Kevin Harvick’s Crew Chief Sets the Bar High for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Pupil

When Kevin Harvick announced his plans to retire after the 2023 season, Stewart-Haas Racing had one year to find a replacement. They got it done before half the year was over. Josh Berry had already shown promise driving Hendrick Motorsports’ #9 and #48 Camaros between March and May, even finishing runner-up behind Kyle Larson in Richmond. With Berry’s seat in Harvick’s #4 Mustang confirmed, the man left with the most work to do was the #4 team’s crew chief, Rodney Childers.

While Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick were honored by Mobil1 earlier, Childers was busy focusing on the new project at hand. With both sponsors and the drivers shuffling around, the chemistry he had built with Harvick has been reset. But it looks like the Berry–Childers pair has started things on the right foot.

Rodney Childers and Josh Berry start strong, winning the pole at the South Carolina 400

Josh Berry and Rodney Childers joined forces at the South Carolina 400 late model race to work on their communication and figure out just how compatible they are. To everyone’s surprise, the pair got off to a pretty good start, winning the pole and eventually securing a solid fourth-place finish. The crew chief was impressed by Berry’s performance and the frown disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared in the first place!

Childers took to Twitter to share his appreciation for Berry and how excited this new journey makes Harvick’s former chief, “It’s been awesome getting to know this dude more and more.. I’ve got a little spark back under my a** and I can’t wait to win races with him.. 👊🏻👊🏻” The 2014 championship-winning team’s crew chief has his hopes up when it comes to Berry, and it’s not just a blind bet.

When asked if their previous history together has helped the pair get up to speed faster, Childers shared, “Yeah I mean that part has been pretty easy so far. We’ve known each other for a long time. That part is easy, but just figuring out how to talk to each other and the things to say, where it’s tight where it’s loose. Kind of pinpointing those things in the future would and just talking about that stuff.” (via Frontstretch)

While Childers stated that their history and experience together have allowed them to flourish, Berry shared his satisfaction with the outcome and talked about how he and Childers have been functioning.

Berry believes he’s in excellent hands

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Before heading into the 2024 season, Josh Berry and Rodney Childers got off on the right foot in the off-season. The purpose of this was for both Childers and Berry to adapt to each other, as the newcomer’s driving style differs significantly from the outgoing legend’s. He was on pole in South Carolina, a small showcase of what is to come.

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The pair’s experimental outings at the various additional events for which they had sacrificed time with families are paying off. As reported by Frontstretch, Josh Berry said, “Yeah, no, it’s been really good. It’s been a lot of fun working with these guys, just learning and kind of going through the motions of learning and trying things that Rodney wants to try, try things that I know from my past and JRM, and we’ve had a lot speed.”

He reflected on his time with Dale Earnhardt Jr, which began in 2010 and has allowed him to fulfil his racing aspirations. The former JR Motorsports driver also shared that the car put together by Childers and Co. was no slouch. Berry concluded, “That car has been solid. We just got to keep working on it, making sure that race is good, making sure it lasts, man. I think, like I said, we feel like we’re better than we were last week. It’s going to be a long race. A lot can happen.”

It’s safe to say that Josh Berry and Rodney Childers are hard at work making sure their chemistry is right where they want it to be before they begin the 2024 Cup season. Is Josh Berry really in safe hands?

READ MORE: Kevin Harvick’s Former Crew Chief Lets Slip Communication Barrier With Josh Berry Amidst Uncertainty of His KHI Future