Can Rookie Josh Berry & Novice Noah Gragson Fill In Kevin Harvick’s Shoes Amid Concerns Regarding SHR’s Future?

It is just a matter of one week before the fireworks adorn the sky of Phoenix, where the Cup Series will drop the curtain on the 2023 season. After a year of grueling battle among 33 drivers, only 4 drivers have made themselves eligible for the final contention of the championship run. As a result, the NASCAR world waits with their eager eyes to see their favorite out of the four take the chequered. 

However, they also silently console themselves as the 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick is set to race on the track for the one last time before hanging his helmet. With endless contributions to the sport, and amassing numerous records under the belt, the dark horse of NASCAR is set to say his farewell speech after the final race at Phoenix.

Moreover, following the same footsteps, Harvick’s teammate Aric Almirola also announced his retirement from the Cup Series, after the final showdown on November 5, at Phoenix. With two veterans ready to bid their ways away from the racing, their team, Stewart-Haas Racing seemed to have been stuck in a pickle. 

Although the team has found drivers to fill in the big shoes of these veterans, the question that arises at this juncture is whether these novices will be able to fill the void created by the retirement of these veterans. Furthermore, after a year of disappointing results, can these two amateurs be able to turn the tidings of their team? Well, let’s take a deeper look at it.

Kevin Harvick’s retirement announcement takes the NASCAR world by surprise

The former and veteran Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr had once iterated, “The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car. It’s the one who refuses to lose.” Well, these words couldn’t be more true, especially if the long legacy of Kevin Harvick is taken into account. After he was pushed into the center of the unapologetic nature after the unfortunate demise of Dale Earnhardt, Harvick has never had the leisure to look back. 

Harvick’s first win came with his third Cup Series start after he edged past Jeff Gordon by .006 seconds at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Nonetheless, this victory marked the very beginning of his 23 years of Cup Series career, as Harvick drove to the top with a clenched fist. 

With an illustrious resume boasting two Xfinity Series (Busch Series) championships, a Cup Series championship, and 60 wins, Kevin Harvick has remained an unfathomable driver in the NASCAR paddock. However, as all good things must come to an end, Harvick, after spending 23 years in the sport will be riding off to retirement. 

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In an interview with ESPN, Harvick stated the amount of experience that he had gained throughout the years and that had helped him to shape himself up and his wisdom. He shared, “I think at that particular time, starting out, you really don’t even know what that means, right?” Harvick said. “But I’ve been here for so long, through so many generations of cars with so many people, I think putting that body of work together, that is for me very rewarding. Through the years, the ups and downs, we’ve always figured out how to get things going again and be able to be competitive and run upfront.”

“I was just a kid going to the racetrack having a good time, driving whatever I could race just to get on the racetrack. Now, 800 Cup starts later, all these years later … that’s something you can be proud of.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s pupil set to fill in the shoes of Kevin Harvick

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Just one race to go before we see a set of new faces brace the tracks of NASCAR. One of them will be Kevin Harvick’s replacement and one of the most prized pupils of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Josh Berry. 

Among the plethora of names that had cropped up, it was the driver who is arguably over his prime that caught the eyes of Hall of Famer Tony Stewart. Hinging out on his income as a full-time bank teller, Berry eventually forged a close camaraderie with Dale Earnhardt Jr, which landed him the opportunity to compete in the Late Models.

Moreover, Stewart asserted, “I’m not interested in some kid’s father coming in and buying their way into the Cup Series. I have zero interest in that. We want guys who earn their way, work hard, understand the values it takes to be a top-tier driver — not one who just got his high school diploma and now all of a sudden he’s a Cup driver.” These words had played a decisive role in bagging Berry, who had risen from the grassroots levels of stock car racing, before finally being able to earn his seat in the Cup Series.

Will Josh Berry be able to live up to the expectations of SHR?

Although Berry has gained a handful of experience from his time at the lower levels of NASCAR, his major learning curve was his short stint as a substitute driver in the Cup Series. Piloting the coveted #9 Chevrolet of Chase Elliott, after he was sidelined with a broken tibia, Berry had highlighted his caliber and the skill set required by a NASCAR driver. 

In his short stint with Hendrick Motorsports, Berry was able to dazzle the team owners with a second-place finish at Richmond. Witnessing such an impressive result, Harvick had asserted his faith in Berry as a worthy successor and expressed, “The best evidence is exactly what he did in (filling in for Elliott and Bowman). I mean, jumping into those cars when the seats don’t fit, he doesn’t know the people very well and being competitive and figuring it out.”

In this turmoil of placing a new driver in the team and getting him accustomed to the new surroundings, along with the burden of appalling performance, the team was thrown with another surprise. The retirement of another veteran from the team after 2023.

Despite kicking up controversy, NASCAR driver finds a place in SHR after Aric Almirola’s retirement

Although the question of retirement had made rounds since the last season, Almirola braced back into SHR. However, with just the final race in hand Almirola announced the much speculated decision of the season. In a post on Twitter, Almirola announced, “After much prayer, consideration, and conversations with my family, I’m ready for the next adventure.” 

However, unlike finding Harvick’s successor which seemed to be daunting, Almirola’s successor was quite in the view. It was none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr’s other prized pupil Noah Gragson. After being suspended from NASCAR due to a fateful social media incident, Gragson had asked for his leave from his Cup Series team, Legacy Motor Club. 

Before any of it became official, Gragson, joining the SHR camp, was already speculated by NASCAR insiders, especially Bob Pockrass.

In his appearance at Door Bumper Clear, he had stated, “I mean, I think Noah Gragson is certainly a candidate for it, you know. He sounds like he’s talked to several teams over the last month. And it sounds like some things have gotten close and then don’t happen. And is that because other teams have started coming in, or you know, teams having second thoughts or they’re still trying to figure out funding? I am not sure which. But certainly, he has become a candidate for that ride.”

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It will be interesting to see if these two novices, graduating from the Xfinity Series, will be able to turn the tables for Stewart-Haas Racing after a disastrous year. Do you think the two will be worthy successors?