Who will be in Josh Berry’s pit box next season? That’s a question that has been going through every NASCAR fan’s mind ever since the 33-year-old was officially announced as the new driver of the iconic No. 21 car. Wood Brothers Racing informed fans that the crew chief announcement will take place at a later date, and fans are hoping for a Josh Berry-Rodney Childers reunion once again.

However, with Wood Brothers Racing sharing a technical alliance with Team Penske, the possibility of NASCAR’s fan-favorite duo reuniting looks unlikely. Could Berry’s new crew chief be from the ‘Penske Group’? Let’s explore.

Why does Josh Berry and Rodney Childers’ reunion look unlikely?

Josh Berry and Rodney Childers have formed a close bond in their first season together at Richard Childress Racing. Despite the limited resources at their disposal, the pair have improved as the season has gone on, with Berry securing four top 10s and two top 5s so far. All his top 10 finishes have come in the last seven races, and Berry has also finished a season-high P3 in Darlington and New Hampshire. Can you imagine what Berry and Childers could do at Wood Brothers Racing with Penske equipment?

In a video on the Eric Estepp YouTube channel, the NASCAR content creator shared his insights about who could be the crew chief for Josh Berry next season. He said, “John Woods said that the decision will be made by Penske. Jeremy Bullins is the current crew chief of the number 21 and has been in that role for almost a year now. Bullins has been with Team Penske for over a decade, winning races with Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric. He could very well be Josh Berry’s crew chief but nothing was announced today. Which has many fans holding out hope for Rodney Childers. Multiple reports out there suggest Childers will not join the Wood Brothers.”

Given Rodney Childers’ pedigree, it will be in his interest to shop for offers as well. After all, it’s not every day that a crew chief of Childers’ caliber is on the market, and it’s quite likely that the 48-year-old will get an offer from one of NASCAR’s top teams, such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsport, Trackhouse Racing, or 23XI Racing. Moreover, with the Penske Group potentially having the final say in the crew chief appointment, Rodney Childers may not have the choice either but to look at alternate options.

As things stand, Front Row Motorsport and the Haas Factory team are also possible destinations for Rodney Childers if Roger Penske decides not to reunite him with Josh Berry. Moreover, with two new charters up for grabs, it opens more doors for Childers’ next destination. As Josh Berry and Rodney Childers are no longer a package deal, it will give the latter more freedom to choose his next career move as well.

Is Rodney Childers truly an upgrade compared to Jeremy Bullins?

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Before becoming a crew chief, Rodney Childers was a successful racer, winning seven championships in South Carolina as well as five World Karting Association titles by the age of 12. He went on to compete in Late Model Stock Cars in 1997, after which he became a mechanic and later car chief for Penske-Jasper Racing.

Rodney Childers started his crew chief career at MB2/MBV Motorsports for Scott Riggs, guiding him to two top-fives and four top-10 finishes. He then joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, to become crew chief for Kevin Harvick, and the pair went on to win the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

In comparison, Jeremy Bullins has worked with some of the biggest names in NASCAR. He has won races with Ryan Blaney at Wood Brothers, Brad Keselowski at Team Penske, and Austin Cindric on the same team. While he may not have won a Cup Series title with any of them, Bullins has extensive experience in his role as crew chief. Combined with the fact that he has worked with a range of drivers during his long career, Josh Berry could be in good hands with Bullins atop the pit box.

When asked what he was looking for in a crew chief, Josh Berry replied, “We want a racer. That’s who I am at the core is somebody that’s gonna fight for me and fight hard for what I need out of the racecar and what we need as a team. Obviously, they gotta be a great leader. That’s what I’ve learned so much from Rodney is just his leadership qualities and how he makes everyone around him better and supports them and brings more out of them. That’s important, that’s a very important quality. So, we’re gonna work hard through that and like I said, we’re gonna have those conversations and figure it out and we’ll see what happens.”

Who do you think will be Josh Berry’s crew chief at Wood Brothers Racing? Let us know in the comments!