Josh Berry faces a sudden setback as Wood Brothers Racing announced he will not return for the 2027 Cup season, despite taking a win at Las Vegas during 2023.
Wood Brothers Decision
In a recent press release, the team revealed that Berry’s contract would not be renewed for the next season, with 2026 O’Reilly Series champion Jesse Love slated to take his seat. At this point, Berry held the 33rd spot in the Cup standings, a placement that — according to insiders — masks a season that was significantly more competitive in the early races.
Earnhardt’s Shock
“Yeah, man it’s awful,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. told listeners on his Dale Jr. Download podcast. He added that Berry had been “running up to like 13th” before the end of the season, yet “no one will ever give a shit that they were actually running pretty good. You’ll just see that. They’ll just see the statistics.”
Career Highlights
Earnhardt’s friendship with Berry began on iRacing, where Berry handled legend cars and four‑cylinder prototypes around Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Accordingly, Earnhardt hired him to drive Late Model Stock cars for a decade, capturing track championships at Hickory and Motor Mile, and national titles in the CARS Tour and NASCAR Weekly Series. The partnership eventually earned a NASCAR O’Reilly Series seat, leading to an opportunity with Stewart‑Haas/Wood Brothers after Kevin Harvick’s retirement. “We won hundreds of races, track championships, national championships. We won O’Reilly races,” Earnhardt recalls.
Berry’s 2023 Cup debut was memorable: he qualified for various races, ran competitively at multiple tracks, and secured the victory in Las Vegas. Penske and crew members praised him as a strong teammate and valuable addition to the operation during that first season.
Future Outlook
With no personal ballast to attract an alternate seat, Berry now relies on merit to secure a Cup ride. “I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s unfortunate. I don’t know where this goes for Josh,” Earnhardt said. He noted the landscape is rough for drivers of Berry’s profile, questioning whether Truck, O’Reilly, or Cup teams still seek talent like Berry’s. “It’s a bad time,” Earnhardt added, citing the lack of clear opportunities and brightness for drivers who need opportunities beyond the Cup Series.
"