Dale Jr Urges Cup Teams to Take the ‘Smartest Choice’ Emerging From Tony Stewart’s NASCAR Exit

Josh Berry and Rodney Childers, along with the other three drivers and teams from Stewart Haas Racing, are on the hunt for a new job. They are essentially free agents and are expected to stick together wherever they go next. However, it is a tough ask if we are to look at the current state of affairs with the deadlock situation with charter extensions.

Berry, who is running in his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season, couldn’t have asked for a better team, with Rodney leading the charge. With SHR closing its racing operations, Berry finds himself in a tough spot. With limited racing experience and no big results to show for himself, he isn’t the most successful prospect if a team is looking to onboard fresh faces.

But, with the backing of a legendary figure like Rodney Childers, he might just hand him an edge over his teammate to make a switch. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr feels that the combo of Berry and Childers would be a wise choice for teams looking to expand their drivers and team roster.

Berry and Childers, through thick and thin

When Berry was announced to take on the wheel behind the No. 4 car, replacing Kevin Harvick last season, he was more or less surrounded by the same team. Crew chief Rodney Childers took command of the #4 team back in 2014 with Harvick and went on to script a historic run. They bagged a championship win in their first season together and followed it up with 36 Cup and 25 pole wins until Harvick’s run in 2023. And entering the best pair-up in the sport, Berry would expect similar results!

What’s more reassuring for the rookie driver is that Childers has emphasized the fact that “Josh Berry will not fail on my watch. It’s important to me that he races next year, and he’s not a one-year wonder, and he’s extremely good, and he deserves to be in the Cup Series, and that’s our priority the rest of the year.” He said this via Dirty Mo Media’s YouTube channel.

While Childers ambitions could prove good for the rookie, one must not forget that right now, all four of the SHR charters are available on the market. With Front Row Motorsports assumed to have already picked a charter for themselves, expanding to a three-car team in 2025, the rest are on sale. The teams will still need drivers and team staff to fill those positions. And this is where Dale Earnhardt Jr feels the Rodney and Berry duo should be a priority pick for any team looking to expand. As Junior, took to X to say his bit, he wrote, “Whoever hires this combo as is, will have made the smartest choice.”

Josh Berry also felt rejuvenated and pumped to deliver good results after his crew chief showed faith and support publicly. “I know that he 100 percent believes that and is 100 percent behind me. From a confidence level, I feel the most confident I have ever felt because of comments like that.” He was quoted saying this via Sportsnaut.

While the #4 team can look to finish the season on a high and raise the stock for their driver to find a new seat, they could potentially lose out on key team members.

SHR staff and team members are on the radar of rival teams

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It’s not the drivers and crew chiefs that are available as free agents. Key team members like mechanics, engineers, and pit crews are all on the market. With Stewart Haas Racing not being able to employ them after the end of the season, they could be picked up by a rival Cup Series team. Even between seasons, thus potentially leaving the current teams high and dry.

Sharing his thoughts about poaching in NASCAR, Rodney Childers stated, “You’re not trying to poach people, but in reality, that’s kind of what it has turned into. You’re not trying to steal people, but it’s desperation right now to get the right people on your teams that are strong, that are committed.”

However, amid the uncertain times, the veteran crew chief is hopeful that the #4 team will stick around and look to finish the season strong. “I think the biggest thing is being patient. A lot of people start worrying about what’s going on here, and they just take the first job somebody offers them. It might be for a team that can’t win races … You know, to me, I don’t think all of this is over. I still think there are cards to fall in different areas, and we have to let it play out a little bit.”

While a win could surely turn the team and driver’s fortunes around, a good, consistent run and potentially a playoff run could help the team and driver secure a new job next season.