"Every week is a job interview"- Dale Earnhardt Jr. backs Josh Berry and Rodney Childers amid their search for new home after SHR shutdown

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has backed Josh Berry and crew chief Rodney Childers as the duo looks for another garage amid Stewart-Haas Racing's shutdown after the end of the 2024 season. After showcasing their domination over a decade on the asphalt, the North Carolina-based outfit announced its shocking dissolution.

Stewart-Haas Racing was birthed in 2009 when Tony Stewart joined forces with Gene Haas for a 50% stake in the team. Since then, SHR has had two Cup Series championships, collected by Stewart in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2014.

However, it's been nearly two years since the team won a Cup race. Harvick came home with the team's last victory in the 2022 Richmond race and with the exit of big names and thus, big sponsors from the team, the news of SHR's shutdown surfaced.

Rodney Childers entered the North Carolina-based outfit in 2014, raked a Cup Series championship for the team in his debut year with Kevin Harvick, and claimed several triumphs in the years that followed. Josh Berry replaced Harvick in the #4 and got Childers as the crew chief. But this will be his first and only year with the team.

Moving forward, the #4 team yearns to stay together irrespective of the garage they sign with. Moreover, Rodney Childers' 'Josh Berry will not fail on my watch' remark cements the possibility of the duo working together in the future.

Witnessing the silly season shakeup, Dale Earnhardt Jr. highlighted the need to keep Josh Berry in the Cup Series scene, saying.

"I'm really paying the most attention to what happens to Josh Berry and where he may end up. I absolutely think he belongs in the Cup [Series]. I think that all of the teams that are either having new opportunities with new charters and drivers to put in those cars should be considering Josh," Earnhardt Jr. said via Dale Jr. Download. (12.12)

"Him [Josh] and Rodney [Childers] are motivated to try to get that win or a couple of wins before the end of the season and that's all Josh can do. Every week is a job interview. So, that's weighing on me a little bit personally," Earnhardt Jr. added.

"I cried like if he was my brother"- Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his emotions after Josh Berry's maiden Xfinity Series win

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares a unique relationship with Josh Berry. The duo met during an online sim racing league in 2008, where the former identified the latter's racing proficiency. From that point, Berry's future took a major turn as he signed with JR Motorsports to tame the late models.

He bagged the 2017 CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship and the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series title. On October 8, 2020, JRM announced Josh Berry's entry into the Xfinity Series from the 2021 season.

While the Tennessee native was signed for 12 races in his debut year, he claimed his first Xfinity Series win in his sixth attempt at the Martinsville Speedway. The moment was enough to bring tears to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s eyes, following which he expressed his "incredible" emotion.

"I mean, I cried like if he was my brother. It's hard to describe the emotion, but it was incredible," Earnhardt Jr. said via Speed Sport.

After Berry tore up the tracks in his first Xfinity season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. promoted him to full-time racing in the #8 Chevy for the 2022 season.