Josh Berry credits time at HMS with Chase Elliott & Kyle Larson for Next-Gen car skills

Josh Berry recently opened up on his time at Hendrick Motorsports and how he developed as a driver under the able leadership of Chase Elliott and Co. Berry had a short stint at HMS in early 2023 where he had an upliftment in his career and honed his Next Gen car skills.

Berry is in the news of late after a scintillating drive at Loudon, where he claimed third place. The rain-soaked race saw Berry start his race from 10th place and end it in third, behind race winner Christopher Bell and second-placed Chase Briscoe.

Josh Berry currently races for Stewart-Haas Racing after SHR decided to bring him last year as a replacement for retirement-bound Kevin Harvick. He drives in the Cup Series for the Tony Stewart-owned team alongside Briscoe, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Preece. In a recent interview with "FOX Sports", Berry talked about his experiences driving for different teams across his career and told Bob Pockrass,

"I just feel incredibly thankful to go through all that and drive for so many great people. I think my career is so unique because I feel like it's tied to Dale, now it's tied to Tony and Kevin and even Chase Elliott, Mr. Hendrick."

The 33-year-old driver saw his first HMS opportunity when Elliott sustained a leg injury while snowboarding in Colorado. HMS fielded Berry to drive the #9 Chevrolet at the 2023 Pennzoil 400 by Jiffy Lube in Las Vegas.

He continued to drive the #9 Camaro until Elliott recovered and returned to take his place at Martinsville. During these six races, the Tennessee driver's performance grabbed the attention of Cup Series teams, which ultimately fetched him a full-time drive at SHR.

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Josh Berry also credited Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a 'life-changing opportunity '

NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350: Josh Berry, driver of the #4 Overstock.com Ford, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2024 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Josh Berry met with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008 during an online sim racing competition. Impressed by Berry's talent, Earnhardt Jr., signed the former to his JR the team for the late model racing two years later.

JR Motorsport gave rise to some prominent names in NASCAR such as William Byron, and Carson Kvapil, and Berry was no different. Speaking about his opportunity to race under Earnhardt Jr's team, he said (via the aforementioned source),

"He's just been such a big supporter of mine. He gave me a life-changing opportunity to move to North Carolina and drive his late models. To go through that and then work together and race with him as much as I did, it means a lot to have his support."

Josh Berry is in 19th place in the 2024 Cup Series regular season with 357 points. He has four top ten's, two top five's under his name, and suffered four DNFs.