Josh Berry experienced a rocky start to the NASCAR playoffs, finishing last in all three opening races since the current playoff format began in 2014. Despite not advancing to the Round of 12, Berry delivered an impressive performance Sunday during the Mobil 1 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, showcasing a remarkable rebound. His strong showing at New Hampshire reflected a significant turnaround, emphasizing the resilience behind his Josh Berry New Hampshire finish.
Team Penske’s Dominance in Qualifying and Race Pace
From the outset of the weekend, Berry’s Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford stood out as one of the fastest cars in the field, contributing to a Team Penske sweep of the podium in qualifying. This speed translated into strong race performance, as Berry remained competitive throughout most of the event. While he finished fourth in the opening stage, his fortunes shifted initially at the start of Stage 2.
On-Track Incident with Shane van Gisbergen Sets Back Berry Temporarily
While battling inside the top 10 during Stage 2, Berry’s car was spun through Turns 1 and 2 after contact with Shane van Gisbergen. Reflecting on the collision, Berry said,
“Those things happen here all the time – and it’s a choice,”
and added,
“It’s a choice on a restart, whether you’re going to leave your right front in there and wreck him or you’re going to live to fight another day. On all of these restarts, there is choice after choice after choice. Even if I did come down a little bit, I have cut him plenty of breaks over the course of the year. Just live to race another lap – there is still 200-something laps to go.”
– Josh Berry, Driver
Despite the setback, Berry’s No. 21 Ford displayed strong speed, enabling him to maneuver through traffic and return to the top 10 by the end of the stage.
Strategic Pit Decisions and Late-Race Duel with Ryan Blaney
Approaching the final stage, Berry was one of the last drivers to make a pit stop for fresh tires on Lap 241 while attempting to catch up to fellow Team Penske drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano battling for the lead. When a caution flag emerged on Lap 255 due to a collision between Cody Ware and Austin Dillon, Berry’s crew chief, Miles Stanley, made a decisive call to keep Berry on the track, allowing him to briefly assume the race lead.
Blaney quickly regained first place, but Berry leveraged his car’s long-run speed and tire-saving approach to close the gap. Blaney remarked on Berry’s charge, saying,
“He gained a few car lengths over the course of two or three laps and I picked the pace up a little bit and I didn’t have the pace to pick up,”
and further commented,
“He came on quickly for a while. I wouldn’t say it was defense mode, but it was searching around to try and find pace and a line that worked better than what I was doing. I 100% expect Josh to try and go win that race. That was fun racing him. I appreciate no bumper being laid.”
– Ryan Blaney, Driver
Final Laps and Berry’s Strong Finish
With 12 laps left, Berry encountered difficulties as he got loose over bumps entering Turn 3, losing significant ground to Blaney. Despite this, Berry maintained pace to secure a runner-up finish. This marked Berry’s first top-five result since winning his first Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier in March, emphasizing the importance of his recovery during the event.
Reflecting on the challenging weeks before New Hampshire, Berry said,
“It’s like I’ve said the last few weeks, we’ve had good cars, our pit crew has done a good job – we’ve just had some [expletive] luck for three weeks, really, is the best way to put it,”
and added,
“Today was a great battle to fight through the spin and get back up there and get a good finish.”
– Josh Berry, Driver
Looking Ahead to Kansas Speedway
Following this intense race, the NASCAR series moves to Kansas Speedway next weekend, where Berry previously secured a sixth-place finish in May. Berry expressed confidence about building momentum, saying,
“It felt nice to have a strong car as we did and we’ve got to keep building on it,”
and continued,
“We had a good run at Kansas in the spring. Hopefully we can be a little better and do it again.”
– Josh Berry, Driver
