Josh Berry will make his NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs debut at the Cook Out Southern 500 this Sunday at Darlington Raceway, carrying significant Josh Berry NASCAR Playoffs confidence after clinching a spot by winning earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 34-year-old Wood Brothers Racing driver aims to use this opening race in the 10-event playoff stretch as a launching point for a strong championship run.
Strong Track History and Rising Confidence at Darlington
Though Berry’s record at Darlington has seen three finishes outside the top 30 in four career appearances, he showed substantial promise by placing third at the 1.366-mile oval in May 2024. That performance highlights Darlington as a track where Berry could surprise fans and competitors alike during this pivotal playoff week.
Berry remains upbeat about his prospects heading into Sunday’s race, saying,
“I definitely feel pretty comfortable here,”
referring to his growing familiarity and success at Darlington.
“I think that really started in the [No.] 4 car last spring, working with [Crew Chief] Rodney [Childers] and studying a lot of Kevin [Harvick]’s data here. And we had a really good car, and that kind of translated and built some confidence in it, and I think it was able to translate to the Southern 500 last year, and then in the [No.] 21 car in the Spring. So yeah, I feel good. I think we ran well in both races last year, we ran well in the Spring, I don’t feel like there’s any reason we can’t do that again this weekend.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Overcoming Setbacks While Showing Potential
Earlier this year at Darlington, Berry demonstrated competitive skills despite obstacles, battling from 24th on the grid to spending 74 laps inside the top 15, even running as high as fifth before a late crash on Lap 194 ended his charge. His challenges at intermediate ovals have often stemmed from factors beyond pure performance.
On this topic, Berry remarked,
“I don’t really feel like, especially when it comes to the oval tracks and the intermediates, it wasn’t a performance thing,”
and added,
“Whether it was mistakes on pit road, or getting caught up in accidents. There are a number of races that I think back on that we were — you know, here in the Spring, Martinsville we were in the lead and break. There are a lot of things that happened, I feel like some in our control, some outside our control.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
The Significance of the Southern 500 for Berry
Berry holds the Southern 500, one of NASCAR’s most prestigious crown jewel events, in high regard and views it as an opportunity to make a meaningful impact early in the playoffs. He described the challenge and appeal of the race: “It’s high up there,” and added,
“It’s just such a fun track for one, but just a historic race. Just a tough race, a grind. I think we all want to survive that, and be in victory lane at the end of the day.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Maintaining Routine for Consistent Playoff Preparation
Despite the elevated stakes of the Southern 500, Berry and his crew chief, Miles Stanley, have decided against altering their approach significantly. Berry emphasized a steady mindset, explaining,
“It’s kind of more business as usual. I feel like it’s easy to overthink these situations and overdo it.”
He elaborated,
“I mean, you work all year long to prepare and get your routine of doing things week in and week out to prepare for every week.”
On the risk of over-preparing, Berry added,
“I think, a lot of times when you get to this point, people overthink it and over-prepare, and I feel like that can change your process and change your thinking going into this race that you have to do more than what you’ve done all year. I just don’t feel like that’s the case. I think that just comes from my background racing short tracks, and stuff, and working on my race car. If you go to a big race, I never worked harder on my car than I did every other week. You just get in your routine and you do the things you need to do to prepare, and you just go out and try to execute it.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Optimism for the First Round of the Playoffs
Berry is optimistic about his chances through the initial three races of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, which will be held at Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol—tracks where he feels comfortable and confident. Successfully navigating the Round of 16 could open the door to a deep playoff push for Berry and Wood Brothers Racing.
Yet, Berry identifies one event in the 10-race Playoffs as a potential challenge—the Charlotte ROVAL, combining road course elements with oval sections. He explained,
“I think the biggest Achilles’ Heel in this whole thing, I think, is going to be the ROVAL,”
and noted,
“I feel like we’ve made gains on the road course program, and when it comes to the ROVAL, I think I finished about 20th there last year, and I feel like I’ve gotten better since then. But we’ve got to make it to that point before we worry about it, honestly.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Focus on Consistency and Team Confidence
Berry stresses that for now, his focus remains on minimizing mistakes and maximizing consistency in the opening playoff round. He trusts the preparation and harmony within the No. 21 team, stating,
“These guys, we’re prepared. We’re confident going into this deal,”
and continuing,
“We feel like these tracks line up good. We don’t need to do anything spectacular, like I said, we just need to limit our mistakes and be consistent, and see how far we can go. But honestly, I feel like I’m in a good place, I feel like the team is in a good place, I think we’re ready to go.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
