Not everybody is meant to be great, nor everybody is cut out to be legends in their respective fields. But it is belief and sheer dedication that counts in the long run and takes people to the top. The same can be said for Cup Series drivers. While there may be 36 drivers competing against one another, only a handful make it to the Hall of Fame for their performance.

Talent, understanding of the sport, and balanced aggression have always taken center stage when it comes to hiring drivers for the highest platform of American motorsports. However, sometimes the long-loved ideals of NASCAR may be moved backstage with other priorities taking their place.  

However, Tony Stewart seems to reinforce how he still holds such ideals dear to his heart over anything, when it comes to housing talented drivers. And he firmly believes that nothing can shake those ideals off him, not even sponsorships worth millions.

Tony Stewart reveals why he considers Josh Berry the ideal candidate to replace Kevin Harvick

If one could have spared a glance at the Stewart-Haas Racing garage earlier this year, they might have noticed how frazzled it was after the announcement of Kevin Harvick’s retirement. While they may have found the perfect replacement in Josh Berry to take his seat behind the #4 Ford. However, with Harvick gone, Anheuser-Busch, his primary sponsor, is also set to exit from the SHR camp. 

Even though there were drivers from the lower formats of NASCAR that could have replaced Harvick by bringing in wealthy sponsors with them, Stewart chose to side with Berry even though he doesn’t have big names backing him up. Berry’s talent matters more than million-dollar deals to Stewart. The veteran shared this with MRN announcer Mike Bagley on the latest episode of NASCAR Live.

While speaking on the racing mindset of the drivers, the Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner exclaimed, “We want guys that know what it takes. We want people that have had to sit there and worked on their race cars and have struggled to do what they do and worked hard versus someone that have had their way paid for, somebody supported them along the way. 

Making his priorities clear, Stewart said, “But there’s something about a driver that has had to dig through trenches, to climb the mountain on their own and not have somebody, you know, grab them by the collar and help pull them up the rest of the way. There’s a lot of merit and that in our program and that’s what our DNA is built around.”

As the discussion went on, Tony Stewart hinted at what he thinks of drivers born with a silver spoon in their mouth. He said, “The people in that building are people that are racers. People that have been around motorsports their entire life. It’s not just people that have college degrees, that said, ‘hey I wanna work on a NASCAR team.’

“That does not get you in the doors of our building. It’s off of the merit. It’s off of what you have done in the past. It’s off of life experiences in the sport that you had. You put those kinds of people together and you see good results.”

Watch this Story: Can Josh Be the New Big Thing In NASCAR?

Who will sponsor the rookie driver for the next Cup Series season?

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In the past few days, Tony Stewart’s exclamation of talent versus money has surely fanned a certain amount of speculation among fans. Many consider it might be an indirect dig at Joe Gibbs and Richard Childress, as their grandsons are active drivers in the Cup Series. Both the drivers have surely highlighted their merit on the tracks, but they have a long road ahead of them in order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their teammates like Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr.

Nevertheless, Stewart is concerned about securing a sponsorship deal for Josh Berry and make his future secured in the team. In a recent press conference, he stated, “Right at this point, we are totally open. We’re having discussions internally with current sponsors, and then we have a lot of potential sponsors that are interested in this program as well.”

Given his fame and his years of experience in other formats of stock car racing, it is just a matter of time before Josh Berry proves his worth as a Cup Series driver. While it is too much to expect him to start winning the moment he steps in the car, he does have a championship-winning caliber in him.

Read More: Despite Betting All His Chips on Josh Berry, Tony Stewart Warns Latest SHR Recruit of Tough Journey Ahead in Cup Series