Kevin Harvick: 'Mike Joy should call the last lap of every race'

Kevin Harvick has learned a ton over his time in the NASCAR on FOX booth. One very important lesson that’s come to mind for him is related to legendary play-by-play man Mike Joy.

Evidently, Harvick believes Joy’s voice is the only one you should hear on the final lap of any given Cup Series race. During an interview with Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, the former champion explained why he’s recognized that standing down on the final lap for Joy is the best strategy for everyone involved.

“I worry too much about walking on somebody or overthinking the end of the races,” Harvick stated, regarding something he’d like to improve in broadcasting moving forward. “The end of the races just gets so chaotic with two big voices in the room. Sometimes it’s hard to know where you chime in on that, or if you don’t need to.

“I’m of the opinion that Mike Joy should call the last lap of every race because I like listening to his voice. So … you have to know when to stand down, though there are moments that you could definitely put in on something that happened, but you have to do it quickly.”

Fans certainly appreciate that strategy from Harvick. The final lap can be so chaotic that allowing Joy to deliver a sentimental monologue is usually the best way to go about it. Certainly, it helps that he’s one of the best play-by-play guys in all of sports.

As for Harvick’s role as a whole, he’s improved from Year 1 to Year 2, but he’s continuing to reach for more. He treats it like driving, where you always want to be the best at what you do.

“I have a much better understanding of what my role actually is,” Harvick added, regarding differences between his two seasons in the booth. “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.”

All told, it’s been a joy having Kevin Harvick in the booth for FOX. NASCAR fans may not be super fond of the company’s coverage as a whole, but the former champion has been a bright spot since joining full-time.