NASCAR World Hands Stamp of Approval to Kevin Harvick’s Secondary Career After Retirement

Kevin Harvick decided to hang up his boots and retire from NASCAR racing after an illustrious career that spanned over two decades since his debut in 2001. Harvick achieved great heights and had a successful Cup racing career, winning the Cup Series championship with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and bagging 60 victories to his name.

However, despite spending most of his life on the race track, he didn’t choose to have a retirement life, away from NASCAR racing. Rather, he embarked on a new challenge in the role of a broadcaster in the FOX booth. This saw him reunite with his friend and fellow teammate, Clint Bowyer; they raced together at Richard Childress Racing and again at SHR.

This wasn’t the first time a NASCAR driver made the transition into a broadcasting role. The likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Darrell Waltrip, have all made a similar switch. Furthermore, all of them did justice to the role, so the pressure was on Kevin Harvick to follow suit, and going by the comments online, it feels like his debut in the FOX booth has been mostly received well by the race fans.

Working in the FOX booth calling Cup Series races alongside Mike Joy and Bowyer has allowed Harvick to view racing from a different lens. His expertise in the modern era of racing and practical experience with the Next-Gen cars have helped provide deeper insights for the viewers watching the race. But the use of fun words like ‘Kerfuffle’ and ‘Fugazi’ certainly caught the eye, keeping everyone interested in what he might come up with during the next race.

The Daily Downforce put out a post via its X handle online with the caption, “How would you rate Kevin Harvick’s 1st season in the booth?” And the fans soon started to pour in with their positive comments.

A+ ratings for Kevin Harvick’s first attempt in his new role as a TV broadcaster

Despite Harvick not being in the good books of race fans as a driver, his role as a broadcaster was well-received by the NASCAR community. “I was never a Harvick fan but I love him in the booth.”

Harvick’s in-depth knowledge of the race car, and the technical aspect of racing, along with his banter with Bowyer, has created a wholesome atmosphere in the FOX booth. Acknowledging these similar sentiments, a fan added, “I think he is great. He makes me chuckle but also provides a technical view and insight and reasons for what is happening on the track which I appreciate.”

There was this common trend of users rating Harvick’s feature on FOX with a rating scale that ranged from 1-10. “On a scale from 1-10, it’s 10. He brought fun back to the booth also I really enjoyed his commentary!” Notably, 10 was the most common answer visible, looking at the comments section.

It’s no secret that NASCAR’s coverage on FOX has riled up the viewers time and again. Be it their lackluster camera angles or the untimely and frustrating commercial breaks, Fortunately, Harvick’s presence has helped the viewers stick around, which was visible from the next comment. “He has been the only real bright spot of the fox coverage.”

Apart from calling the race, the former SHR driver has also managed to grab the attention of the NASCAR community with his insightful and informative podcast, Happy Hour. Heaping praise of Harvick’s efforts on both fronts, a user stated, “An A+. He was terrific and his podcast rocks. 😊.”

As Harvick gets more comfortable and eased out in his new role, he just might be able to spearhead the broadcast team at FOX. Given that Mike Joy is nearing his retirement days after a long career as a NASCAR commentator.