Will Josh Berry Be the Biggest Disappointment of 2024 or Will He Carry Chase Elliott’s Glory With Tony Stewart as His Boss?

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who is happiest of them all … in NASCAR?” It’s not Kyle Busch or Kyle Larson, but Josh Berry. The 32-year-old finally got a reason to be overjoyed about, as he is set to unfurl his wings and recognize his dreams in the Cup Series. 

Had it not been for Dale Earnhardt Jr, who had come across Berry in an iRacing circuit, this young talent would have remained unnoticed. Starting out his career with late model series, eventually ascending to elite formats like Xfinity Series and finally getting his first break at the Cup Series, Berry has surely come a long way.   

But the question that arises at this juncture is, even though he is past his prime, age will the rookie driver be able to fill in the void created by Kevin Harvick’s retirement? Even if he stands up to the expectations of his team, will Stewart-Haas Racing’s car manufacturer play the role of Achilles Heel for the driver as well as the team?

Will Josh Berry live up to the expectations that he exhibited at Hendrick Motorsports?

Replacing Kevin Harvick as the driver of the No.4 Ford Mustang is inarguably a tough nut to crack for Josh Berry, as he prepares himself for his big debut next year. Harvick so far in his remarkable career has helped his two teams Stewart-Haas Racing team and Ford to taste success. With his tinge of craftiness and adroitness, Harvick has proved what it means to rule the tracks, especially the oval tracks. 

In the ongoing season, he sits at the fifth position in the points standings and also leads the Stewart-Haas Racing pack. His performance so far in the season, surely, makes him a title contender. 

But as Harvick prepares himself to pass the torch to Josh Berry, NASCAR enthusiasts speculate the fact, will Berry live up to the expectations that have been thrust upon him.  

The speculations rise from one common concern, that being, after all, Josh Berry will be a rookie when he takes up his seat next year as the driver of No.4. Although Berry has exhibited enough promises as he drove as the substitute driver for Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman back in the season. As a substitute driver, for Hendrick Motorsports he amassed a total of three top-10s and also his series best, finishing second at the Richmond. 

Continuing his lucky streak, Berry also made himself eligible for the All-Stars-Race at North Wilkesboro, after winning the All-Stars-Open. It was his time at the stables of HMS that catapulted the driver to his fame and brought him under the radar of the Cup Series race. 

But it is to be remembered that as a substitute driver, Berry drove the Chevrolet, and especially Chase Elliott’s No.9 Chevrolet, which is considered technically superior to most of the cars on the track. The Chevrolet has always been superior to the other OEM suppliers in NASCAR. It boasts of being the winningest car manufacturer in the history of  NASCAR and their partnership with Hendrick Motorsports makes them a match made in heaven. The HMS even tops the pecking order in Chevrolet’s list.

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The possible hurdles that Josh Berry has to overcome in order to make his mark in the Cup Series

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Moreover, another case against Berry being the consistency in his performance. He has delivered stellar results in short tracks. But when it comes to intermediate tracks that are over 1.0 miles like Las Vegas and Kansas he has faltered and has not been up to the mark. Being a full-time Cup Series player the would-be No.4 driver has to maintain his consistency in order to maintain his dominance in the points standings.  

If he continues the same grit that Berry had exhibited as a substitute driver, perhaps there is hope that he can be a title contender for the 2024 season. However, there is a ‘but’ that arises here. Even if he drives the No.4 at his full capacity, the performance of Ford has not been satisfying. And the only Ford drivers that have taken the chequered so far in the season, are Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney at Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway respectively.

And only three Ford driver sits within the top 10 at the points standing, that includes Blaney, Harvick, and Joey Logano. Moreover, in the last 17 seasons, the American manufacturer has had only one championship to its name, even after housing the talents from the Xfinity Series.

Furthermore, the 2x Cup Series champion Joey Logano had expressed his concerns regarding the dire situation of their manufacturers. He had stated in a pre-race interview before the Coca-Cola 600, “There’s still a long season. There are still plenty of races to win and plenty of time to turn the ship around a little bit. But it’s tough right now. It’s probably gonna be tough for the foreseeable future until we can make some adjustments, but we’re still in the hunt.”

Owing to this multitude of factors, the road to the Cup Series championship for Josh Berry is anything but easy. With just experience coming as a substitute driver, Berry still has to learn the nuances of Cup Series driving. Even though he has earned his seat on his own merits, maintaining that seat, is sure a mammoth task for Berry.

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