Stewart-Haas Racing’s roster forged a bond despite limited time together. After Kevin Harvick’s exit in 2023, the group kept the lights on for one more year as Tony Stewart focused on his Drag Racing program and aimed to bow out before the new charter agreement came due. Among the quartet of Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, who stepped into Harvick’s seat, and Ryan Preece, the deepest connection was formed between Berry and Preece.
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When SHR shut its doors, Briscoe landed the No. 19 car, driven by Martin Truex Jr. until last year. Gragson secured a seat with Front Row Motorsports. Berry received the nod from Wood Brothers Racing. Preece, meanwhile, got a lifeline from Brad Keselowski and moved to RFK Racing.
But the bond between Berry and Preece did not fray. In Jeff Gluck’s 12 Questions, Berry did not hesitate when asked which driver he would rush to victory lane to congratulate if they finally sealed a win. “Definitely Ryan Preece.”
He expanded on the kinship. “We have similar backgrounds and stories, and we spent a lot of time together last year (at Stewart-Haas Racing). It was a tough situation for both of us to navigate, and I feel like we both learned from each other. I’ll be right there when he finally wins a race, it’s coming sooner or later,” he added.
Both navigated rough water when Tony Stewart closed SHR. Berry’s move to WBR meant leaving crew chief Rodney Childers behind, a separation that emphasized the upheaval. Meanwhile, Preece’s invitation from RFK arrived only after the season ended, a late call that forced patience and preparation on the fly.
The 2025 slate rewarded the hard work, however. Berry punched his playoff ticket with a regular-season win at Las Vegas and steadied the ship over the long haul. Preece, in the No. 60 Ford Mustang for Keselowski, raised his floor and kept stacking results.
Their trajectories contrasted with the previous year at SHR, when Berry’s first full-time campaign ended P27 with two top 5s, while Preece’s two full-time seasons closed P23 and P26, respectively. And that probably bonded them even more.
This season, the stat lines saw a rise as the WBR driver banked three top 5s and eight top 10s and finished P16. Preece matched him with three top 5s, added 14 top 10s, and came home P18. They kept their heads down, made clean passes, and turned inconsistency into traction.
And now Berry would aim to parlay a playoff berth into deeper October mileage. Preece would intend to keep chiseling with RFK, sharpening week by week until the breakthrough finally sticks. Berry has already promised the scene when it does: he will be there first, helmet hair and all, to share the happiness of a friend who took the long road with him.
