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Fox received a lot of criticism this past NASCAR season for their broadcasts. The reasons why their broadcasts were criticized are plentiful, but Kevin Harvick is set to join the Fox booth heading into 2024. With the addition of Harvick to the booth full-time, is this the boost that Fox Sports needs for their NASCAR broadcast, especially with how likely it is they will re-up with NASCAR for the next TV deal?
For the last two years, Fox has filled the booth with guest analysts for their races. The results have been hit-or-miss. Some commentators have been insightful and fun, while others have been less exciting. However, the issue is not necessarily with the quality of those commentators as much as it is the lack of consistency created by multiple commentators.
Having Harvick in the booth on a week-to-week basis will provide some much-needed consistency for the Fox booth. They will have the same three commentators in the booth throughout the season. There may be some issues early as Clint Bowyer, Mike Joy, and Kevin Harvick all learn how to work with each other, but, as time goes on, that chemistry will grow. On top of that, this is a booth that could stick together for a long time to come, and the longer they work together, the better the chemistry will get.
Clint Bowyer is the “Funny man” of the Fox broadcast. He provides insight and good analysis, but he is also a more goofy personality that keeps the broadcast light. However, when he is the only other consistent member of the booth aside from Mike Joy, the act can get old quickly. Kevin Harvick is the exact opposite of Bowyer in the booth.
Harvick is no-nonsense, and he provides a “Straight man” foil to Clint Bowyer. On top of that, Bowyer and Harvick used to be teammates together at Richard Childress Racing. This is not so much about Bowyer not being himself, rather, it is about Harvick adding a different element to the broadcast to balance it out better.
Kevin Harvick has a lot of experience in the Fox booth on broadcasts. In 2018, he was a part of the original “Drivers Only” broadcast at Talladega, and he has filled in at Fox here and there throughout the last few years. He has spent time as a color commentator and as a lap-by-lap commentator.
Plenty of current commentators gained broadcasting experience while still working in NASCAR such as Larry McReynolds, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Gordon. Harvick has just as much if not more experience than these current and former broadcasters have, and it usually transitions well to the booth.
Will these things that Harvick brings to the booth allow him to be successful heading into 2024? At the end of the day, no one knows how Harvick will do until he gets into the booth in 2024. He could be something the Fox broadcast needs, but not every problem Fox has is within his control. However, he could help.
