Kevin Harvick’s wife reacts to news of his return to a Cup car at North Wilkesboro

Kevin Harvick, who retired from racing full-time after the 2023 season, is taking over for Larson who will be preparing for the Indianapolis 500. Harvick is currently working as a NASCAR commentator for Fox Sports.

Harvick, who won the All-Star race in 2007 and 2018 said he was approached by team owner Rick Hendrick to ask if he was available. “When Rick called a couple of days ago, he said, ‘Hey, I need a favor,’ and I know when the conversation starts like that, that usually you have to say yes,” Harvick said, per NASCAR.com. “So I appreciate you guys calling. It’s going to be fun.”

Kevin Harvick had a legendary NASCAR career

Harvick’s last race was the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship race where he finished seventh. In his career, the 48-year-old won the Cup Series Regular Season title in 2020 and the Cup Series title in 2014. Harvick also won the Daytona 500 in 2007 and has won 60 Cup Series races with 444 top-10 finishes.

“There is absolutely nothing else in the world that I enjoy doing more than going to the race track, and I’m genuinely looking forward to this season,” Harvick said in January of last year. “But as I’ve gone through the years, I knew there would come a day where I had to make a decision. When would it be time to step away from the car? I’ve sought out people and picked their brains. When I asked them when they knew it was the right time, they said it’ll just happen, and you’ll realize that’s the right moment. You’ll make a plan and decide when it’s your last year.

“It’s definitely been hard to understand when that right moment is because we’ve been so fortunate to run well. But sometimes there are just other things going on that become more important and, for me, that time has come.”

The All-Star race practice and qualifying will take place on Friday, May 17. All-Star heats are scheduled on Saturday, May, 18, and the All-Star main event will be on Sunday, May 19 at 8 p.m. ET.