Will Signing Josh Berry Help Save Beleaguered Stewart Haas Racing?

31^st
26^th
25^th

Those are the current point positions for Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola, and Ryan Preece respectively – the trio of drivers that make up the rest of Stewart Haas Racing’s Cup Series lineup behind unquestioned lead-dog Kevin Harvick, who currently sits 5^th.

Yes Chase Briscoe was assessed a 120 point penalty earlier this year – but even without that, he wouldn’t even be in possession of a playoff spot, and would be sitting 20^th in points, just behind Michael McDowell.

It’s no secret that SHR has gone off the proverbial cliff in recent years outside of Harvick (whom it should be noted has also struggled, at least by his standards, in the last couple of years scoring only two wins since the start of the 2021 season). It used to be that most races you could at least count on two or three SHR rides competing for top-10’s and even wins. Now, it seems as though if more than one of Harvick’s teammates end up inside the top-10 it’s surprising. And if any other than Harvick are legitimate contenders for a win, it’s seen as an outright upset.

Thus far in 2023 Ryan Preece has yet to collect a top-10 in his comeback tour that had high expectations. Aric Almirola has picked up just one top-10, a 6^th place result at Martinsville over a month ago. Chase Briscoe, the most competitive non-Harvick SHR driver, has collected four top-10’s including three consecutive top-5’s back in April – but his aforementioned penalty has him firmly outside of the playoff picture.

Harvick, while not consistently competing for wins like we’re used to seeing, has at least put up a solid year thus far with seven top-10’s, including four top-5’s & a runner-up finish at Darlington. With the 47-year old on the way out at the end of this year however, one has to wonder what the future holds for SHR as their only driver still able to produce consistently competitive results steps away.

Enter short track phenom and JR Motorsports Xfinity Series star Josh Berry.

SHR seems to be banking a big chunk of their future on the 32-year old who has seemingly come out of nowhere over the past few years and transformed himself from a short track superstar to one of the most competitive Xfinity Series regulars for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team.

An off and on part time competitor in the series since 2014, Berry was given his first chance at extended action in Xfinity in 2021 where he ran 22 races for JRM & Jordan Anderson Racing. He parlayed that opportunity into two wins and a full time ride with JRM in 2022, where he would pick up three more wins enroute to a Championship 4 appearance. So far in 2023, while yet to pick up a win, he has been one of the most consistent contenders with 10 top-10’s and six top-5’s through the season’s first 14 races. He currently sits 5th in Xfinity Series points.

He has even gotten some opportunities to fill in as a “super-sub” of sorts for Hendrick Motorsports this year as they’ve battled a litany of injuries and suspensions. He has only managed to put up mixed results, as in eight races for HMS Berry has only three top-10’s – though one of those was a very impressive runner-up finish at Richmond.

So the question has to be raised – can Josh Berry help bring SHR back to prominence? Or at the very least, can he keep the #4 car at the same level that it has been while their other entries have struggled?

If his Xfinity Series record is any indicator, he seems able to provide the thing that SHR seems to need most: consistency. He rarely wrecks or gets in his own way, and is an equal parts intelligent and talented racer. Add to that his incredible proficiency at short tracks, he should be a threat to win every time the series goes to a half mile.

With that said though – Cup Series racing is an entirely different animal. Whether his relative consistency there will translate to consistency on Sundays is impossible to know. Plenty of drivers who thrived in Xfinity have struggled in Cup. Additionally, despite being 32, Berry only has two years of full-time competition in a NASCAR National Series under his belt. To be thrust to the sport’s highest level for the flagship ride of a supposed-to-be powerhouse team with that little time in the seat is a pretty incredible step.

With that in mind, while I certainly think Berry is talented enough to compete consistently, expectations need to be managed. If he is able to be even a fringe playoff contender next year it should be viewed as a success – but with talent like his, expectations will undoubtedly be raised after year one. He is certainly set up for some degree of success right away. The #4 program has been SHR’s best for years, and Rodney Childers is staying on board as his crew chief. But he can’t be expected to come right out and be a superstar – and certainly not as the savior of the organization.

The problems plaguing SHR in recent years though go beyond what the drivers can fix – these are team issues. Whether it is poorly prepared cars, inadequately run teams, or a combination of other factors is something only those in the building would know. But one thing is clear – there are problems at SHR. There is no reason why a team with those kinds of resources should only have one of their four cars competing for a playoff spot. And banking on a freshly called up driver – even one as talented as Josh Berry – would be ill advised.

SHR needs to start spreading the love to their other entries – not just the #4.