“There Will Be Some Dark Moments”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Predicts Struggles for Josh Berry in Filling Kevin Harvick’s Massive Shoes

Of all the drivers that could’ve replaced Kevin Harvick at Stewart Haas Racing, Josh Berry, to most, seems like the most appropriate choice. After all, Berry has the confidence of names like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Rodney Childers, and his former boss Dale Earnhardt Jr. Having said that, his first season in the #4 seat won’t be without its fair share of bumps.

This was something Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently suggested on his podcast show. He described, “I’m a Josh Berry fan. Y’all know that I want that to go well. There will be some moments of struggle.”

“There will be times when Josh Berry’s going, ‘Man, do I have what it takes? Do I belong here? Do I have the fortitude to go forward?’ There will be some dark, dark moments in that first year. There are for every driver.”

Junior claimed he was giving Berry in the #4 car, “the long runway.” He argued that Berry’s first year at SHR isn’t about becoming “ultra-competitive,” but it’s more about showing glimpses of what they can be down the road. He continued, “You at least need to do that. You at least need to have those few bright pops where you go, ‘Oh shoot man. They had a great run today. Man, if they could do that regularly..'”

“That’s what you need to hear at least once or twice throughout the season for this #4 car.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. rules out any challenges for Kevin Harvick in new role

While Junior claimed Kevin Harvick’s replacement, Josh Berry, will face some challenges in his first year with the #4 team, when it comes to the new role of Kevin Harvick, which would be in the FOX Sports booth, Junior doesn’t think there’d be any challenges.

“He’s already got some pretty incredible experience already before he’s going to get in the booth. He’s been in probably some of the more high-pressure situations and passed with flying colors. He seems completely relaxed in that scenario,” he said.

“I don’t think he will have any challenges whatsoever.”

So it’ll be interesting to see how both Harvick and Harvick’s replacement fare in their new roles in a new environment in a new season next year. Could Earnhardt’s prediction about Berry struggling come true? Or could Berry take everyone by surprise and emerge as one of the breakout stars in 2024?

Time will tell.