Last year, when Tony Stewart pulled the plug on Stewart-Haas Racing’s NASCAR Cup operation, it sent shockwaves through the garage — even catching his own drivers, like Chase Briscoe and Josh Berry, off guard. While whispers about a potential charter sale had been floating around since the 2024 season started, speculation over a single charter quickly snowballed into confirmation that the entire team would shut its doors.
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The abrupt decision left all SHR drivers scrambling midseason to secure new rides, while trying to keep their on-track performance intact. Josh Berry, who was navigating his rookie full-time campaign in the Cup Series behind the wheel of the #4 car, also found himself caught in the eye of the storm.
When Kevin Harvick hung up his helmet just a year prior, Stewart had extended an opportunity to Berry, an experienced late-model racer and Xfinity Series driver, to step up and carry the torch.
However, his hopes of carrying Kevin Harvick’s legacy behind the wheel of the #4 car were dashed when Tony Stewart dropped the bombshell about closing down the team. During a recent appearance on Rubbin’ is Racing, Josh Berry peeled back the curtain on the emotional ride he had all year, and how the pieces eventually fell into place for him to land at Wood Brothers Racing.
Reflecting on the upheaval, he confessed, “Yeah, it’s been a lot, honestly. Last year was tough.” Berry explained that the emotional toll hit especially hard early in the season.
While fans on the outside were expecting him to fight for top-five finishes and perform well, turmoil was already brewing behind closed doors at SHR. Conversations about charter sales and the team’s uncertain future had begun even before the four drivers strapped in for the season opener at Daytona.
However, Berry believes that the best part was when Stewart-Haas Racing officially announced the team’s shutdown, giving the drivers a clear path forward. The former JR Motorsports driver shared:
“I felt like that our group did a great job of locking in there and really digging deep. And we had some, you know, really strong runs throughout the early part portion of the summer, which ultimately was enough to get me an opportunity at the Wood Brothers and to keep Cup racing.”
From stepping in as a substitute for Chase Elliott back in 2023 to making a place for himself among the frontrunners, Berry has truly gone from strength to strength in just one full-time season. In fact, he’s made his presence felt this year more than ever, already bagging a top-five at Phoenix and winning the Las Vegas race.
