Josh Berry delivered a striking comeback with a runner-up finish in Sunday’s Mobil 1 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, defying a string of setbacks in his recent playoff run. The strong performance by Berry in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford marks a significant turnaround after his early playoff exit, reestablishing momentum as the NASCAR Cup Series heads toward Kansas Speedway.
Resilience After a Challenging Playoff Start
Berry’s postseason began with unprecedented difficulty, as he finished last in each of the three opening playoff events, making for the toughest playoff start since the current format took effect in 2014. Excluded from advancing to the Round of 12, Berry’s response at the Loudon, N.H. race showed determination, with his team focusing on maximizing every opportunity to finish strong.
Throughout the weekend, the No. 21 Ford, prepared by the Wood Brothers and aligned with Team Penske, clocked impressive speeds. In qualifying, Team Penske cars swept the podium, a signal of the group’s dominance in the Granite State and an indicator of Berry’s contender status early on.
Early Race Incident With van Gisbergen
In the opening stage of the Mobil 1 300, Berry secured a fourth-place finish. Though his luck initially turned for the worse at the start of Stage 2, Berry soon found himself tangled with Shane van Gisbergen while fighting inside the top ten, leading to a spin through Turns 1 and 2. Explaining the on-track clash, Berry commented,
“Those things happen here all the time – and it’s a choice,”
Berry, Driver. He elaborated on the competitive nuance of restarts in the Cup Series:
“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 being spun, Berry rallied, slicing through traffic and climbing back inside the top ten by the end of the stage, an early indicator that his car had the speed to compete for a top result.
Pit Strategy and Race-Leading Moves
As the final stage began with an extended green flag period, Berry was one of the last competitors to pit for fresh tires at Lap 241. During this time, he kept close to his quasi-teammates, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, watching them vie for the lead as he prepared for a late push.
A late caution resulting from a crash involving Cody Ware and Austin Dillon on Lap 255 prompted a critical call from Berry’s crew chief, Miles Stanley. Choosing track position over a pit stop, Stanley kept Berry on the circuit, elevating him to the race leader. Although Blaney quickly reclaimed the advantage, Berry’s long-run speed kept him in pursuit, with tire management becoming a crucial factor in the final laps.
Blaney described the challenge of the closing laps:
“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,”
Ryan Blaney, Driver. Adapting to Berry’s charge, Blaney further noted,
“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.
Late Push Secures Best Result Since Victory
With just over a dozen laps remaining, Berry pressed hard, but a slip in Turn 3 lost crucial ground to the No. 12 car. Blaney managed to hold on for the win, with Berry crossing the line in second place. This result marks Berry’s first top-five effort since his breakthrough win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, signaling that both driver and team have rebounded from their recent misfortunes.
Reflecting on his recent run of challenging races, 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,”
Josh Berry, Driver. He 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
The NASCAR Cup Series will shift to Kansas Speedway next, where Berry previously finished sixth in May. Emphasizing the importance of continual improvement, Berry shared,
“It felt nice to have a strong car as we did and we’ve got to keep building on it,”
Josh Berry, Driver. He also expressed optimism about his team’s prospects:
“We had a good run at Kansas in the spring. Hopefully we can be a little better and do it again.”
– Josh Berry, Driver.
After a rough playoff experience, the Josh Berry runner-up finish at New Hampshire not only revitalizes his season but underlines his and Wood Brothers Racing’s capability to compete with top teams like Team Penske. With new confidence and a renewed outlook, Berry’s next test awaits at Kansas, where he aims to carry forward the momentum built in Loudon.
