“It’s Almost a Bad Situation”- Rodney Childers Publicly Dissects the Challenges of Josh Berry Filling Kevin Harvick’s Cup Seat

When Josh Berry dreamt of a place in the Cup Series, he hadn’t imagined the ensuing challenges. JR Motorsports’ #8 Xfinity driver got the opportunity of a lifetime with Stewart-Haas Racing this year. But along with it came the overwhelming responsibility of filling the iconic shoes of Kevin Harvick.

With two races left in the season, Harvick’s #4 Ford Mustang will soon be bereft of his humor and expertise. His longtime crew chief Rodney Childers laid down the monumental adjustments that awaited the #4 team. 

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick always did things in his own way

It has been an emotional few weeks for Rodney Childers and the #4 team. Kevin Harvick and his crew chief began their SHR journey together almost a decade ago and traversed the joys and sorrows of 9 years’ worth of race outcomes. The memories came afresh in Homestead last week with the 4EVER 400 race dedicated to the ace driver. While performing his Grand Marshal duties, Childers must be grappling with the drastically different reality to follow. Two weeks later, he would no longer have the ease and camaraderie he developed with Harvick over the years. Instead, the #4 team would have a brand new driver in their midst.

Speaking to Davey Segal, Childers contrasted Harvick’s established routine with the additional mentoring that Josh Berry would require. He explained, “There are a lot of things that we don’t have to say to Kevin. We don’t have to have many reminders, many opinions, he’s going to do it his way. I think next year that’s going to be a lot different for us. We’re going to have to coach him along the way, we’re going to have to have a lot of reminders about different things.” But Childers saw immense potential in the forthcoming Cup driver.

He added, “Josh is mature. He’s the type that you can tell him one time and he’s going to remember it, so really looking forward to next year. I think everybody here is honestly just getting on the racetrack and seeing what it’s like and that’s really the key.” Childers was more concerned about the pressure on the rookie driver at the Busch Light Clash next year. He explained, “There’re no tests that we can do. We’re going to show up at the Clash and hopefully race. Then go to Daytona and not even make a practice lap and just have to go and qualify.”

Watch this story: A Tearful Farewell: Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Journey

Childers was forced to call a spade a spade. “It’s going to be extremely weird. It’s almost a bad situation for a rookie like that. But we’re going to make the best out of it, do the best we can.” And the #4 team will not wait till then to begin their preparations.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 team is ready to compete with a new driver tomorrow

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The circumstances are indeed daunting for the 33-year-old driver. But Josh Berry will not let that deter him from fulfilling his ambitions. The #8 driver has been giving it his all to assimilate with his new team in between the ongoing Xfinity season. Rodney Childers further revealed, “He’s been able to come over between Xfinity practice and stuff like that, hang out with us, listen to us on the intercom, listen to us on the radios.”

On their part, Childers and his team have also left no stone unturned to facilitate Berry’s familiarity and ease him into Kevin Harvick’s spot next year. He further detailed, “We’ve already done a seat fitting for him and got his whole cockpit figured out. We could go to race tomorrow with Josh driving the car and be completely ready to go. So that part was important to us, just to get that done and have everything done. His seat belt’s made, his seat insert’s done, like everything’s done, all of his peddles are set.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s #4 team is determined to overcome the challenges ahead. Will Josh Berry be able to fill the Ford Mustang’s seat? Perhaps, but the shoes will indisputably belong to Kevin Harvick 4EVER.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Recalls the Humbling Kevin Harvick Moment That Made Him “Respect” His Bitter Nemesis After a Decade