Kevin Harvick compares broadcasting to driving in NASCAR, details growth in second year

Kevin Harvick spent 20 plus years in the driver’s seat of a racecar in NASCAR. But retirement comes calling for everybody and when that time comes, it’s time to chart a new path.

For Harvick, that came after the 2023 Cup Series season. The new path? Full-time broadcasting for FOX Sports calling Cup races alongside Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer. Last year, Harvick was a rookie. While you wouldn’t necessarily call him a veteran now, Harvick has noticed personal growth in the booth from year one to year two, he told Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.

“I have a much better understanding of what my role actually is,” Harvick said. “I think Year 2 allows me to be more opinionated in things that are happening or happening in the conversation, whether it’s in a production meeting or in the booth or whatever that is, and feel comfortable about not stepping on anybody’s toes. Because this is truly a team. It takes a lot of people, just like everything else, and last year I wanted to make sure I understood how it all worked before I started being too opinionated on things.

“I treat it just like I was driving the car. Like everything matters. You want everything to flow and be organized. And I’ve learned that things happen a little later in the TV world than in the driver’s side of the world. It’s a lot closer to the event than what I was used to. But that’s just kind of the nature of the beast because there’s just a lot of things that happen week-of because you can’t do it the week before.”

Harvick, 49, is one of the most accomplished drivers in the history of the sport. With 60 wins, Harvick is 10th on the all-time wins list. Harvick won a Cup Championship in 2014.

But he also spent the final two seasons of his career driving the Next Gen car. Because of that experience, Harvick is able to give viewers a unique perspective on what drivers are dealing with inside the car.

Kevin Harvick reveals biggest strength as a broadcaster

“It’s still just the things that are happening from the driver’s perspective with the new car,” Harvick said. “Because if you haven’t been in the car, it’s just a different world compared to what it was. So being able to see those things. I like to explain the racing piece of what’s actually happening. You don’t have to make anything up, it’s pretty simple. There are a lot of things to watch. Our sport is very complicated. There’s a lot of technology, a lot of people that are really good at it. There’s a lot of work, time and effort.

“So being able to get that out and across to people is super important. Because if you just sit there and show the cars going around the racetrack, it looks pretty easy, but it’s far from that.”

Bianchi pointed out to Harvick that Darrell Waltrip spent nearly 20 years in the booth. Joy and Larry McReynolds are still there after starting with FOX Sports in 2001. Does Harvick see a similar run for himself?

“Well, the good news is I don’t really have to think about that vision because it’s just, I guess, one segment of time at a time with whatever deal you’re currently under. It’s something that I enjoy. I enjoy being around the racetrack, and being around the racetrack in a non-pressure situation,” Harvick said. “And I like racing. I like the people, I like the sport. I like everything about it. So I enjoy being here and doing something that just doesn’t have the pressure of driving the car.”