SHR driver Josh Berry reacts to team's NASCAR exit news - "Today was a tough day for all of us"

Josh Berry has penned a heartfelt note amid Stewart-Haas Racing's confirmed exit from NASCAR by the end of this season. The #4 Ford driver replaced Kevin Harvick for the current season and is observing his first and only year with the North Carolina-based outfit.

SHR was once a force to be reckoned with and amassed 69 Cup Series wins, and 2011 and 2014 Cup Series championships. Big names like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Aric Almirola led the team's baton for several years. Their association also brought big sponsors like Anheuser-Busch, Smithfield, and Hunt Brothers Pizza. However, with their exit as drivers, the major sponsors also backed off.

Josh Berry entered his first season with the team. After a lackluster footing into the season, the 33-year-old geared up his game and churned two consecutive top-5s at Darlington Raceway and North Wilkesboro Speedway and a solitary top-10 at the Coca-Cola 600.

Nonetheless, the big decision made by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas has given a big setback to the #4 Ford Mustang driver. Feeling sad upon learning his team's exit, Berry wrote (via X):

"Today was a tough day for all of us. It is pretty hard to find the right words. I’m proud of our team for how they have been handling this and will going forward. RC [Berry's crew chief Rodney Childers] is a true leader. We will keep racing our hearts out every Sunday."

"I never thought this day would come"- Josh Berry's teammate Chase Briscoe upon learning about his team's exit from NASCAR

Chase Briscoe is the veteran driver among his teammates. The Indiana native joined forces with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018 as a part-time Xfinity Series runner. The next year saw him entering NXS full-time. In 2021, Briscoe was promoted to the Cup Series.

Since then, he has bagged 26 top-10s and a solitary win at the Phoenix Raceway in 2022. Currently, Briscoe is the best-performing SHR driver. With one top-5 and five top-10s, the #14 Ford driver placed 16th in the standings followed by Josh Berry in 19th place.

After serving SHR for seven years and taming their high-octane cars across the ovals, his fruitful time with the North Carolina-based outfit will end as the 2024 season concludes. Feeling a sense of separation from his motorsports family, Chase Briscoe shared a video from his SHR parking lot. A part of his message said (via X):

"I never thought this day would come you know I've been in Stewart Haas for the last seven years now it's truthfully became like home to me and feels like a family and just what an incredible group of men and women at this place that just make it feel like home and just make you enjoy coming to work each and every day."

"I just hope that all the guys and gals have this place you know find a great opportunity because each and every single person here deserves it," Briscoe added.

So far, neither Josh Berry nor Chase Briscoe's future team has been confirmed and the driver market is yet to see a trade for the SHR drivers.