“It’s going to take time to play out”: Josh Berry on his future with Rodney Childers after securing Wood Brothers seat

Departing Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Josh Berry has spoken out about his future with current crew chief Rodney Childers. Berry will depart from SHR to join Wood Brothers Racing next season.

It was a long time coming, but Josh Berry finally made his big move to the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the 2022 season. After two full years driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports, Berry penned a multi-year deal with Cup giants Stewart-Haas Racing.

It is safe to assume, however, that the 33-year-old driver would not have imagined things to play out the way they did. Stepping in as a Kevin Harvick replacement, Berry had big shoes to fill, something that has far from been the case, courtesy of the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords this season.

Furthermore, it was confirmed earlier this year that Stewart-Haas Racing will be selling three of its four charters at the end of the season. Facing uncertainty around his future, Josh Berry, consequently, secured a ride with NASCAR's oldest team, Wood Brothers Racing.

Berry will pilot the No. 21 Ford for WBR, replacing Harrison Burton. This transition has sparked conversations about the future of his working relationship with Rodney Childers, a highly respected figure in the NASCAR community.

Josh Berry, when asked about his future with Childers, provided a measured response, emphasizing the uncertainty of the situation.

"He's been amazing to work with," Berry told Frontstretch. "Obviously I knew coming here to Stewart-Haas that working with Rodney will be a great experience. He's done a great job managing everything we've gone through.

"It's been a great opportunity to work with him. The future part, I don't have comments on. It's just gonna take time to play out. But, we'll take it as it comes and move on."

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Rodney Childers expressed his wish to continue working with Josh Berry

Childers, who has been an integral part of SHR and has worked closely with Berry, echoed similar sentiments of uncertainty mixed with a desire to continue their partnership. Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Childers expressed his wish to remain alongside Berry if circumstances allow.

"I would love to stay with him," he said. "I don't know if that can happen. We both have a lot of different things going on, it seems to change about every two hours and it's hard to navigate. Somedays it's as confusing as it can be, and other days it's pretty straightforward.

"I want to keep working hard, I want to keep winning races. I still want to win the Daytona 500, maybe one more Championship. We both feel like we could do those things together. We would love for that to happen."

Josh Berry is ranked 19th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after 19 races. He has 368 points to his name, courtesy of two top-5 finishes.