Rodney Childers shuts down rumors No. 4 team is being dismantled after Kevin Harvick’s retirement

If you have been hearing that the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team is shutting down after Kevin Harvick’s retirement, Rodney Childers says not so fast. The crew chief is putting a stop to the rumors by confidently saying the NASCAR team has only had a few crew departures.

Danielle Trotta of Sirius XM NASCAR Radio spoke with Rodney Childers recently. The rumor was a mass exodus of team members from Harvick’s No. 4 crew was happening. They were all leaving for another team or possibly multiple teams.

According to Childers, that is not true. Of the 31 team members, only four are leaving the No. 4 team. Josh Berry will largely have the same group when he enters his rookie season, including Childers as his crew chief.

Asked Rodney Childers to confirm rumor his #4 team is being dismantled bc people are leaving for another team or multiple teams. He said not sure how that rumor started but it’s untrue. He said of his 31 guys only 4 of them are leaving #4 team @SiriusXMNASCAR

— Danielle Trotta (@DanielleTrotta) November 9, 2023

Stewart-Haas Racing is going through a big change right now. Kevin Harvick is leaving and so is Aric Almirola. That’s going to be really tough to replace not just from a talent standpoint but also sponsorship. We know that Busch Light is moving on to Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing in 2024.

For now, the No. 4 team is not dismantling, it won’t have to rebuild. Josh Berry will be in experienced hands as he takes on his rookie season.

Rodney Childers keeping the boat steady at SHR

I can’t think of anything better than for Rodney Childers to crew chief for Josh Berry. In his rookie season, he’s going to have a championship crew chief and it will be immensely helpful in getting him acclimated to the racing.

Of course, Berry already has a P2 finish in the Cup Series. Back when he was replacing Chase Elliott, he drove to a runner-up finish just behind Kyle Larson. Honestly, if it had come down to a couple of late restarts, Berry might have had a shot at the checkered flag.

So, he has limited starts, he knows the car, his crew chief knows the car very well – let’s see how this goes. I like Berry because of the steady hand he provides, much like Kevin Harvick in many ways.

It would be great for Josh Berry to have success in the top series of the sport. He’s a grassroots guy and that’s so good for NASCAR as a whole. He’s also someone that could be a fan-favorite one day, in my opinion. Good, respectful driver, but he cut his teeth on short tracks. He knows when to be aggressive and how to do it the right way.

Rodney Childers has a good rookie coming to him in 2024.