“Won’t Fail on My Watch”: Legendary Crew Chief Defends Tony Stewart’s Rookie Against ‘1 Year Wonder’ Claims

Entering the off-season without veteran driver Kevin Harvick behind the wheels of the #4 Ford car, crew chief Rodney Childers got an early taste of working with a new replacement in Josh Berry for the first time in a decade. Their shared love for the short track package and Late Model stock racing had only helped further the vision of the #4 team: “Goals on the #4 team are no different than they’ve been the last 10 years.” But the tides have now changed for Stewart-Haas Racing…

In a joint statement by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas on Tuesday, the SHR co-owners announced the team’s closure for good at the end of the 2024 season. With all the rumors surrounding its future put to rest – or rather, confirmed – all four current SHR drivers are hunting for a new opportunity for their survival in NASCAR. While the likes of Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson are considered good prospects for other companies to onboard, Josh Berry finds himself in a tricky spot.

Josh Berry and his crew chief are on a mission to end the season on a high

Berry, of the four drivers, is relatively new to Cup racing and, therefore, could find himself with the bitter end of the stick as far as his future in NASCAR is concerned. However, veteran crew chief Rodney Childers is optimistic about their chances of finishing strong this season. And thus, he is making sure to help the rookie find his new home post-2024.

With the closure of SHR, all the drivers have doubled down on their efforts, as if they are auditioning for their next jobs. If someone like Briscoe said, “You just try to go out there and audition every week. Even if you are on a five-year deal,” before SHR confirmed its exit, there’s no question that there’s relentless pressure on Josh Berry. Against all odds, though, he has shifted his gears and is churning out good results. His best-ever finish, P3, came at Darlington, and he followed it up with yet another top-10 finish at the rain-washed Coca-Cola 600 race.

In an appearance on Dirty Mo Media’s channel, Childers acknowledged this run and how well Berry has adapted to racing. “I said at the beginning of the year, Josh Berry is not going to fail on my watch and I still mean that. It’s important to me that he races next year and he’s not a one-year wonder and he’s extremely good and he deserves to be in the Cup Series. That’s our priority the rest of the year.” This verdict is backed by Berry’s recent drives and finishes.

No wonder Rodney Childers said, “My group is very motivated from the Josh Berry standpoint.” Moreover, after early jitters and a few disappointing results, both Josh Berry and his #4 have found their synergy. And per his crew chief, this would only lead to more fruitful results. “I know at the beginning of the year, we showed some flashes. And then we went through a few weeks of tearing up cars. Now, he’s turned the corner to where he’s figured out his cars and we’ve figured out what he likes. That’s what we’re excited about right now – to get him to Victory Lane.”

It’s interesting to note that Josh Berry and Rodney Childers’ partnership started even before the 2024 season commenced. A week after the 2023 season ended, the new driver-crew chief pairing participated in a few Late Model races. It started with a mighty 4th-place finish at the South Carolina 400. The following weekend, they continued their success with a P3 in the Fall Brawl at the Hickory Motor Speedway. Subsequently, in the Thanksgiving Classic at the Southern National Motorsports Park, he finished in P3 yet again.

Reflecting on the three weekends, Childers said, “I think anything like that’s good. It was really more for fun than it was anything. We both love Late Model Stock racing, and we were able to compete and sit on the front row every week and have a shot at winning every week. And I think just being around each other and communicating, knowing each other’s desires and how much we want to win, is a good thing.” That feeling of wanting to win together evidently hasn’t changed in the past few months.

That said, while Josh Berry’s chances of finding a seat seem pretty grim, the four SHR charters could just help him land a new seat. Given that Front Row Motorsports has already kicked off the silly season drama, he could be an ideal candidate for teams grabbing charters for themselves. But is FRM an option?

Could Josh Berry be heading to FRM next season?

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There are not just one, but two available seats at FRM after adding a new charter to their Cup roster. Michael McDowell has already announced that he will move to Spire Motorsports behind the wheel of the #71 Chevrolet car next season. Even if they decide to bring in an experienced driver from the current SHR lineup or an Xfinity star, Berry will still be able to grab one of these seats.

If we are to go by the rumor mill, Chase Briscoe is already linked with a move to Wood Brother’s Racing. This could see them either getting a new charter or replacing their current driver, Harrison Burton. So, it potentially takes him out of the equation to grab a seat at FRM. Noah Gragson is another strong candidate who not only has performed well this season but also brings in big sponsors like Bass Pro Shops with him.

However, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi linked him to a surprise move to Richard Childress Racing. Again, they would need to expand their team roster to make space for Noah Gragson, but FRM certainly won’t shy away from bringing him on board. So, this does leave Berry in a rather good spot. What’s more? He has the backing of Rodney Childers, who could turn out to be his trump card in securing an FRM seat.

So, all Berry needs to do is keep churning out good performances and results. And who knows, at the end of the season, he just might find his next ride with a new team, potentially at FRM.