Josh Berry Bio
Joshua William Berry (born October 22, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Wood Brothers Racing. Berry is widely noted for his standout run in Late Model Stock Cars with JR Motorsports from 2010 to 2023, a stretch in which he became the all-time winningest driver in CARS Tour history. Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing roughly 165 pounds, he has built a reputation as a patient, technically precise short-track racer who has gradually worked his way up to NASCAR’s top level.
Early Life and Background
Berry was born on October 22, 1990, in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a short drive north of Nashville. He grew up around the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, a historic short track where he first climbed into a race car as a kid and began competing in Legend Cars as a teenager. To help fund his racing dreams, he worked as a bank teller while he was still racing locally and attending classes.
He later enrolled at Volunteer State Community College, balancing coursework with weekend trips to the race track. As a young teenager, Berry was a classmate of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden during the seventh and eighth grades, and he attended the same high school at the same time as singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Those early years at the Nashville Fairgrounds gave him a deep feel for short-track racing, the type of racing that would eventually define his career.
Path to NASCAR
Berry’s path to the national NASCAR series began in an online sim racing league called DMP Online Racing, where in 2008 he met his future car owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The connection turned into a real-world opportunity when Earnhardt Jr. signed Berry to JR Motorsports in 2010 to compete in Late Model Stock Car events. Over the next decade, Berry became one of the most consistent winners in the southeast short-track scene.
He won the 2017 CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship, captured the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship with 24 feature wins, and added crown-jewel victories at Myrtle Beach, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville, the Hampton Heat 200, and the Thanksgiving All-Star Classic. His work in the CARS Tour and the NASCAR weekly ranks made him a logical candidate to step up to NASCAR’s national series, and JR Motorsports made that move official in 2021.
Josh Berry Career
Early Career (2010–2020)
From 2010 through 2020, Berry raced almost exclusively in Late Model Stock Cars, building a resume that few short-track drivers in the region could match. He joined JR Motorsports in 2010 and steadily added wins across the CARS Tour, the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, and a series of marquee late model events. Along the way, he earned a reputation for being tough to pass in long green-flag runs and for finishing races, even when his car was not the fastest.
During this period Berry also made a handful of starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the ARCA Menards Series, using those one-off opportunities to gain experience on bigger tracks. A 2014 Xfinity debut at Iowa Speedway in the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, a 2016 Truck Series start at Chicagoland Speedway for Contreras Motorsports, and a 2018 ARCA start at Salem Speedway for Chad Bryant Racing all gave him a feel for stock cars with more horsepower and longer straightaways.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2021–2023)
On October 22, 2020, JR Motorsports announced that Berry would drive the No. 8 car for 12 races during the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. He quickly made the most of that opportunity, picking up his first Xfinity win at Martinsville after passing Ty Gibbs for the lead with 28 laps remaining. That victory made him only the fifth driver to win his maiden Xfinity race at Martinsville, a list that includes Sam Ard, Brett Bodine, Brad Teague, and Jeff Burton.
Berry moved into the No. 8 full-time in 2022 and turned in a career-defining season. He scored wins at Dover and Charlotte to make the Xfinity playoffs, then won at Las Vegas to advance to the Championship 4. He finished the year fourth in the final Xfinity standings, the best result of his career in any national series at that point. In 2023, he drove winless but stayed consistent enough to make the playoffs again before being eliminated at the Charlotte Roval. Across his full-time Xfinity run with JR Motorsports, he recorded 5 wins, 52 top-ten finishes, and 4 poles.
NASCAR Cup Series Debut (2021–2023)
Berry’s first NASCAR Cup Series start came in May 2021, when he substituted for Justin Haley in the Spire Motorsports No. 77 at Dover International Speedway after Haley was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols. He filled in for other Cup drivers over the next two seasons as well, including a relief run in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 at Las Vegas in 2023 after Chase Elliott suffered a leg injury. That same year, he also stepped into the No. 48 at Hendrick Motorsports while Alex Bowman recovered from a back injury and made the main event of the NASCAR All-Star Race after winning his open qualifier.
On June 21, 2023, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that it had signed Berry to drive the No. 4 starting in 2024, replacing retiring champion Kevin Harvick. The move was a clear sign that he was ready to be a full-time Cup driver.
