Josh Berry set to replace Kevin Harvick next season according to reports, official announcement soon

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry is reportedly set to drive the #4 Stewart Haas Racing Ford in the Cup Series the following season. The announcement will be made by the team during a press conference on Wednesday.

A report from Sportsnaut indicates, Berry will replace the retiring Kevin Harvick, who will leave the team at the end of the ongoing season. Berry has also signed with KHI Management, a full-service sports and celebrity-marketing agency, founded by Harvick. The representation firm has high-profile professional clients across various industries.

Josh Berry will be teaming up with the crew chief Rodney Childers upon his arrival at SHR. The latter has been with the #4 team since its inception. He has played a pivotal role in securing the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Harvick along with 37 race wins.

The 32-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series driver put his name on the Cup Series radar with his stunning results as a substitute driver for Hendrick Motorsports. In his eight starts this season for the #9 and the #48 team, he has three top-10s to his name. He also won the NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

His consistent results, which include a runner-up finish at Richmond, earned praise from NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and team owner Rick Hendrick.

Moving to SHR, Berry will be switching his alliance from Chevrolet to Ford next season. The Hendersonville native will have big shoes to fill upon his arrival to the team, as Kevin Harvick has consistently outperformed the car.

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Exploring Josh Berry's rise to Xfinity Series and recent exploits in Cup Series

Josh Berry had spent the last decade in short-track racing series. He also worked as a Bank Teller to support his racing career. The lack of funding hurt his career as he couldn't make the jump to NASCAR's Truck or Xfinity Series.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., whom he first met in an online sim racing league in 2008, has been Josh Berry's biggest advocate. Since then Earnhardt Jr. has provided various opportunities to Berry, signing him to his JR Motorsports team back in 2010.

Berry got his first Xfinity race start with the same team in 2014. His two wins in his part-time Xfinity schedule in 2021 earned him a full-time seat at JR Motorsports for the following season. He added three more wins in the 2022 season while qualifying for the Championship 4 in his first full season.

After 14 races in the 2023 Xfinity season, Berry currently occupies fifth place in the drivers' standings, trailing leader John Hunter Nemechek by 112 points.

Making his third start in Cup Series, Berry got his call-up to replace the injured Chase Elliott. He scored two top 10s in the #9 Chevrolet and added one more top 10 in the #48 Chevy replacing Alex Bowman.