Dale Earnhardt Jr. describes Josh Berry's unlikely promotion to Cup Series at age 33

Josh Berry will be 33 years old by the time he gets behind the wheel of the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2024, replacing the retiring Kevin Harvick.

The 2024 season will be Berry’s first full-time opportunity in the Cup Series and suffice to say, it’s been a journey to get to this point, from racing Late Model Stocks to becoming a standout in the Xfinity Series driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Jr. Motorsports. Throughout most of his journey, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been there — guiding him through his racing career and granting him with opportunities with his race team.

Earnhardt Jr. called it a “big relief” when SHR tapped Berry to be the driver to replace the 2014 Cup Series champion in Harvick.

“It’s a big relief, because we’ve waited on this opportunity for Josh,” Earnhardt said, via Brandon White of NASCAR.com. “It’s going to be a lot of work, and there will be a lot of challenges, but he’s going to have a lot of support, myself included… Happy day for me, and it’s fun to watch Josh go through this, and it’s great for the sport to have stories like this.”

Josh Berry excited for 1st opportunity in NASCAR Cup Series

Berry is currently in his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series and sits fifth in the points standings. Berry won three races and finished fourth in the points standings in 2022.

In addition, he has appeared in eight Cup Series races this season for Hendrick Motorsports. He first piloted the No. 9 Chevrolet while Chase Elliott recovered from a broken left leg and again for three races in the the No. 48 Chevrolet as Alex Bowman recovered from a fractured vertebra. Berry recorded an average finish of 18.9, finishing as high as second in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.

Earnhardt Jr. believes Berry will have all the right people around him to be successful at SHR.

“For Josh, he has to use all the support around him,” Earnhardt said. “He has what I think is a Hall-of-Fame crew chief [in Rodney Childers], along with Kevin Harvick, who is a future Hall-of-Fame driver, as well as Greg Zipadelli and Tony Stewart. Josh has so many people who want to see him succeed, and he needs to lean into that.

“The most important role for Josh is to introduce himself to everybody and invest time with the team.”