The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season opener has been an enigma. The Cook Out Clash race has been delayed multiple times due to Mother Nature. Snowstorms pushed the date to Wednesday from Sunday – only for drivers to experience adversity anyway during the race. Kevin Harvick, a FOX Sports booth commentator, is okay with the rain-battered conditions. But his former racing career may not agree with his currently complacent views.
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Kevin Harvick contradicts himself
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but did Kevin Harvick just say on the Fox broadcast that “it wasn’t that bad” once he raced in the rain?” John Newby, a NASCAR journalist, wrote with visible shock on X.
“This is what he said after that 2021 COTA race with no visibility and all the wrecks: “It’s the most unsafe thing I’ve ever done in a race car by a lot. You can’t see anything down the straightaways. These cars were not built to run in the rain,” he continued. “It’s unbelievable that we’re out there doing what we’re doing because we’re in race cars that aren’t made to do this, and if you can’t see going down the straightaway, it’s absolutely not safe, not even close.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but did Kevin Harvick just say on the Fox broadcast that “it wasn’t that bad” once he raced in the rain?
This is what he said after that 2021 COTA race with no visibility and all the wrecks:
“It’s the most unsafe thing I’ve ever done in a race car by a…— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) February 5, 2026
Close to the half-mark of the 200-lap 2026 Clash race, snow and rain battered the 0.250 mi paved oval short track. During the caution flag period, rain tires were put on the drivers’ cars. Rain continued on the track as drivers rolled out again. However, things were far from hunky-dory as frequent bumps and crashes unfolded. Despite the jittery situation, Kevin Harvick recalled his own experience with rain calmly.
Yet Kevin Harvick’s experience in the rain during the 2021 COTA race was hardly calm. His rants, as recalled by John Newby, followed after bad visibility resulted in a slow Harvick being run into from behind. The crash occurred on the backstretch, a high-speed section of the course with standing water. The spray from the cars had reduced visibility. And the 2014 Cup Series champion exited the race after 19 laps.
So, Kevin Harvick’s current take on the rain-splattered Bowman Gray race is definitely a tad contradictory. While the NASCAR veteran wants to put aside his past experience, he also wants to put aside NASCAR’s legal troubles.
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Drawing a boundary
Over the off-season, NASCAR went through a lot. The battle between the sport and 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports reached a climax during the NASCAR lawsuit trial in December. It ended with the sanctioning body bending to a favorable settlement, as the tide shifted in favor of the teams. Jaw-dropping information regarding financial woes and problematic texts rocked the sport. But Kevin Harvick wants to keep that messy dilemma away from the racetrack.
“I just believe that the culture I was brought up in this sport, that bad ass, don’t care about what everybody else thinks. We are NASCAR racing, we are different than everybody else. We don’t need to care about everything that’s happening in the world; we need to stay in our lane and not react to every single situation that happens. I think that’s important,” Kevin Harvick said in his Happy Hour podcast. “Let’s stay in our lane and do the things that make us great.”
Kevin Harvick’s words evidently emphasize moving on no matter what. Let us wait and see how NASCAR navigates the fresh season.
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