Stewart-Haas Racing will enter a new era without Kevin Harvick in 2024. Filling in the No.4 car will be Late Model sensation and Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s prized driver, Josh Berry. SHR has set things in place to ease Berry’s transition to the Cup Series, with Harvick’s former crew chief Rodney Childers retaining his position in the #4 team. While the team has struggled to produce results on the track in the past few seasons, one aspect where it has excelled is social media.

The official handles of the team consistently deliver hilarious content and behind-the-scenes from the team that trigger a fit of laughter. In another instance, the team prepared a video of Berry’s first day at work as he tried to find his crew chief on the team premises. Renowned NASCAR journalist Matt Weaver has taken this opportunity to make a sarcastic comment at Childers.

Matt Weaver gives a sarcastic take on Rodney Childers’ disappearance from SHR

In the recent upload by SHR’s Twitter account, Josh Berry arrived at the team premises to start his day. Expecting to kick off his orientation, he can be seen desperately searching for Rodney Childers. The former JR Motorsports driver enquired about Childers from various crew members in the team shop. While they all guided him to possible locations of Childers, the latter was nowhere to be found.

At the end of the video, Berry goes up to the roof of the building and shouts out the 47-year-old crew chief’s name in hopes of finding him, but it is of no help. The video has received a warm reception from the NASCAR fanbase and some sarcasm from Matt Weaver.

Referring to the video, the journalist tweeted, “Rodney when he knows I have a tough question for him. jkjklol,” hinting that Childers maintains an awkward silence or moves out of sight whenever Weaver has a difficult question. But Weaver was also quick to indicate that his comment was simply light-hearted, considering the “just kidding” lingo added in the end.

Amid all laughs and giggles, the situation at Stewart-Haas Racing is concerning. The domino effect of Kevin Harvick’s departure has already begun.

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What does the retirement of Kevin Harvick imply for SHR?

Kevin Harvick’s stature in SHR is more than just a driver. He has been the sole ray of hope for the team in the past few seasons and was the only SHR Cup driver to race in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs. However, off the track, things have taken a different shape altogether.

Kevin Harvick was formerly sponsored by beverage giants Anheuser-Busch, who had been by his side for years. However, following his retirement, it discontinued its partnership with the No.4 car and moved to the No.1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain. Anheuser-Busch had sponsored Harvick since his RCR days and carried it to SHR in 2014.

Another sponsor that has left SHR is Hunt Brothers Pizza. Hunt Brothers Pizza was a long-time sponsor of the team, with the origin going back to the days of Haas CNC Racing. With Harvick’s retirement, the company has also announced that it has switched allegiances to Team Penske.

“NASCAR continues to be a popular sport among convenience store customers,” said Scott Hunt, CEO of Hunt Brothers Pizza. “We look forward to continuing to engage fans and provide additional marketing value for our convenience store partners in the years to come.”

That was only some of it, as Smithfield Foods, a longtime sponsor of another departing driver, Aric Almirola, has also backed out of its involvement in NASCAR. With the No.10 seat empty, Tony Stewart‘s worries are unending. He will have a lot to figure out before the 2024 season begins.

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