Kevin Harvick on Hendrick Motorsports Sub Role at North Wilkesboro

we are now joined by Kevin Harvick Kevin you're running double duty this weekend but a little bit looks a little bit different than and what double duty probably meant to you before it's it's definitely not um not the attire that I thought I would uh be wearing this year but it's it's been a a fun process I think you know sometimes there are uh phone calls that you react to different than others and when Rick called and said what he what he needed and I said okay and um everybody at Fox was was kind enough to to let us take the day to to do what they needed to do so it's been it's been um it's been a fun process to be able to to go through everything with with cliff and everybody at hendrik um you know they've been true Pros about it um shr's been great to give us our our seats and seat rails and make uh the fitting process um you know a little bit less complicated uh and you know it's it's gone well so um but you know definitely not definitely not um something that I expected to be doing this year well we're going to go ahead and open it up to questions we'll start with Stephen and go to Matt Weaver Steven Toronto CBS Sports Kevin when you stepped out of the car for the last time at Phoenix last year you know you would gone through kind of your Forever tour and you had those moments with your family with Rodney ch Builders your crew everyone kind of wishing you Happy Trails wishing you well to get back in the car this weekend and to have been in the shop preparing to be in the car this weekend does it how does that affect your sense of finality in terms of how you're driving career came to a close last last fall yeah well I you know I think that obviously my full-time career is is um over and you know I think that that sometimes there are just things that that pop up that are fun I think this has been this will be fun for me it'll be fun for uh cliff and and it'll be fun to you know just re relate and talk with Kyle about what's happening here today obviously he's got a lot going on so to to um you know to to get back in the car six seven eight months later whatever whatever it's been is you know you're definitely not as sharp as as you would have been if you have got right back in and and run all the races but um you know this is this is really more for uh just trying to to help those guys out in a scenario and I think they were just looking for somebody that that uh had had been in the car this car is a lot different it's it's very very different to drive than than an Xfinity car or any of the other cars that that you would run so um we're really just having a you know a good time with it and see how it goes and and you mentioned that you spent about 20 years or so driving the Gen 4 Gen 5 gen 6 chassis which were all kind of related to each other before we came to the next gen which is a pretty radical departure from that is it easier or is it more difficult to get back in this car and take to it knowing that it's so different from what you ran for all but two years of your Cub career I'll let you know in a in about an hour thanks Kev I I I don't I don't know that answer Matt Weaver Sports not um one did this ever be close to a thing Mr H calling you and say come drive my race cars at any point over the last 20 years or so and how much is this kind of a personal accomplishment to say that you've now driven in a way for Mr H yeah well I mean anytime that these conversations had had come up in the past I had been in the middle of a situation that that I was happy with good with um um but it's always just been casual conversation about things but um you know there's just Rick being involved in in steuart h house racing when when I started there was obviously a conversation that that had to that happened there to to go to shr um to have that relationship with the engine shop and the um you know all the sharing of the information I mean he still had to be good with it so um I did have to sit there and put my xinity deal together in Rick's office and let him let him work all that out so it's it's definitely not the the first time that we've had interaction um but it's you know it's the first time that it's worked out to to get into one of his cars and and drive it in on the cup side so um it's kind of fun does it feel different though you're driving the five I don't know I actually haven't I mean I've climbed in and out of it at the shop but um you know the last time I I got in into one of these vehicles for the first time was 2013 you know at the at the open test that was basically all hendrik with Rodney um working on the car for the first time and and so um I don't know I think it's it's different because I've been sitting in the booth watching the the five car do what it it does on the racetrack and and I think um really my only job today is to get it into the pit box so and try to understand the the difference in the tires but you know it's it's fun to see how the guys have approached it with something that is literally for a 1 15minute practice um but we've approached it like it's we're going into a race weekend because they want to do everything they can do to get Kyle prepared and to come from the back of the pack to to try to win the All-Star Race so that's that's really it's been very methodical with the way that that they've gone about everything I've sat in all the team meetings and been in a simulator and and done all those things as as we've L up to like they were like they were preparing for the race so hopefully I can do my part Kevin they announced that the race is coming back here again next year uh Allstar race your thoughts on that and um uh is it a good venue for it well I you know I think that seeing the the venue lit up last year with all the changes and and you know the the event itself um you know I think everybody loves the the short tracks and and North w Boro has has been talked about for a long time and so I think with the repave and and now it's really kind of at its you know this is what North wils wilksboro is going to be as we go through this year and next year so um so it'll be a great place to uh I guess it'll be our last race of the season next year so it's close to home so that's a good thing go to Dustin Dustin long NBC Sports you mentioned being with the team in the meeting and involved with everything this week and I'm just curious obviously you guys had your ways at at at shr and where and elsewhere but has anything struck you or stood out about seeing things how they do things everybody's always kind of wondered how you know big organizations really successful organizations over the Long Haul how they do things if it's really that different did anything kind of strike you in in kind of getting that opportunity to see how they operate uh I mean I heard from the owner twice in two weeks so that's different um yeah you know it's it's it's interesting to see you know just the the race shop and the structure and and the way that that everybody goes about it differently I mean there's a there's a million different ways you can do things but you know I think the thing that sticks out for me about