podcast episode. “I mean this in the nicest way possible but he got boring when he had kids,” they commented.
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“Harvick has definitely chilled out over the years. The Harvick of a decade ago was wild lol,” another user wrote. However, not everyone is blaming the former Cup Series champion. One user believes that FOX’s poor production is damaging the show. “FOX is squandering a potentially solid show with bad decisions and childish production? I am shocked. SHOCKED. Well, not that shocked,” they commented.
The reception might not be that good on Reddit, but some fans are enjoying the Happy Hour podcast. The show will certainly go on at least until the end of this season and hopefully, FOX gets its act right and makes it a top-notch podcast like what Dirty Mo Media means.