Josh Berry Unravels How His Chase Elliott might be eventually Replaced by...

Stewart-Haas Racing just added another Hendrick Motorsports faithful to its team. Following the ongoing speculations, SHR has confirmed the addition of Chase Elliott’s spotter for the No.9 Camaro, Eddie D’Hondt, to its 2024 Cup Series roster. As the team announced a rejuvenated spotter lineup for 2024, newcomer and the successor to Kevin Harvick‘s No.4, Josh Berry, has revealed the events that led to his acquaintance with D’Hondt.

Eddie D’Hondt has spent the last 12 NASCAR seasons with Rick Hendrick and Co. He also boasts the experience of spotting races for four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon until a future NASCAR champion, Chase Elliott, came calling in 2016. As D’Hondt and Berry spoke about their partnership that predates their alliance in 2024, the former JR Motorsports recalled getting closer to the championship-winning spotter during his time as a substitute in the #9 car earlier in 2023

2023 has been a tough year for the #9 team. Following a tibia injury for Chase Elliott, Josh Berry was summoned by HMS to replace him. Berry drove the #9 in five races and spent much time with Elliott’s spotter, Eddie D’Hondt. One of the notable results for the new pairing was a second-place finish at Richmond Raceway, which remains Berry’s career-best finish in the Cup Series.

“Eddie and I first crossed paths at JR Motorsports but mainly worked together during my substitute role in the #9 this year,” recalled Josh Berry. “I remember very distinctively us going to lunch. That was early on in the stint there, and that meant a lot to me personally for us to get on the same page and get to know each other.”

D’ Hondt’s addition to the No.4 team could be a boon for SHR. He has won 26 races with HMS. With the legendary Rodney Childers calling the shots on the team radio, Eddie’s expert eyes could be a game-changer for the team. Berry understood that in his first stint with the spotter.

“In the grand scheme of things, that was a big opportunity for me, and I had a lot on my plate at the time. It meant a lot that he reached out to try to build the relationship and make me feel more comfortable, and I think it paid off,” claimed the former JR Motorsports driver.