Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry comes to Nashville after tying his best showing of the season with a third-place finish at New Hampshire last week. The Tennessee-native certainly holds high hopes for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at his home-state venue and for his chances to win before the Playoffs start Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The four-car SHR team – as it has operated – announced it would be dissolving at the end of the year and Berry, along with teammates Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece are now left to find work elsewhere. Joe Gibbs Racing announced this week that in 2025, Briscoe will fill the seat in the No. 19 Toyota left by retiring driver Martin Truex Jr. The other drivers, however, are still racing for their futures.
Berry, in his first full season of NASCAR Cup Series competition, believes he won’t only make the Playoffs based on points, but can win a race. And he was optimistic about being able to stay in NASCAR’s premier series going forward, encouraged by his recent pace – four top-10 finishes in the last six weeks.
“I feel good about having a spot in the Cup Series next year, I think our results have been really strong the last couple months,’’ said Berry, who has two top-five finishes in three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Nashville. “I don’t really know other than winning a race at this point, is all I can do. We’ve finished in the top five, we’ve led laps, we’ve shown the potential of what we can do.
“I think that’s been a big confidence boost for me and I really think the whole situation for myself and my team, you really find out a lot about yourself when your back is against the wall and everyone’s performing at a really high level.
“We’re fighting together.”
“I’m at my best when my back is against the wall and I have to perform,’’ he added.
Sunday Berry will roll off with his second front row start of the season. He started second at Bristol in March and finished 12th.
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