Josh Berry found out in June that Wood Brothers Racing would not be bringing him back in 2027. Jesse Love will take his No. 21 Ford. Berry sat 30th and his season had mostly gone sideways, so he wasn’t completely blindsided. However, what he has done now post the news is what has people talking. He went out and ran three consecutive top-10 finishes.
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“I will be pretty disappointed in the landscape of this industry if he, if in February at Daytona, he doesn’t have a full-time gig in one of the three,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on his Dirty Mo Media podcast. “If he doesn’t have a full-time gig in truck, O’Reilly, or Cup, I will be pretty damn disappointed. And this is a winner, a Cup Series winner.”
The talent has always been there, peeking from behind the curtains. In 2023, Berry won the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro, filling in for Bowman in the #48, which forced his way into the All-Star Race itself. That relief-driver stretch was enough to convince Stewart-Haas Racing to hand him the iconic No. 4 Ford as Kevin Harvick’s full-time replacement starting in 2024. And while his first full-time Cup season was winless, it had real substance, as he made his way into RoTY conversations.
But the complicating factor was outside his control. By May, Gene Haas and Tony Stewart confirmed Stewart-Haas Racing would shut its doors at the end of the season, leaving Berry among nearly 300 employees searching for a next move. That ultimately led him to No. 21 at Wood Brothers Racing for 2025.
Then, he won his first Cup race at Las Vegas in just his fifth start for Wood Brothers, nearly won at New Hampshire, and closed the year 16th in points with a playoff berth.
Now, in 2026, for the better part of the year, the Wood Brothers car has lacked pace, with Berry finding himself caught in incidents repeatedly. His best early result was a 9th at the Daytona 500. After that, besides a 10th-place finish at Martinsville, Berry kept consistently finding himself at the back of the pack.
Then came the late surge. Three straight top-10s, capped by an 8th at Richmond. At Iowa Speedway, he delivered a 4th-place finish, the Wood Brothers’ first short-track top-five since 2005. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took notice.
“The dude just ran off three top-10 finishes,” Earnhardt said. “O’Reilly winner, Cup winner. I just find it odd that there’s not somewhere he can have a full-time deal.”
The problem is not Berry’s resume. After all, he has five O’Reilly Series wins. It is what he is walking into. Most teams have already made significant decisions about their 2027 rosters. Joe Gibbs Racing is expected to be content with Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs.
Hendrick Motorsports has Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman, before the #48 steps away from full-time competition and Connor Zilisch takes over (who has been signed by HMS to a multiyear contract beginning in 2028). Trackhouse Racing confirmed Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, and Connor Zilisch (2027 season only).
Front Row Motorsports extended Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, and Noah Gragson. Spire Motorsports kept Carson Hocevar. Hyak Motorsports extended Ricky Stenhouse Jr. So, Earnhardt did not sugarcoat it.
“In the Cup garage, I don’t think there’s an opening. I don’t think there’s a team undecided on what they’re gonna do.”
That leaves Richard Childress Racing as one of the few realistic Cup options still in play. A move to the O’Reilly Series is also possible, where a couple of seats remain open. Berry is aware of all of it and aware of the clock.
“I think Josh is, I think this has been a bit of a wake-up call, and he has sort of been re-energized,” Earnhardt said. “I think he understands the urgency.”
Berry is doing the only thing he can right now. He is driving. Whether the results translate into a contract before Daytona is the question the next few months will answer. For Dale Earnhardt Jr., the industry owes him that much at least.
