Josh Berry Claims He Hasn’t Forgotten Dale Jr After His Tony Stewart Partnership

2024 will be a pivotal season for NASCAR sensation Josh Berry. Every speculation around his future points toward a move to Stewart-Haas Racing to replace the retiring legend, Kevin Harvick. Tony Stewart’s team will see some outgoing names, with veteran Aric Almirola also considering retiring at the end of this season.

The 32-year-old has weighed his options carefully and was also linked with a move to Hendrick Motorsports after driving as a substitute for the winningest team in the sport’s history in Chase Elliott’s #9. With a permanent move to the Cup Series finally materializing for the driver who has undergone quite a journey, Berry has not left out Dale Earnhardt Jr’s contribution in his thank-you note.

Josh Berry focusing on the task at hand in Xfinity with JR Motorsports

Berry has been a mainstay for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team, JR Motorsports, for about a decade. After a long and fruitful time together, the duo seems to be parting ways as the big chance for Josh finally arrived. SHR has also made sure that his transition from Xfinity to Cup will be smooth. Harvick’s crew chief, the legendary Rodney Childers, will be retaining his duties with the #4 team, and with a solid core already present, the only missing piece in the puzzle is Berry’s arrival.

Speaking on the NASCAR on NBC podcast about his emotions around the SHR switch as the 2023 season comes to its final stages, he said, “You know I think I already had a good relationship I feel with Rodney and the transition I feel like is gonna be pretty seamless.”

“I feel like working with him, obviously, I’m adapting to the Cup race and a new manufacturer is probably going to be more of a challenge to me. So you know, I’ve been to the shop and see stuff, ask some questions here and there, working on the easy stuff that we can knock out of the way.”

Disclosing his wish to leave JRM on a high note, and if everything goes well, a championship trophy in his hands, he added, “The real work starts when all of the season is over right? Because I’ve been at JR Motorsports for over you know, 12 years now and we want to end it strong without a doubt. We’re lacking no motivation to get to victory lane and big motivation to go to the playoffs and get to Phoenix with an opportunity to win a championship.”

One can notice the gravity in his words as he looks forward to the challenges ahead.

“Anything less than that is gonna be a failure. We’re all working hard to make sure that we keep our eyes on that.” 

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A timeline of Berry and Sale Earnhardt Jr’s partnership

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Earnhardt does have a great eye for talent. Scouting Josh Berry in 2010, he was convinced of his potential and abilities as a race car driver. In the same year, Berry enrolled in the JRM Late Model program, and in the following year he got his deserved breakthrough. Being named the Late Model Most Popular Driver by Speed51.com, he used the recognition as a jump pad to make a name in the circuit.

In 2012, he won in the NWAAS at the Motor Mile and finished the season with 15 more top 5s and 17 top 10s under his belt and in merely 18 races of the season. Berry continued his steady evolution under Jr’s tutelage, raking in 10 wins in 2015 and 14 of those in the following year. The CARS Tour was a major source for his wins and even made him the all-time leader in the Late Model Series wins list. Dale Jr was also rewarded for his faith in Berry with a owner’s title.

In a time period from 2015 to 2016, Josh Berry amassed 24 wins, 30 top-fives, and 42 top-10s. What is more astounding is that he did all that in a matter of 42 races. Rising through the ranks, his first career championship came in 2017 when he won the Dale Jr-initiated CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Series. The #88 Chevy driver also clinched the 2014 track title at Hickory, North Carolina. In 22 starts in the late model series, he gathered six wins with some memorable victories en route.

Picking up the pace in his pursuit of more accolades, Berry moved to the Xfinity as a part-time driver in the #8 Chevrolet in 2021. In the following year, he cemented his place as a full-time driver, winning three times and taking his win tally with JRM to 100 wins. He also finished fourth in the NXS Championship to cap off his incredible season. And now, his efforts have continued to pay off as he makes his switch to the top flight of the sport.

There are no doubts about Berry’s capabilities behind the wheel. It remains to be seen how the season unfolds as he tries to fill in the huge void of someone with the stature of Kevin Harvick in the #4 and under the guidance of Tony Stewart.

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