Josh Berry ready to ditch Chevy, set to replace Ford superstar in 2024: Reports
Josh Berry has been the most consistent and impressive part-time Cup driver this season.
Follow Us
Josh Berry (Credits: heavy.com)
Josh Berry has been the revelation of the 2023 NASCAR Cup season. The Junior Motorsport Xfinity series full-driver impressed the Cup garage as a substitute driver for Hendrick Motorsports No:9 and No:48 teams. He is reportedly close to signing a deal with Stewart Hass Racing as the replacement for Kevin Harvick.
Harvick is set to retire from the Cup series in 2023, and he, along with the SHR management, has been searching for a proper candidate from the small pool of talents they have. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that all the contract negotiations between parties are done, and they only have to sign the final deal.
Berry joined the 2014 Cup champion’s Athlete Management firm Harvick Incorporated in 2023 after his impressive stint in Chase Elliott’s car. This prompted the rumors of a supposed SHR move for the JRM driver. Ryan Preece, who is part of KHI-managed drivers, getting a seat at the start of the season was the reason for it.
While the 32-year-old driver is in any way not the perfect replacement for Kevin Harvick, he is surely one driver SHR could trust to deliver. Their best option, other than Berry, was to sign Ross Chastain. The move collapsed before it even began after the Chastain extended his Trackhouse contracts.
No top talents will be free agents in 2024, and signing a rookie is something SHR can’t afford, as they already have two underperforming drivers in Preece and Aric Almirola, whose contract extension needs to be addressed. Berry, though, is new to NASCAR; he has proven himself over the years in the late model scene. His non-NASCAR racing experience is too significant to ignore while chasing new options.
Discover: Christopher Bell is disappointed as he is struggling to capitalize on JGR’s true potential
Josh Berry’s impressive stint as HMS’s super-sub
The No:8 JRM Chevy Xfinity driver has started 8 Cup point-paying races and the All-Star race this season. He got his first call in March for the Las Vegas race after Chase Elliott’s snowboarding injury. He drove the No:9 in four more races. His best performance came at Richmond, where he secured a career-best finish of p2 behind winner Kyle Larson.
He was again called back to HMS, this time to drive instead of Alex Bowman. The No:48 driver broke his vertebrae during a crash in a Sprint Race. He started driving the iconic car at Dover and made three more starts. His best finish was P10. Berry also raced the No:48 car in the North Wilkesboro All-Star race.
He has been impressive in the Xfinity series as well. Berry is chasing the championship he missed out on in the finale in 2022. So far, though, he hasn’t won any races and has been among the most consistent drivers. From 11 races per season, he has scored a top 5 on five occasions. He has just two finishes outside the Top 10. Both of those came in Superspeedway races.
In case you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4859 Articles Published)