Josh Berry named NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick’s replacement for 2024 and beyond
Josh Berry is getting his shot in NASCAR’s premier series.
Stewart-Haas Racing officials announced on Wednesday afternoon that Berry will be the driver to replace NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick — the race team’s preeminent star and the future Hall of Fame driver who is set to retire from full-time Cup racing at the end of the 2023 season.
Berry will thus run in the No. 4 Ford in 2024 and beyond, and everyone at SHR is excited for it.
“I’ll be perfectly honest: This was not a big group of people that we had to make a choice from,” said Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. “We literally put all of our eggs in one basket, and we put them on this kid to my left here in Josh Berry, who is somebody we all feel like is the right fit to step into the 4 car in the future.”
Stewart said this in the Charlotte Motor Speedway media center in Concord alongside Rodney Childers, Berry’s soon-to-be crew chief, as well as Harvick — Berry’s soon-to-be predecessor.
“To fill Kevin’s shoes is a hard task, and we are all very confident because of Josh’s merit and his maturity,” Stewart continued. “Everything that he’s done in all the positions he’s put himself in shows that he’s a smart racecar driver, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for in this 4 car.”
Wednesday’s announcement marked another milestone in a special few years for Berry, the short-track stud turned Xfinity Series standout. The 32-year-old driver spent several years competing at regional levels before landing a full-time ride in the Xfinity Series with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports in 2022, and he’s turned heads ever since.
Among his most visible accomplishments include driving in eight Cup races this year — all of which came in substitution for either Chase Elliott or Alex Bowman, who’ve battled injuries throughout various points of the season. The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native notched three Top 10s in those eight races: One was a runner-up result at Richmond. He also won the All-Star Open race at North Wilkesboro in May.
Berry and SHR officials said several times on Wednesday that Berry was their choice before his success in a Cup car in 2023 came. Stewart said that Berry’s run in those Cup cars delayed the announcement a little bit, but that didn’t bother him much. (“He was getting free track time on somebody else’s dime!” Stewart said with a laugh.)
But was it affirming when Berry did have that success this year? Absolutely.
“I’ve talked to Rodney (Childers) a lot, and Josh was always the name he just never wavered on,” Harvick said on Wednesday. “So for me, it was fun to watch it progress. And this year has kind of been interesting because I’ve tried to stand back and let these guys do more and work toward the future. And to see it all come together makes me happy to know that everything is going to be in good hands.”
Wednesday’s news ultimately quelled one of the biggest questions looming in the upcoming offseason. Harvick’s retirement means the departure of SHR’s most consistent and recognizable driver. Even at 47 years old — about a decade past his prime, when he notched a bulk of his 60 Cup wins and his 2014 Cup Series championship — he is still outrunning the rest of the SHR stable: Harvick sits fifth in the points standings; no other SHR driver is better than 25th.
Berry will thus find himself taking over for the face of SHR — and could soon be asked to become that fixture himself. His teammates for 2024, as of now, include third-year Cup driver Chase Briscoe (28 years old), Ryan Preece (32) and Aric Almirola (39). Almirola recently told reporters that he hasn’t yet made a decision on if he’ll retire ahead of the 2024 season.
A lot was made of Berry’s age on Wednesday. A 32-year-old driver getting his first shot at the NASCAR Cup Series is a bit of a rarity nowadays — much more so, at least, than it was a decade ago — and SHR officials reiterated the same refrain over and over again in response.
And that refrain was this: Berry was a selection of a driver with merit, with a proven track record, with all the tools and relationships in place to win immediately.
Berry does not come with a big sponsorship deal attached to him. Stewart told reporters Wednesday that the 4 car is “wide open” on accepting sponsorship interest for 2024. But Berry has a sustenance in this sport that will not only make him a winner — but will make him an inspiration to lifelong race fans across the country.
“I think that’s one of the more unique scenarios about Josh,” Harvick said. “He’s a little bit older. Has a family. And you don’t have to teach him about life. There’s a maturity factor that goes with life, and I think he’s lived through some of the most important parts and had his face drug through the mud and all of the things that it takes in order to figure out that it’s not easy. And you have to work hard, and you have to have your ducks in a row and have that circle of life welded around you to be successful.”
Harvick added: “There are a number of things outside of the car that he demonstrates well. You can have fun doing this, but it’s way more fun if you win. And so in order to do that, you have to everything else together.”
And Berry does.
This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 12:05 PM.
