A couple of days after watching Michael Jordan make his first-ever trip to Victory Lane and celebrate with Tyler Reddick and the 23XI Racing crew for its first win of 2024 at Talladega, the rookie Fox analyst appeared on “NASCAR Race Hub” and said the fourth-year team is unquestionably heading in the right direction, and one of the reasons is because the organization has a distinct advantage over its competition.

Why Michael Jordan is more than another celebrity NASCAR owner. ⁦@NASCARONFOX⁩https://t.co/77ZkusmnYt

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 24, 2024

“What it is, is it’s an advantage and I’ll tell you why it’s an advantage,” Harvick told fellow analyst Jamie McMurray and show host Shannon Spake. “Because there are a lot of people who want to work for Michael Jordan. You walk into his shop that he and Denny have built, it’s beautiful. From the outside it’s a beautiful working environment. And when you have an owner that’s willing to lean in like that, show up to the racetrack, show up to the sponsor meetings, whatever it is, you have a massive advantage to build your team to be better than everybody else.”

Kevin Harvick Is Absolutely Right

Kevin Harvick saying “massive advantage” might even be an understatement when you think about it. Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the most famous athlete on the planet. That popularity allows him to walk into any board room or meeting and he’s already established as a proven success on an off the court before he sits down. His brand is also one of the most recognizable in the world. That’s why he’s worth $3.2 billion — that’s with a B. Who wouldn’t want to associate with a winner?

"The best thing that I've seen this year is Michael Jordan in Victory Lane." @KevinHarvick loved the emotion from MJ and Tyler Reddick at Talladega.@KaitlynVincie | @MambaSmith34 | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/cpe1ugRaHA

— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) April 24, 2024

In addition to board rooms and bringing in sponsorship revenue, which is critical for any team’s survival, Jordan’s association with the team brings something else to the table, as Harvick suggested, including the top mechanics, engineers, and any other position affiliated with a Cup team. The best of the best want to work for the best.

And the end result is six wins in three years and 10 races. Championships are likely in the future. Jordan won’t accept anything less.

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“I’m having fun,” Harvick admitted. “I’ve really enjoyed being in the booth and I never thought that we would have as much fun as we’re having, but we have fun and it’s fun to be able to watch it from a different angle.”

Kevin Harvick Addresses Fan Criticism of Fox’s NASCAR Coverage

While Harvick has been enjoying himself and is solid as a new addition at Fox, the network still has its issues and receives its share of complaints about the broadcast quality. The driver-turned-broadcaster responded to one specific complaint.

“My favorite thing that people don’t understand is they think we can cover every story,” he said. “It’s impossible to cover every story. I promise you. We cover what’s happening in the front a lot.

“I saw somebody mad at us on Twitter because we didn’t show whatever happened at the end (of Martinsville) with Justin Haley and Austin Cindric racing for 25th. And it’s like, ‘Well, we got a pretty prominent car leading the race, won the race, interviews, everything. It happens — bang, bang, bang. Wish we could show everything, but we can’t.”

Kevin Harvick Calls Out Conspiracy Theorists for ‘Dumbest’ Comment

Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, and Mike Joy regularly sang the praises of Hendrick Motorsports during the April 7 race broadcast from Martinsville. That’s because the winningest organization in NASCAR was celebrating its 40th anniversary on the track where Geoff Bodine won for the first time. More than 1,500 employees attended. 

Unsurprisingly, the Hendrick cars were also running well in the race and eventually finished 1-2-3, with William Byron collecting his third win of the 2024 campaign while Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott finished second and third, respectively. It was the first time in the race’s storied history that one organization claimed all three spots on the podium.

All of it was just too much for some fans to believe and they expressed that disbelief on social media, suggesting the race was rigged or scripted. Harvick had something to say about it. 

“My favorite is, ‘Oh, we knew Hendrick was going to win from the beginning. They fixed the race,'” he said. “Oh my gosh. How in the world would you ever fix the race? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

Life in the broadcast booth might be a shift from life in the race car for Harvick, but he still hears the nonsense from the fans. In fact, it might be even louder. 

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“I’ve been in that position and been frustrated, too,” Harvick said. “I think as you see this footage with Martin and Joe Gibbs right here, and just the fact that I don’t know what was said to Joe right there but you can see by his girlfriend’s reaction right there and he must have obviously said something that was pretty much not what she would have said.

“Every time I was in this position, I don’t want to judge somebody else’s position on where they’re at and what they’re doing, I would judge it on how I was in those positions. But, to me, it seems like a lot of those things happen when there’s some internal frustrations or you’re dealing with something that’s frustrating you and finally it gets to a boiling point and man, did it boil. It went from getting beat on the restart, to getting used up by the 11 car, which I don’t think he used him up. I think he was racing at the end. He left him a lane coming off Turn 2. Yeah, he came up the race track but we’re racing for the win.

“To getting in a war with Kyle Larson, smashing into the side of him off of Turn 2. Smashing him into the fence on the front straightaway. And then slamming into the back of Denny Hamlin’s car several times, and when you go back and watch that footage, it is with a lot of throttle. And then we come on pit road and blow off your owner. So, it seems that there is more to it than just that last moment on the restart. And getting beat off of pit road with some of the members that used to be on your pit crew.”

Kevin Harvick Offers NASCAR a Solution for Denny Hamlin Richmond Restart Controversy

Kevin Harvick didn’t stop with Truex. He also addressed the biggest topic of conversation this week — Denny Hamlin jumping the final restart at Richmond.

“If you’re going to paint a line on the track, you should use the line,” Harvick said. “If your football team steps on the line, you’re out of bounds, right? If the ball doesn’t cross the plane, is it a touchdown? I think if you’re going to paint a line on the race track to officiate a situation. Yeah, none of us want NASCAR involved in it but NASCAR wouldn’t even have to be involved in it. Put a speed line there just like they do on pit road. Make the speed entering the box X amount, give them five miles an hour, whatever the pace car speed is plus five miles an hour. Put a line across the racetrack. And if you’re faster than that, with the length of the car, at the line of the restart zone, the computer can call the penalty at that particular point.”

The 48-year-old former Stewart-Haas Racing driver has found his voice at Fox. And it’s good for everyone in the sport.

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