Denny Hamlin makes telling Josh Berry claim amid LEGACY reports: ‘It appears it's a done deal'

In the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington on Sunday night, Berry showed that he's still one of the hottest drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series and made some Wood Brothers history in the process. Denny Hamlin said on Monday night that it's the type of performance that has led Berry to a Cup Series seat in 2027. Entering Sunday night at Darlington, Berry was sitting at five-straight top-10 finishes. Something that hadn't been done in a Wood Brothers car since Morgan Shephard did it in the '90s. On Sunday night, Berry made it six-straight with a P7 finish in the Southern 500. And that had not been done since NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson did it for Wood Brothers in 1976. 'It's earned him a ride' Last week it was announced that John Hunter Nemechek was out at LEGACY Motor Club following the 2026 Cup Series season. It was reported by Jordan Bianchi that Berry is the leading candidate to replace Nemechek in that No. 42 Toyota in 2027. 'I believe it's earned him a ride,' said Hamlin on Actions Detrimental. 'You would say it's well earned at this point. 'It appears it's a done deal. But, yes, John Hunter, we thought he had a contract for next year, but Legacy wants to go in a different direction. 'My guess is they're gonna buy him out of that and move on to do something different, and what it appears to be is a ride for Josh Berry.' Hamlin is happy for Berry Like many in the Cup Series ranks (as well as countless fans), Hamlin is happy for Berry. The landscape for the 35-year-old driver was looking bleak in terms of a seat for 2027. And that extended down to O'Reilly and Trucks. 'If there's anything good that comes out of it is like … I mean, what was Josh going to do? I mean, he was on the cusp of not working. 'And these run have impressed Legacy enough, it appears, to at least raise an eyebrow. So that's good for the Berry family if that comes out to be true.' 'They feel like this is an upgrade for them' Hamlin also applauded the idea of performance still mattering. Berry's biggest hurdle was funding. He wasn't bringing in sponsors with him. In today's NASCAR landscape, that can be a career killer. Legacy is not only valuing Berry's performance, but they're paying off the contract of Nemechek to make this happen, if the reports are accurate. 'It's good to see that performance still does matter, and if you're Legacy, you've got to take the next step to get better.' said Hamlin. 'And they feel like this will be for the best, assuming it's Josh Berry. 'They feel like this is an upgrade for them. And we'll see if that turns out to be true.'