After hanging up his helmet, the 42-year-old shifted gears to the fast-paced world of broadcasting in 2018. His last full-time ride came behind the wheel of Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 7 Chevrolet in 2016, with a brief return in 2018, filling in for Kasey Kahne at Leavine Family Racing. Now, as a FOX Sports reporter, he brings insider knowledge from the driver’s seat straight to the viewers, offering a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective that viewers and the broadcast both can match. However, in a sit-down conversation, the NASCAR veteran doubles down on his racing career and reflects on how things could have been.
Regan Smith marked his debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway in 2007. He drove with Mark Martin for the first half of the season before the team merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). His first full season came in 2008, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors and became the first rookie in the series history to finish every race he started. And his Cup Series tenure? Yes, Smith delivered. He competed in 224 races, securing one victory, the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. He also achieved 14 top 10 finishes, with his best overall position coming in 2012, where he placed 24th in the standings. Fast forward to today, the pit crew reporter for FOX Sports wishes things were a bit different.
Speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, Regan Smith didn’t hesitate when asked what he would like to change in his past racing decisions. He said, “I would have waited if I could have. There was other factors in play in that decision and, and that I couldn’t get around and, and it was stuff that had nothing to do with the racetrack, and it was stuff that had to do with at the time, Ginn had merged with DEI, right? And it was a really complicated merger and, and the way the teams were consolidated.”
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While waiting would have been preferred, if possible, the merger between Ginn and DEI at the time was highly complicated. In 2007, then-rookie Regan Smith joined Ginn Racing, which had recently merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). This major combined Ginn Racing’s No. 01 team with DEI’s existing tunes, including the No. 8 and No. 15. Smith was slated to run 12 races alongside veteran driver Mark Martin, who was transitioning to the new Car of Tomorrow and preferred a limited schedule.
However, midway through the season, plans shifted, and Smith was promoted to a full-time role in the No. 14 car, previously driven by Sterling Marlin. This change occurred despite the team’s strong performance in the Busch Series, where it had been driving a competitive car. Reflecting on this period, Smith acknowledged that, given the choice, he would have preferred to wait before stepping into the Cup role.
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He added, “Had I been able to say, ‘No, I’m going to wait and, and I’m not ready for Cup,’ I would have done it in a heartbeat and, and you know, it’s interesting because I think there’s some scenarios in the garage right now to where you see some of that happening and, and it’s it’s tough to do that, right, when the opportunities there. But I think a driver also knows when they are and when they’re not ready. I think I had enough Cup races to be able to see, like, you know, I need to refine my skill and my craft a little bit here to be able to compete with what those guys are doing.”
However, besides the challenges, Smith appreciated the opportunity to learn from experienced drivers like Mark Martin to gain exposure to the series. Throughout the transition, Smith emphasizes the importance of recognizing one’s readiness for competition. He believed that drivers should assess their skills and comfort level before advancing to higher levels of racing. And now, as the broadcaster heaps praise on the 2026 NASCAR schedule, he deep dives into his hectic NASCAR life.
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Regan Smith gets real about his double NASCAR life
In a candid conversation with fellow broadcaster Kevin Harvick on his Happy Hour podcast, Regan Smith reflected on the challenges of balancing or demanding career with family life, noting that the current NASCAR schedule has made the juggling act more manageable. He explained, “The beauty of the TV schedule being the way it’s broken up is it kind of gives opportunity to focus on other stuff. And other stuff that maybe for the first 35 years of my life, I never paid any attention to.”
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In 2025, he was part of the broadcast team for several reasons, including the DSQ solutions and staffing 250 at Darlington, the iLuna! 150 at Pocono, and the Mission 176 at Watkins Glen. Describing the rhythm of his season, he said, “Yeah, and everything’s flowing good and feels good. The second part of the year, I do some of the truck races.”
Even with careful balancing, Smith admits that time remains a precarious commodity. He added, “Time is one thing that I wish I had a little bit more of. Obviously, we’ve got our first, what, 14, 15 episodes a year that we do, and it’s fun. And I think that we all get to the end, especially this year, because it’s a little shorter than it normally is. And it’s like, ‘Oh, man, we’re having fun right now, and we don’t want it to stop.’”
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Alongside his broadcasting duties, Smith also provides commentary for select NASCAR Truck races and contributes to the ARCA Menards Series coverage. If anything, Smith has had quite a journey from driver to reporter.