Skip to main content
Join
NASCAR Logo

Josh Berry explains what kind of crew chief he's looking for at Wood Brothers Racing

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•07/03/24•

NickGeddesNews

Josh Berry
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Josh Berry will pilot the iconic No. 21 car for Wood Brothers Racing in 2025. That much we do know, as WBR made it official Wednesday.

What’s uncertain is who will be atop Berry’s pit box and serve as the No. 21 team’s crew chief. Will it be Rodney Childers, Berry’s crew chief at Stewart-Haas Racing, or it will be an in-house option? WBR will come to those conclusions at a later date, they said during Berry’s introduction.

Berry, however, was asked by Claire B Lang what he’s looking for in his next crew chief. To no surprise, somebody with the leadership qualities of Childers is a big priority.

“We want a racer,” Berry said. “That’s who I am at the core is somebody that’s gonna fight for me and fight hard for what I need out of the racecar and what we need as a team. Obviously, they gotta be a great leader. That’s what I’ve learned so much from Rodney is just his leadership qualities and how he makes everyone around him better and supports them and brings more out of them. That’s important, that’s a very important quality. So, we’re gonna work hard through that and like I said, we’re gonna have those conversations and figure it out and we’ll see what happens.”

Rodney Childers reacts to Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing announcement

Berry and Childers have formed a close bond in their first season together and have continued to improve as the season has gone on. Berry is 19 races through his first full-time season in the Cup Series and has tallied four top 10s and two top 5s, finishing a season-high P3 at Darlington and New Hampshire. All of his top-10 finishes have come in his last seven starts.

Childers believes Berry has a bright future, regardless of if the two work together again.

“I can’t even explain how happy I am for @joshberry.. He has worked his butt off for a long time to get this opportunity,” Childers wrote on X. “This 4 team takes great gratitude in being a part of showing the world what he can do. He’s a winner and has a huge future.”

As for who has final say in determining who will be the crew chief, Berry said he hopes to have some influence, though it’s not entirely up to him.

“Ultimately it’s gonna come down to Wood Brothers and Team Penske,” Berry said. “I feel confident that I’m gonna be involved in the process and give my influence. The final decision is still going to be theirs, but I’m gonna push as hard as I can for what I think is best and I’m open-minded to all that.”