"Getting to know each other" - Kevin Harvick's crew chief breaks the ice with replacement Josh Berry ahead of 2024 NASCAR season

Kevin Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers will be working with Stewart-Haas Racing driver Josh Berry next season.

2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick announced his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2023 season. Filling the void left by the racing legend is Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry.

Berry, driver for JR Motorsports in NASCAR Xfinity Series, has multiple Cup Series appearances to his name throughout the 2023 season. Following up on that, the 33-year-old is set to compete full-time in the Cup Series next season. He will be replacing Kevin Harvick as the driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Notably, Harvick's long-time crew chief, Rodney Childers, would be pairing up with Josh Berry for the next season. Childers, who has been a part of the Stewart-Haas Racing team since 2014, is looking forward to teaming up with the former JR Motorsports driver.

During the recent South Carolina 400 race at the Florence Motor Speedway, Childers highlighted the late-model races and how they've been crucial for him gelling with Josh Berry.

He said (via Frontstretch):

"Everything went really well so far. We had a lot of fun last week. Felt like a good car most of the weekend, just didn’t quite close it up there the second half of the race last week."

Childers added:

"The last couple of days they have been really good. The car has been driving good. Little different rules down here... Overall, the car's got good speed, driving good and just getting to know each other and learning each other and any amount of conversation is good conversation at this point."

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Kevin Harvick's crew chief on tight race schedule and how it affects a driver's personal life

The 2014 Cup Series-winning crew chief emphasized how difficult it is for a racing professional to manage their personal life while moving from place to place in order to compete in races throughout the season.

He said:

"We'll have to see how it goes. It's tough on families to go race these things after you race 38 races a year and been out of town. We're fortunate to have good families that are willing to let us go do this and have fun. Hopefully we can maybe do it a little bit more next year."

When asked if their long history was of any help in building a connection between himself and Josh Berry, the former Kevin Harvick crew chief said:

"Yeah I mean that part has been pretty easy so far. We've known each other for a long time. That part is easy, but just figuring out how to talk to each other and the things to say... Where it’s tight where it’s loose. Kind of pinpointing those things in the future and just talking about that stuff."