Watching drivers live out his dream of competing in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series, Josh Berry is now destined to replace forthcoming retiree Kevin Harvick come 2024. Currently, a full-time Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports, Berry also dabbled in the Cup Series, albeit as a relief driver for Rick Hendrick’s team.

Elated to make the move to Tony Stewart’s co-owned Stewart-Haas Racing team, Josh Berry recently sat down for a chat on the NASCAR live podcast.

Josh Berry makes a surprising claim about Tony Stewart’s approval

Apart from his NASCAR career, Josh Berry is also the all-time winningest driver in CARS Tour’s short-track racing history. Starting out in the Late Model Stock Cars in 2010, the JR Motorsports driver has toiled for years, slowly climbing the ladder to reach the Cup Series. Having made it big in the NASCAR world, Josh Berry feels receiving Tony Stewart’s approval could turn out to be a massive boon for the overlooked racing faction, local short-track drivers.

Speaking to Kyle Rickey, the JR Motorsports driver said, “It just shows that obviously the weekly series and in the Late Model racing, really all kinds of short-track racing across the country, it’s just a great proving grounds right? Whether it’s asphalt or dirt modifieds, Late Models, whatever you know, there’s just a lot of talent at those tracks.”

Detailing how receiving Tony Stewart’s approval could be a beacon of hope for local racing heroes, Josh Berry added, “And I think in a way it’s really rewarding for me to kind of carry the flag for a lot of those guys, and they’re grinding it out and racing at that level, and maybe they can see a little bit of themselves in me and the success that I’ve had. It’s tough to make it to this level and a lot of things had to get in my way ultimately to get to the Xfinity Series and then even now the Cup Series. So it’s been a really cool journey and I always loved watching those races and being a part of them when I can.”

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While the future SHR driver detailed the impact of receiving Tony Stewart’s approval, Smoke, on the other hand, felt Josh Berry was the perfect fit for his team.

Tony Stewart made a ‘safe decision’

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NASCAR teams in recent years look to hire young racing talents, but Tony Stewart is of a different mindset. Straying away from the trend of hiring young drivers, Smoke made the unconventional choice to hire 32-year-old Josh Berry. Banking on Berry’s racing prowess, the three-time Cup Series champion feels the JR Motorsports star has the makings of a championship-winning driver.

Speaking to Steve Post in an interview, Tony Stewart revealed why he chose to add Josh Berry to his 2024 arsenal. “His records and watching his path through motorsports. It’s easy to make decisions whether he is the right guy…Josh, I feel like, this was a very logical, I’m gonna say for a lack of better terms, a safe decision. You are not sitting there questioning what you are gonna get.”

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Currently sitting on the 5th spot on NASCAR’s Xfinity Series standings, can Josh Berry claim the 2023 Xfinity Series championship title before moving on to the Cup Series?