Tony Stewart explains why he wanted a qualified driver to replace Kevin Harvick

Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart didn’t want in some pampered kid replacing the retiring Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Ford in 2024.

Enter Josh Berry, the 32-year-old who had to grind his way through the lower levels of racing to earn his first opportunity in the NASCAR Cup Series, succeeding the 2014 Cup Series champion and future Hall of Famer in Harvick.

“I’m not interested in some kid’s father coming in and buying their way into a Cup Series ride. I have zero interest in that,” Stewart said Wednesday, via Deb Williams of Autoweek. “We want guys that earn their way. That work hard, that understand the values that it takes to be a top tier driver. Not one that just got his high school diploma and now all of a sudden he’s a Cup driver.

“Josh has put in the time, the effort, and every time he’s gotten an opportunity, he’s made the most of it. That’s the traits that championship drivers are built off of; not the easy ticket to get there.”

It was NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. who discovered Berry on iRacing more than a decade ago, giving him a ride in his Late Model shortly thereafter. Fast forward to 2022, and Berry became a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series for Jr. Motorsports. Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet, he currently sits fifth in the points standings. Berry won three races and finished fourth in the points standings last season.

Josh Berry too old to begin NASCAR Cup Series career? Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick disagree

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 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.

Though he’ll be 33 years old by the time he pilots the No. 4 car, Stewart and Harvick disagree with the notion Berry will be too old to begin his Cup Series career.

“You don’t have to teach him about life,” Harvick said. “There’s a maturity factor that goes with life. I think he’s lived through some of the most important parts… All the things that it takes in order to figure out that it’s not easy and you have to work hard. You have to have your ducks in a row. And be able to have that circle of life well put together around you in order to be successful.

“I think a lot of this success in this division depends on what’s happening outside of the race car. There are a lot of things outside the car that he demonstrates well when it comes to life in general.”