Josh Berry, piloting the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Wood Brothers Racing, must win at Bristol Motor Speedway tomorrow night to qualify automatically for the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12. Currently sitting 16th in the playoff standings, Berry trails the last transfer position by 45 points, making a victory essential for advancing.
Uncertainty Surrounds Tire Behavior in Upcoming Bristol Race
Berry is preparing for a challenging night with limited data on the new tires, acknowledging the unpredictability in tire wear at Bristol. Reflecting on previous experience, he commented on possible wear dynamics, noting the influence of track conditions on tire performance and the unusual spring conditions that produced a unique tire scenario.
“Yeah, I think it would be fun. Obviously, we hopefully, maybe not as drastic as we had the one time, but a little bit of tire wear would definitely make it interesting. I don’t really know what to expect, honestly. It’s a different tire. We don’t really have a lot of information on it. It’s just hard to tell what we’re gonna have, but, generally, I feel like the tire wear is more connected to the surface in the track. We had kind of a unique situation in the spring with not a lot of rubber on the track, cold. I don’t know if it’ll feel much different this weekend.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Reflecting on Playoff Struggles and Missed Opportunities
Despite Berry’s strong performances in recent races, misfortune and incidents have kept him from the results he needs. He described moments at Darlington and last week’s event where his car was competitive, but unexpected wrecks and on-track conflicts disrupted potential top-10 finishes, leaving him frustrated but confident in his team’s effort.
“Yeah, it’s been disappointing to not get the results, but I feel like we’ve performed fairly well. We went to Darlington and qualified third and felt like we had a good car there. We bottomed out and wrecked on the first lap and then last week I felt like, again, we qualified 12th and felt like we had a solid car. We got into it with the 9 and I felt like each one of those could have been solid top 10s, which really would have been all we needed to be in a much better spot this weekend, so I’m frustrated with the results but I think the performance has been there. I think we’ve done a good job. There’s always room for improvement, but there are still positives to take out of it.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Focus on Qualifying and Execution as Path to Victory
When asked about his chances to win at Bristol, Berry stressed the importance of a strong qualifying effort combined with precise race execution. He acknowledged the difficulty in winning but expressed optimism about having a competitive car and contending for the win if all elements fall into place.
“I think we’ve just got to qualify well and execute. We’ve got to do all of the basics. It’s hard to win these races. You don’t go into them expecting to win, but I expect to have a good car and hopefully be in contention and if we execute and give ourselves that opportunity, hopefully we can capitalize on it.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Memories of Racing in Rain and Darkness Provide Encouragement
Berry reflected on last year’s exciting Loudon race, which included racing on rain tires and in low-light conditions with a chance to win. He described the experience as fun and unique, helping him prepare mentally for unpredictable situations, which might come into play in unpredictable Bristol conditions.
“It was a lot of fun. I hadn’t really raced in the rain other than a couple times in the Xfinity car, but it was a lot of fun. The track raced well and I thought it put on a good show at the end and we were in the thick of the battle the last closing laps. I’m obviously excited to go back and watch that one this week a little bit more and study it, but it was a great opportunity for us last year. It was a lot of fun and I’m excited to go back there and see how we do.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Handling Conditions and Grip Challenges in Rain-Affected Races
Discussing the particular challenges from wet racing, Berry described the difficulty in locating grip on different racing lines and managing the emerging dry line as the track evolved. Despite these complexities, he found such situations exciting and expressed willingness to face similar conditions again.
“Obviously, the biggest thing is just figuring out where the grip is out on the track, which we kind of all split between the apron and the top lane. I think where it got difficult was trying to make passes just as the dry line kind of developed towards the end from what I remember, and trying to run as fast as you can without dipping into the damp part of the track too much. It was a blast. I would be fine if it rained again.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Uncertainty and Pressure Define Race Atmosphere at Bristol
Berry acknowledged the tense atmosphere forming around tomorrow night’s race due to the intense playoff implications. Though many drivers are fighting just to avoid elimination, Berry emphasized that Bristol’s unpredictable nature could produce surprising outcomes, heavily influenced by tire wear and track conditions.
“I don’t know. I think there’s a lot on the line for people. You’ve got people that are just trying to survive and you’ve got people just like us that have to win. It’s still Bristol though, so you never know what could happen. It’s just hard to say. I think it just depends on what we get for the track and how the tires wear, if we get anything like that. It’s hard to say. Ultimately, we need to be able to follow each other closer for it to look like it did a bunch of years ago.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Team Frustration Underscores Need to Stay Focused Amid Playoff Pressure
Berry described a mood of frustration within the team, stemming from incidents that have cost them better finishes, but stressed the importance of resilience and steady preparation. He noted the necessity to perform well on race day regardless of previous setbacks, knowing that winning is the sole route to moving forward in the playoffs.
