Kevin Harvick hung up his helmet in 2023 and transitioned seamlessly into the printed sales space with Fox Sports activities. Though his closing season didn’t yield a victory, his resume speaks volumes. From successful the 2014 Cup Sequence title to securing the Busch Sequence championships in 2001 and 2006, Harvick checked each field on a NASCAR driver’s bucket checklist.
He claimed all 4 crown jewels of inventory automobile racing, together with the 2007 Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 in 2003, 2019, and 2020, the Coca-Cola 600 in 2011 and 2013, and the Southern 500 in 2014 and 2020. With that type of {hardware} in his trophy case, it’s no surprise he lately declared zero regrets concerning the timing of his retirement.
Beforehand, the typical retirement age for NASCAR drivers hovered between 47 and 50. At present, veterans like Martin Truex Jr. are calling it quits at nearer to 43. Reflecting on this shift throughout an interview with Autoweek, Harvick opened up about life after racing and why the timing couldn’t have been higher.
He stated, “It was the proper time for me. The best way all the things labored out within the Fox sales space, I believe the timing of it will have been a few years sooner if COVID hadn’t occurred.
“However I received a pair extra years within the automobile, then when this chance with Fox got here, I used to be on the finish of my contract. An important factor was that I fulfilled the top of my contract with Stewart-Haas so I wouldn’t put them in a foul spot.”
Though Harvick as soon as admitted he missed the fun of Cup racing following his retirement, he has since discovered pleasure behind the wheel in a unique capability. Lately, he often straps in only for enjoyable, one thing he hadn’t completed since his youth. With out the load of efficiency metrics and strain to ship, he has rediscovered the pure pleasure of driving. And that’s worlds other than the grind of competitors.
Past the monitor, Harvick wears many hats. He’s a hands-on father supporting his son Keelan’s budding racing desires, an analyst within the Fox sales space, and the host of his podcast Joyful Hour. However curiously, he was initially hesitant about podcasting as he feared it may be extra work than it was value.
Now, Harvick has embraced the format. It has struck a chord with followers too, and Harvick has come to see it as a key a part of his weekly rhythm. In actual fact, the podcast has grow to be his early-week prep session. By the point Tuesday’s manufacturing conferences roll round, he’s already received his finger on the heartbeat of the previous weekend and a watch on what’s forward.
Followers, in the meantime, admire the long-form format. Whereas the stay sales space typically strikes at breakneck pace, Joyful Hour tends to supply an opportunity to gradual issues down, unpack climactic moments, and chew over the storylines that matter.
