Tony Stewarts’ Rookie Left Relieved After Exit Rumors Became Reality Plaguing His Strong Debut Season

What’s the best way for a NASCAR driver to secure a new car for the 2025 season? By reaching the playoffs, of course! That will be on the mind of Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Josh Berry after the team announced it will cease operations at the end of the 2024 season. But after finishing Sunday’s race at Gateway with just 1 point, Berry is 270 points out of first place and will need consistent results to secure the 16th and final playoff spot.

It’s not the first time Berry could replace an established driver. The Hendersonville native replaced Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford during preseason when Harvick retired. He will just have to do it again to keep his NASCAR dream alive.

A race against time

For a rookie, Josh Berry has had a strong debut season in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has twice finished in the top-10, and once in the top-5 (if you count North Wilkesboro) and has led a total of 38 laps so far this season. However, to make it to the playoffs, Berry will need something of a miracle, especially considering Stewart-Haas Racing’s limited resources. Three DNFs are far from ideal, especially for a driver fighting for his future in the sport, but he will no doubt be hoping the team gets its act together in the remainder of the season.

When asked by Frontstretch what the mood of the team was like, Josh Berry replied , “Not really any different that its been the last couple of weeks, I mean we all knew what was happening right, we just didn’t know exactly what, so I don’t think the mood really changed, if anything, people are kind of relieved to finally know instead of just be guessing. So I don’t really think anything that I can tell has changed on my end.”

On May 28, Gene Haas and Tony Stewart announced that Stewart-Haas Racing would cease operations at the end of the season. The team, which currently employs over 300 people and fields four cars in the NASCAR Cup Series and two cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, has seen its morale affected by uncertainty of its future. However, Berry has reiterated that the team will do its best until the end of the season. He said, “We’re gonna race hard till the rest of the season and see what happens.”

What’s next for Josh Berry?

With Stewart-Haas rumored to be selling some, if not all their charters for 20–30 million dollars each, it is very likely that Front Row Motorsports will buy two charters for 2025. According to rumors, Noah Gragson will be in one of the cars, but could Josh Berry be in the other? Berry’s connection to one of NASCAR’s biggest crew chiefs, Rodney Childers, could be a key factor in the 33-year-old getting a seat next season. 

Although the two would prefer to work together next season, there is also the possibility that Childers could be named crew chief elsewhere. At 33, Berry is still a rookie driver who could struggle to find a place if his performances don’t improve this season. He can take solace in the fact that Front Row Motorsports isn’t the only destination he could go to, as Kaulig Racing could also buy one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s charters. It all depends on how well Josh Berry does between now and the end of the season, despite the limited resources and environment Stewart-Haas Racing has to deal with.

Do you think Josh Berry will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series next year? Let us know in the comments!