“I don’t have to worry about that”: Kevin Harvick outlines favourite details amidst transition from NASCAR Cup driver to broadcaster

Former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick recently discussed his initial sentiments about being a broadcaster for Fox Sports following his retirement.

Harvick hung his helmet at the end of the 2023 season, bringing to an end his over-two decade long NASCAR career. In that span, he won the Cup Series championship in 2014, the 2007 Daytona 500, and two Xfinity Series titles, among other accolades.

Following his retirement, Harvick has turned to full-time commentary. The 48-year-old joined the Fox NASCAR booth at the start of the 2024 season, where he now finds himself delivering race analysis alongside Mike Joy and former RCR and SHR teammate Chris Bowyer.

Reflecting on his new role during an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta, Kevin Harvick expressed satisfaction with his decision to retire on his own terms. He said:

"It's been really good. For me, I'm fortunate to be able to have kinda chosen the end date that I wanted with my driving career. And it's paid off and put us in a good position to be able to talk about racing from up top and be able to be good with being out of the car and not saying 'oh man! I wish I had been in the car still today.' I haven't had any of those thoughts."

When asked if it feels weird pulling up to the tracks knowing that he's not heading to the garage, the former Cup Series champion said:

"Well, it's a lot less stressful. I know that for sure. I don't have to worry about how fast my car went, who's mad at me this week, what time do the meetings start? We do have a lot more meetings than what I had with the team, but all that is way lower than it used to be."

Kevin Harvick explains his biggest challenge so far as a broadcaster

With the weight of competition lifted from his shoulders, Harvick has embraced the freedom from the stresses of race day. However, shedding light on the biggest challenge he has faced so far in the booth, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver said:

"The biggest thing for me is that I know all the names and the faces that are in the booth or working in the production trailer. So, getting to know everybody, has a little bit of that there, but not near as much as if I were just coming in and not having ever sat in a booth before."

Despite the challenges, Kevin Harvick finds solace and even excitement in his newfound role. Speaking about his favorite part of being a broadcaster, Harvick said:

"My favorite part of being in a booth so far is that I haven't had to hit anything. These cars are brutal to hit stuff in, and I don't have to worry about that anymore. So that's been pretty exciting to just be able to take my headset off, put it on the counter and go to the next one."