What Does 2024 Have in Store for NASCAR Cup Series Rookie Josh Berry Amidst Taking Over Kevin Harvick’s Legacy?

Remember when Kevin Harvick joined forces with Stewart-Haas Racing back in 2014, and brought home the NASCAR Cup Series championship? Well, that was one of the most powerful debut years anyone has had with their team, and undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the legacy of SHR. But it’s someone else’s turn now to make that happen.

Post Harvick’s retirement announcement, the vacant seat looked for a new face, and team owner Tony Stewart filled in rookie Josh Berry. But joining a decades-old legacy won’t come without highly set expectations, which Berry knows very well.

Josh Berry sets his feet in the arena of high expectations

Known for his impeccable superiority in the Late Model Stock Car racing, Josh Berry became the all-time winningest driver in the long history of the CARS Tour. From 2010-2023, for a whopping 13 years, the Tennessee native dominated the tourney like none other. Apart from that, his NASCAR stints also brought in some promising displays.

With 1 top-5 finish, 3 top-10s, and 13 laps led during the 2023 Cup Series season, Berry proved himself to be a go-to option as a Hendrick Motorsports replacement driver. But his luck changed when Harvick parted ways with the sport altogether, leaving the #4 Ford without a driver.

For the 2024 season, Stewart opted for Berry to field SHR’s #4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. But the responsibility has come with a plethora of expectations which include breaking the team’s winless streak that prevailed throughout the 2023 Cup Series season. 

On top of that, Harvick’s former car holds the record of winning a series-best nine races in 2020, earning a spot in NASCAR Playoffs consecutively for nine straight years from 2014-2022, competing in the Championship 4 five times, and of course, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship. So, keeping the legacy of the #4 car alive is one of the biggest tasks on Berry’s conscience.

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The standards are quite high for a rookie like Berry to abide by. But the SHR driver has prior experience replacing others in the Cup Series, and a good one for that matter.

Berry’s former replacement jobs promise a bright 2024 season

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Back in 2021, when Spire Motorsports driver Justin Haley had to sit out due to COVID-19 protocols, Josh Berry came to the team’s rescue and drove their #77 Chevrolet. Although he didn’t clinch any points, he surely gained some experience.

Two years later, when HMS driver Chase Elliott got entangled in a horrific snowboarding incident, Berry once again came to the rescue and filled Elliott’s #9 car. Just a few months after replacing Elliott, Josh Berry drove Alex Bowman’s #48 car at the NASCAR All-Star Race as Bowman was out due to a back injury that occurred during a sprint car racing accident.

Securing #43 position in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series standings from just 10 races was a message that the Tennessean has what it takes to showcase supremacy on the ovals, not to forget his P2 finish at the Richmond Raceway. So, it won’t be wrong to say that Berry could abide by the high standards of SHR.

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The 2024 season has plenty of things that SHR would want to take home, but first, they need to break their winless streak, and the team has trusted Josh Berry for the task. Do you think Berry would be able to stay on par with the expectations?