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American announcer and commentator Mike Joy recently joined former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick on his "Happy Hour" podcast. The duo talked about which NASCAR driver Joy wants to see compete in one of the most prestigious motorsports events, the Indy 500.
During the podcast, Harvick asked Joy who he would like to see compete outside of the Hendrick Motorsports driver, Kyle Larson. Without thinking twice, the latter chose Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell. The American commentator couldn't hold his excitement and stated, "Bell will be a champion of this sport".
Mike Joy further backed his claim and told Kevin Harvick (via X):
"I have, I have no doubt. I really wished he'd had the chance to run for it last year. Martinsville got in the way, and so did a couple of blocking Chevrolets. Yeah, you know. All right, we know. We know what happened then, but you know the way he handled that and the way he made his point about whether things were fair or not without taking on NASCAR, I think, really elevated his status in the garage and in the sport." [00:09 onwards]
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"And I think now he's someone that NASCAR respects and listens to. And I think they're ready for him to be a champion. And so is he," he added.
The 2017 NASCAR Truck Series champion has been on a hot roll this year and currently ranks third on the Cup Series points table with 305 points. He secured three back-to-back wins this season, sending a strong message to his rivals. Additionally, he secured one pole position at Martinsville Speedway and amassed six top-ten and five top-five finishes in nine starts.
Kevin Harvick and Mike Joy reflect on their Daytona 500 commentary experience
Recently, FOX Sports shared the behind-the-scenes moments from the most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, broadcast as a short film on YouTube. The footage closely follows Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Mike Joy throughout the season's inaugural weekend.
The film covered the 2014 Cup Series champion's schedule as he arrived at the venue days ahead of the main event to review the previous year's coverage. Harvick's duties began with the Duel races, and he performed his role as the broadcaster and mentored KHI drivers.
Later, during the qualifying session of the Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick made a hilarious remark about his seating position and stated:
"My chair goes in the middle...I take the most abuse from each side, friendly on the left, brutal on the right". [at 3:00]
During the red-flag delay in the Crown Jewel event, Mike Joy also made a humorous remark on Harvick and said:
"They have an Emmy for Most Promising Newcomer, a Sports Emmy. And I think after the job Kevin did last year, I think he would be an absolute shoo-in for that Emmy. But for this guy named Brady." [19:49]
Kevin Harvick will perform his duties as a broadcaster in the booth till the All-Star Race scheduled for May 18, before Amazon Prime Video takes over and passes the duties to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