“It’s frustrating. I mean, everybody is disappointed for sure, but what can you do, really? I look at Darlington and that was a mistake on our part. That was kind of self-inflicted with how hard we hit the racetrack starting the race, but last week I feel like we did a solid job and just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t know. All of us, a lot of us in this industry have been doing this stuff a long time. There’s highs and lows and you just have to be able to stay in-between and manage it the best you can. I try to do a pretty good job of that and at the end of the day, no matter where you run the week before, you go to work on Monday and get ready for the next race. Now, if we want to advance to the next round we need to win, but we could lead 400 laps Saturday night and blow an engine or have a flat tire and I don’t think any of us on Monday would be disappointed, but we wouldn’t be disappointed in how we ran. The biggest thing is we just need to run well and be in contention on Saturday night and see what happens from there.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Gaining Confidence from Team Penske Affiliation and Veteran Crew
Berry expressed appreciation for working within the Team Penske framework, crediting the organization’s strong structure and the support from seasoned teammates like Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric. He highlighted how collaborating with experienced drivers helps him and crew chief Miles improve as they gain familiarity with tracks and the NextGen car.
“It’s all those things. I think just the structure of the organization and how strong that is and I just feel like we’ve gotten into a great routine as a race team with our week-to-week preparation, and obviously being able to lean on Ryan and Joey and Austin is really helpful because these are experienced guys that are very talented and champions of our sport, and being able to lean on them and learn from them and gel with all of those guys has been important to me. I feel like we all get along really well and work together well, so it’s been a lot of fun and I’m excited for these last handful of races. They’re going to be races that I’m going to for the second time with them and hopefully we can see that next step of progression because that’s the difference in where we’re at. These guys have been to these tracks numerous times with the NextGen car with the same crew chief, same team for the most part and for us, myself and Miles we’re still working through that. This is gonna be another one, probably Darlington would have been the only other one that’s an intermediate short track that we’ve been to before, so coming back for a second time we use our notes from the spring and hopefully that will help us continue to grow.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Adjusting to Changing Tire Compounds Continues to Challenge Drivers
The ongoing evolution of tire compounds presents an adaptation challenge for Berry and his team. He described the process of relearning how his car handles with each tire change but welcomed the improvements seen in the latest tires, hoping they will support a more natural driving feel and better racing action at Bristol.
“It’s definitely different. The hardest thing is, like I said, just adapting to a new tire when you go back and knowing what you need from your car and balance. You get a race under your belt and then it’s different when you go back. You’re kind of starting over from scratch, but generally from the race car and how it drives and how it feels, directionally I feel like the way they’re going is improving things and making it feel more normal. I’m all for it and that’s another step in hopefully we’re in the right direction this weekend with the tire they brought and hopefully it races well.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Berry’s Daughter to Participate in Race Day National Anthem Performance
Adding a personal element to the weekend, Berry shared that his daughter will perform the national anthem for this race. He conveyed her excitement and preparation for the role, illustrating the close connection his family maintains with the racing environment and the Motor Racing Outreach organization.
“She’ll be out there. She’s jacked up for it. I guess I’m gonna go watch it and then run and get in my car. I guess that’s the plan. It’s as simple as that, but she’s jacked up. She’s been practicing a little bit, so we’re trying to make sure she gets the words down. She’s excited for it and obviously she loves coming to the racetrack and being a part of MRO. They do a lot for us and she loves it, so she’s excited.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Approach to Tomorrow’s All-or-Nothing Race Centers on Fundamentals
Confronted with a do-or-die scenario, Berry insists that the team’s approach will not deviate from their usual preparation and execution. He mentioned possibly exploring alternative strategies if needed but emphasized that success will depend on getting every detail right and capitalizing on opportunities as they arise.
“I think it goes back to what I said earlier. I don’t know that you can change that much of what you do. You just go out and try to prepare the best we can, which I feel like we’ve done, and try to execute today and make the right adjustments to our cars and get in the race tomorrow and race and see what happens. We go every week to go win, really. That’s what all work towards week in and week out is to be competitive and to win races, so just because of the situation that we’re in it’s not like we can try extra hard or do something different that we normally wouldn’t do. Maybe there’s a play strategy-wise that we could throw if we felt like we had to, but outside of that it’s about just doing all the little things right and executing a solid night and just giving ourselves the opportunity. That’s all it really amounts to.”
—Josh Berry, driver No. 21
Significance and Expectations for the Bristol Playoff Race
Tomorrow night’s race at Bristol represents a pivotal moment for Josh Berry’s season, as only a victory will secure his spot in the next playoff round. The track’s demanding nature, combined with changes in tire compounds and high stakes for the drivers involved, promises a tense and unpredictable event. How Berry and Wood Brothers Racing perform under this pressure will likely determine the trajectory of their championship run and highlight the resilience needed to compete at the highest level.