Stewart-Haas Racing Era (2024)
Berry began his first full Cup season with a 25th-place finish at the 2024 Daytona 500. He scored season-best third-place finishes at Darlington and New Hampshire and ran competitively on a variety of tracks, but the team never quite reached Victory Lane. On May 28, 2024, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that it would shut down its NASCAR operations at the end of the season, leaving Berry without a ride for 2025.
Wood Brothers Racing Era (2025–Present)
On July 3, 2024, Wood Brothers Racing signed Berry to a multi-year deal to drive the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, replacing Harrison Burton. He opened the 2025 Cup season with a 37th-place result at the Daytona 500, then bounced back with a fourth-place finish at Phoenix, the Wood Brothers’ first top five at that track in some time. The very next week, at Las Vegas, Berry passed Daniel Suárez late and pulled away to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Pennzoil 400.
That win was the first for the Wood Brothers in back-to-back Cup seasons since Kyle Petty did it in 1986 and 1987, giving the historic team a meaningful new chapter. A rough stretch of last-place finishes at Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol followed, however, and Berry was eliminated at the end of the Cup playoffs’ round of 16. He finished the year 16th in the final Cup Series standings.
Driving Style and Strengths
Berry is widely regarded as a smooth, patient short-track racer who excels at saving his equipment and finishing races. His late model background shows up most clearly on flat tracks and intermediates, where rhythm and tire management matter as much as raw speed. He also works closely with his crew chief on long-run pace, a hallmark of his approach that has helped him convert steady speed into late-race passes for the lead.
Notable Races and Milestones
Martinsville stands out as the site of Berry’s first national-series win, in the 2021 Xfinity race, while Las Vegas delivered his first Cup Series victory in 2025. He has also won marquee late model events such as the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the Hampton Heat 200, and the Myrtle Beach 400, and he qualified for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race main event by winning his open qualifier.
Josh Berry Career Wins
Across NASCAR’s national series and Late Model Stock Car competition, Berry has built a versatile win sheet. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series he has 5 career wins, all of which came with JR Motorsports between 2021 and 2022. In the NASCAR Cup Series he has 1 win, captured at Las Vegas in 2025 with Wood Brothers Racing. In the CARS Tour, he is the all-time wins leader with 22 victories, the most in the series’ history.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Berry’s lone Cup win came in the 2025 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, when he passed Daniel Suárez late and pulled away. That victory ended a long drought for Wood Brothers Racing and gave Berry his first Cup-level trophy. Through 2025, he has 1 Cup win and 17 top-ten finishes.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Berry’s first Xfinity win came at Martinsville in 2021, passing Ty Gibbs with 28 laps to go. He added wins at Dover, Charlotte, and Las Vegas in 2022, and his fifth and final Xfinity win also came at Las Vegas that same season. He closed out his time as a full-time Xfinity driver with 5 wins, 52 top-ten finishes, and 4 poles.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the national series, Berry won the 2017 CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship, the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship with 24 wins, and major events such as the Myrtle Beach 400, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the Hampton Heat 200, and the Thanksgiving All-Star Classic. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has 0 wins, 1 top ten, and 0 poles across a handful of starts.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 5 | 52 | 4 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Josh Berry Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Berry does not come from a well-known racing family, but his big break came through a connection with Dale Earnhardt Jr., whom he met through online sim racing in 2008. That relationship with Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports essentially launched his professional career and gave him a long-term home in the sport. His extended racing family includes the crews and team members he worked with during more than a decade of late model and national-series competition.
Personal Life
Berry is married to his wife, Ginny, and the couple has two daughters, Charlotte Blake Berry and Kenzie Berry. Before his racing career provided a steady income, he worked as a bank teller to help fund his time behind the wheel. He is a graduate of Volunteer State Community College.
2025 Season Performance
Berry’s 2025 Cup Series campaign was a story of milestones mixed with midseason struggles. He opened the year with a 37th-place DNF at the Daytona 500, then bounced back with a fourth-place finish at Phoenix, the Wood Brothers’ first top five at that track in some time. The very next week, at Las Vegas, he passed Daniel Suárez late and pulled away to score his first career Cup Series win in the Pennzoil 400, ending a long drought for the team.
From there, the season took a tougher turn. A string of back-to-back-to-back last-place finishes at Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol wiped out his early momentum, and he was eliminated from playoff contention at the end of the round of 16. He closed the year 16th in the final Cup Series standings, a solid first full season with Wood Brothers Racing but one that left him hungry for more in 2026.