Hendrick Motorsports in general is it's it's truly run like a business that is a part of an actual structure of of how things flow and who you talk to and and there's just a the depth of of the of the business side and and the racing side is you know it's it's deep and I I think that that is um you know I think that that is pretty eye openening just from the the structure from the from the whole thing and and I like I like structure so you know I think that's um that's something that has been good to see and I don't want to take away from shr because I'm sure they had their structure but to see kind of behind the scenes with hendrik and to have the success that you did knowing you at times were able to beat an organization that yeah well I I think I think our our team was our our team the four team itself was was very structured we had a we had a great group of people that communicated well did a lot of little things well but also took the burden of a you know some things that were probably not as structured uh within the organization to to be able to to do those things uh and still run well was a burden right for for all the guys on the team so I had a I had a very special group of people that that succeeded in a you know in a in a structure that wasn't as structured as what we're in currently in this situation so you know I think it's um I had I had had you know a lot of success at at um you know at Stewart house racing and and um you know all the things that that we did I'm super proud of and love the relationships that we had but um you know it's just different vastly different cultures okay let's go to Lee Spencer and then to Kelly Crandle Lee Spencer here sexm NASCAR radio and catch.com just curious how important is it from you being in the analyst chair to to know what's going on on with these cars to be up to date to kind of get that feel and and translate for the people sitting at home I think it's Priceless um you know this sport evolves quickly uh to be able to understand the the tires uh the scenario that goes with with how long these tires will last how fast they go what the feeling is what the what all those scenarios are um listen to somebody else's team I took my team for granted right because we'd been around for so long but to hear other people's thoughts and processes and and understand all those things to be able to relate to the fans is a pretty big deal um you know to kind of get a a midyear check of of things that that go with the evolution of our sport because it it evolves quickly and can leave you behind quickly so you know to to be still ingrained in it and understand where everything's at is is um is always good and and kind of curious the challenge of going from a part-time broadcaster to a full-time what has been the biggest challenge that is fa youve faced since moving into that role well there's it's just a different group of people I am I'm very uh intrigued as you heard me talk earlier just about how to communicate with people and and how things are structured so you know the the television side there's a lot of people um and to to be able to to know and understand uh how that process works and be able to work with with different people I just have a different team um that I work with so um I've been fortunate to not have to get to know Clint um Mike I've I've not known personally um but to get to know him and and be able to be comfortable in the booth we've had a good time calling the races and and been able to evolve and and get better as as the year has gone on so it's been um it's been very different living outside the the infield um you know our our most the things that I've had to worry about the most this year is every week is where we're going to eat dinner at night so it's much different than how you function in the infield so final question from Kelly Kelly crle racer.com Kevin along the same lines of what Dustin was asking how much do you appreciate appreciate or just are intrigued by getting to see um the behind the scenes or how another team operates you because you've talked a little bit about the podcast of how impressed you've been with what the five teams been able to do to where you walked in the shop and I think you said they didn't have to do adjust the seat any when you got in it yeah well look it's it's um like I said earlier I I was very fortunate to have a very very good race team um you know at Stuart hos Stuart hos uh to walk into another very very good race team and and see you know the the things that that that go on and and happen it's just um you know it's it's fun to kind of get a look a peek behind the curtain um you know I think that that Kyle is very good at whatever he races but Cliff is also very understanding of of understanding the fact that he's off racing other things and and how they talk about things and when they when they go through things with with Kyle is is very interesting because of uh but he he you know it seems like they want him to to keep doing being Kyle and you know to be able to um talk about the things that they need in their car and how they structure things with with Kyle and when they meet with him and why they do that and that that part to me is is very insightful because we all tick a little bit different and you know the there's K likes to race all the time some guys don't like to race at all they just want to race in the cup car and and show up on on the weekend and do that some guys like to race an Nfinity car there's a balance for everybody that that gets the most out of them and it seems like they've leaned into letting Kyle B Kyle and and you know that's not always the case with everybody that that drives in the Cup Series so letting Kyle do Kyle things is is surrounded by a group of people that want to be there because of him and his you know how how good he is it'll be a benefit for you to be in the car to stay current on on how it's reacting but what about since this is a repave of just kind of knowing how the how the track feels and how it's reacting for these guys when you go back to the booth yeah all that right like the the The Pit Road you know I think if we run this race on on Sunday um on slick tires and you got the tires going on and off just understanding how how the soft tires will go um you know there's a good possibility that if you do that and the soft tire guys have to come to Pit Road under green um just all those little nuances of of little things because the more that the more detail we have um the more that we have to talk about and relay to the people and and you guys to to understand and and that's I really look at it as we want to teach people about what our sport is as well and the things that are happening so um there's just a there's a number of things that go into that in order to to make the car go around the racetrack that that people just have no idea

Channel: Peter Stratta

Views: 6,758

Keywords: NASCAR, Cup Series, NASCAR All-Star Race, Kevin Harvick, Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson, Practice, Qualifying, Indy 500, Chevrolet, Racing, Teammates, Substitution

Id: Sz1btf4cKTs

Length: 15min 2sec (902 seconds)

Published: Sat May 18 2024