LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Harvick won’t commit a solitary day in retirement when his NASCAR driving times are in excess of: Fox explained Sunday it has employed Harvick for its broadcast booth subsequent season.
Harvick declared past thirty day period that he will retire from NASCAR level of competition at the close of the 2023 period.
He will then transition into a broadcast roll for Fox, which has made use of Harvick frequently as a visitor analyst due to the fact 2015. He is scheduled to simply call four Xfinity Series and three Truck Series races this 12 months for FS1, and upcoming season he will be a part of Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer for Fox’s overall portion of the Cup agenda.
“I understood that this was one thing that I desired to do since it offers you these types of a exceptional placement to be in a position to converse about the activity and be able to use your know-how and associations to be able to give the supporters and individuals a great perspective,” Harvick instructed The Related Push.
“This has truly been a dialogue which is been occurring for a number of a long time, the timing just was in no way truly ideal. Now it is all worked out and it’s a fantastic time to be ready to transition and have a voice in the activity and remain a part of NASCAR racing on a weekly foundation and speak about the issues I love.”
Harvick was the centerpiece of Fox’s “Drivers Only” broadcasts that commenced in 2015. The community commenced working with a blend of lively motorists and crew chiefs to phone lessen-amount races and Harvick, who has termed much more than 25 races for the community, was a purely natural fit from the quite starting.
He is so steady in the booth that lots of predicted Harvick would establish into a play-by-engage in announcer and lead a broadcast team. Harvick, who is beginning his 23rd Cup season, is the 2014 Cup winner and is tied for ninth on NASCAR’s all-time wins listing with 60 vocation victories.
Harvick has 13 consecutive playoff appearances.
“The trustworthiness is off the charts. His longevity in NASCAR will only help him reveal to the viewers the evolution the activity has taken,” Fox Sporting activities government producer Brad Zager mentioned. “For him, that upcoming stage of being in the booth is something which is practically been fait accompli given that he initially stepped into the booth with us.”
Zager claimed the network had to do extremely minimal to get ready Harvick for the booth.
“We in no way want to consider to convince somebody they must be a broadcaster, and with Harvick, we didn’t have to,” Zager stated. “He is a person who has a passion for it currently. We’re extremely thrilled about almost everything that he brings, and we imagine he will be the excellent third male for Clint and Mike with his fashion, his temperament and his reliability.”
Fox primarily has been a two-gentleman booth due to the fact Jeff Gordon stepped down at the end of the 2021 time. The network utilized attendees in put of Gordon but has been content material waiting for the correct particular person to fill the function entire-time.
For Harvick, it will be his third various career as a co-worker with Bowyer.
The two were being teammates at Richard Childress Racing early in their vocation, had been reunited at Stewart-Haas Racing and in 2024 will be facet-by-side as Fox analysts.
“We naturally have thoroughly different methods in the issues that we do and say, and I think that would make it enjoyment,” Harvick mentioned. “Clint and I became superior close friends in excess of the yrs, and we have a very good connection, but we have under no circumstances been equipped to have a partnership outside the house the automobile that’s not been aggressive.”
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