It was announced in June, after a rough start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, that Josh Berry would not return for what would have been a third season behind the wheel of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 2027, and it was later announced that Richard Childress Racing O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Jesse Love would be taking his place.
At that point, and really over the next couple months, it appeared that Berry had no future in the Cup Series. But he has found a completely new gear as of late and gone on a streak that Wood Brothers Racing hadn't seen in more than half a century, logging six straight top nine finishes after having recorded just one top nine finish (of ninth) in the season's first 21 races.
When Legacy Motor Club and John Hunter Nemechek made the surprising decision to cut ties following the 2026 season, Berry immediately became the frontrunner to replace him behind the wheel of the No. 42 Toyota, and now that move has been confirmed.
Josh Berry to replace John Hunter Nemechek in 2027
Berry, who earned his first career win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2025 to clinch his first playoff berth, is set to join a lineup that consists of veteran Erik Jones in the No. 43 Toyota and newcomer Riley Herbst, who is set to drive the No. 84 Toyota full-time after the team expand to three cars by purchasing the charter from Rick Ware Racing that had been used by RFK Racing.
Berry is 25th in this year's standings, after spending much of the year around 30th, and there will still be those who question if going with a driver six years older than Nemechek is the right move, especially since, aside from the past month or so, Nemechek has arguably had a stronger year, and he is significantly ahead of where he was when he originally joined the team in 2024.
But it's absolutely a positive sign to see that even when a driver's fate seems all but sealed in June, before the season's halfway mark, strong late-season performance still matters when it comes to setting the following year's driver lineup.
And that is especially true when the driver is one like Berry, who isn't being brought in due to funding like we see far too often throughout the Cup garage.
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