Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have been great friends since the first time that they ran into each other at a Sonic Drive-In in 2003. The two drivers raced together for the same teams twice in their careers and now find each other again outside the race track as they settle into their roles in the Fox Sports booth.
Advertisement
The first time Harvick and Bowyer really got to know each other was when they raced together for Richard Childress Racing between 2005 and 2011. The duo even shared the #21 car for the 2004 Xfinity Series season. In 2011, Bowyer decided to call it quits with Childress and moved to Michael Waltrip Racing. Harvick stayed on until the end of the 2013 season after which he moved to Stewart-Haas Racing.
With Harvick bringing in a championship and multiple wins for Tony Stewart’s team, Bowyer joined him once again in 2017. They raced together for four seasons before the latter retired from racing and left to join Mike Joy in the Fox Sports booth. Now that Harvick too has retired and made the call to follow in his friend’s footsteps, Bowyer couldn’t be more pleased.
Congratulations to @KevinHarvick on a storybook career. Was a teammate and competitor for a lot of years and have a very clear understanding just how gifted he is behind the wheel. One of the best ever!
Looking forward to @NASCARONFOX next year alongside him again.— Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer) November 6, 2023
He told Forbes, “I can’t get rid of him. The better part of my career was alongside Kevin. When I came into the upper ranks of Nascar, Kevin was the first person I knew in the Nascar world. I don’t know how we always find each other, but here we are.” Along with Bowyer and Joy, Harvick will be rounding up the trio of on-air analysts for the house.
Kevin Harvick prepares for his new role from the Fox Sports booth
The trio did their first practice session last week on January 17 with NASCAR on Fox. Post the session, Harvick talked about how he still had to build synergy with Joy but was already finding the flow with his friend Bowyer. Certain that their prior relationship will be an advantage on the air, he said, “It’s the first time we’re around each other when we’re both not competing. Being in a more relaxed atmosphere is going to make it fun.”
Kevin Harvick will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the FOX booth for NASCAR Cup Series races starting in 2024.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 6, 2023
Bowyer believes that the starkly opposite character that he and Harvick possess is the secret behind their getting along so well. He made it clear that he wanted people to feel like they were hanging out in their very own living rooms through the ease of conversation between them. After the many years that they spent contending with each other on the track, it will be interesting to watch them in this new avatar. Their first broadcast will be at the L.A. Coliseum on February 4.
