Josh Berry to drive No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024

Nearly eight years after Dale Earnhardt Jr. all but pleaded for a company to align with Josh Berry to run a full Xfinity season, Berry will get the chance to be a full-time Cup driver.

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday that Berry will take over the ride for Kevin Harvick when the future Hall of Famer retires after this season.

“Every time he’s got an opportunity, he’s made the most of it and that’s the traits that championship drivers are built off of,” SHR co-owner Tony Stewart said of Berry at Wednesday’s announcement at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt is thrilled with the opportunity Berry will have.

“What a team will get when they sign Josh Berry to a Cup deal is a driver with great race craft and a turn-key winner,” Earnhardt said. “Whereas it’s incredible and a great opportunity to sign a young driver that will develop into a champion, I believe you get to skip those years of development with a guy like Josh, and you get right into working on the championship part and winning races because he’s there mentally, professionally, and in talent.”

This completes quite a journey for Berry, who seemed headed only for a successful Late Model stock car career at one point.

“It was an amazing journey to get here,” Berry said Wednesday.

Berry was 24 years old when he finished seventh at Richmond in Sept. 2015, scoring his first Xfinity top 10. It came in his third career Xfinity start and only one of that season. After the race, Earnhardt said: “I’m ready to race Josh every week. We’ve just got to find a partner.’’

None was found for years.

Berry’s big chance in the Xfinity Series came in 2021 when he was scheduled to run 12 races for JR Motorsports before Sam Mayer turned 18 and could run the series.

Berry won at