Josh Berry, Dale Earnhardt Jr. set to faceoff in Late Model race at Florence Motor Speedway

This weekend, Josh Berry will face his old boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. Berry got his big break in NASCAR driving for JR Motorsports. Now he’s off to the Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing.

While Josh Berry is on the move, he’s going to get some Late Model action this week. The South Carolina 400 is a major event. It will feature some of the best drivers in the Late Model ranks. Dale Jr. loves this event and is a big proponent of it every year. He was P9 a year ago.

For Berry, this is his first run in a Ford Mustang. He’s driving a Late Model No. 62 for Kevin Harvick’s team. That’s going to be such a fun pairing throughout the next year or so. Harvick plans to put more than just Ford drivers in that car, by the way.

Berry and Earnhardt are going to be battling with Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, the defending winner. Carson Kvapil, who just beat Queen out for the CARS Tour championship, will also make a start.

Folks, this is a really fun event. Sam Yarbrough is going to be starting on the pole after winning the coveted Locked In 150 back in September.

Josh Berry vying for Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2024

As Josh Berry steps into his role in the No. 4 car, he’s got a big season ahead of him. He had starts this season in the Cup Series replacing various drivers, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and Noah Gragson.

However, 2024 is his rookie year. He’s a 33-year-old rookie, too. Which isn’t very common in this era of NASCAR. However, I’d argue he’s the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Berry will compete against Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar for the award.

For me, Berry is the consistent driver. The steady hand. He’s also going to be in slightly better equipment. Hocevar and Smith will be in Spire cars, which I think will be improved. There’s a lot of money being put into that organization right now and I am not sure what to expect until we see them on the track.

While Hocevar and Smith have a higher ceiling, mostly due to age, Josh Berry is the one to beat for Rookie of the Year.