Feb 19, 2023; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr (47) leads Joey Logano (22) on the last lap as Kyle Larson (5) crashes with Travis Pastrana (67) during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The race at the Dover Motor Speedway was nothing less than a roller coaster ride. Although William Byron led the most number of laps (193 ) and accumulated maximum points (52), it was Martin Truex Jr who had the last laugh, by winning at the Wurth 400. Nevertheless, the excitement did not cease there. The real bombshell was the tweet on Josh Berry by Couch Racer, a venture by Freddie Kraft.
The tweet by the brand on its social media page left the fans in splits and speculating.
Is Josh Berry leaving Hendrick Motorsports?
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While the Dover race was going on, Couch Racer left a tweet regarding the future of Josh Berry. It came as a surprise for many. The tweet read, “Josh Berry is a lead candidate to replace a popular Cup driver with a super team. Clint just hinted that.“
The tweet was a reference to a comment that former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer made during the broadcast of the race.
Couch Racer then reinforced the statement further by tweeting, “Around lap 138 … mark my word Clint said.”
On the other hand, Josh Berry, the protagonist of the tweet, is a substitute for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, Alex Bowman. Alex is out of the grid for at least 3–4 weeks after he suffered a compression fracture of the vertebra. The relief driver of Hendrick Motorsports had earlier filled in the shoes of Chase Elliott, who had suffered from a broken tibia.
Nevertheless, the Xfinity racer has outperformed what was expected of him. So far in the season he has seized three top-10 finishes from six races. It also includes a podium finish, after he came in second place at the Richmond Raceway. And at the Dover Motor Speedway, he finished tenth and even led three laps.
Speculations run high as fans respond to the cryptic tweet
The expectation from this substitute driver is soaring. Even the team owner Rick Hendrick recently gave his unequivocal support to the 32-year-old. And the recent tweet by the Couch Racer has added fuel to the speculations. Will Josh Berry find a permanent seat in the Cup Series? Will it be in the Hendrick Motorsports garage? The fans shared their conjectures in comments.
One wrote, “The hint was the 4 but I don’t see him leaving Chevy and or Jr.”
Another fan wrote “I don’t see @TeamChevy letting him walk. I could see @DaleJr buying a charter and having an alliance with Hendrick. I could see him buying a team like Spire and putting Berry in one of those cars, again with an alliance with @TeamHendrick.”
While others were neck-deep in guessing who Josh Berry would be replacing.
Will it be Kevin Harvick or Denny Hamlin or some driver else?
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Irrespective of which team Josh Berry chooses to go to or plans to stay back, all honest fans can ask for is a good race from him. As of yet, Josh Berry has ticked off all the prerequisites that are expected of a Cup Series driver. The NASCAR fans can only hope for the best.
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