Josh Berry and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team are focusing on gaining momentum as they enter the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, with Richmond Raceway presenting a prime opportunity for a strong performance. Known for his short track expertise, Berry has an average finish of 9.0 in three prior Cup Series races at the 0.750-mile Virginia venue. However, a 35th-place finish at Watkins Glen last weekend means he will face a difficult qualifying position Saturday due to NASCAR’s performance-based metric system.
Despite the unfavorable qualifying draw, Berry remains optimistic about the team‘s chances. He trusts crew chief Miles Stanley to devise a strategic plan that will allow them to gain track position during the Cook Out 400 and compete near the front of the field.
Berry Discusses Challenges of Richmond’s Qualifying and Race Setup
Berry spoke openly about the challenges posed by qualifying early at Richmond Raceway, a track notorious for rubber buildup affecting qualifying runs. Being one of the first drivers to hit the track is particularly disadvantageous, but Berry believes focusing on race setup during practice is vital to overcoming this hurdle.
“I’m excited. I think I’ve had some good runs there in the past in the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series. I feel like it should be a good opportunity for us to run well. Definitely a place that we’ve had circled for a while. Obviously, the biggest thing we’re looking at now is the qualifying draw, and how that worked out, unfortunately,”
Berry said in a media availability on Wednesday.
“But we’re just going to have to make the most of that, probably get creative in the race to get some track position. But I feel like, if we have a good car, we should be up front.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Starting fourth out of 38 cars on Saturday means Berry will face one of the earliest qualifying attempts. He acknowledged that expecting a top qualifying speed is unrealistic, so the team will emphasize race setup and adaptation rather than chasing qualifying positions.
“I mean, really, all you can do is focus on practice and try to get your car as good as you can for the race. You’re going to take a hit in qualifying, I would say. I mean, I think top-20 to top-25, we’d probably take it,”
Berry admitted.
“It’s just the track rubbers up so much, and then cold tires peel the rubber off the track. Richmond is one of the worst for that. I think Richmond, Darlington, Kansas, some of those places that we see higher tire wear and the track rubbering up more is worse for that. Yeah, it’s just unfortunate, but you have to do your best to battle out of it.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Berry’s Strong Past Runs at Richmond Suggest Potential for Recovery
Berry’s previous runs at Richmond indicate that a poor qualifying spot may not determine his race outcome. Last year, he started 30th and finished second while driving the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. In Spring 2023, he climbed from 30th to 11th behind the wheel of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, underscoring his ability to navigate traffic successfully on this track.
This season, Richmond Raceway only hosts one race, which limits teams’ opportunities to build extensive data for setup adjustments. Although this scenario could result in unexpected performances, Berry anticipates the racing conditions to remain consistent with previous years, allowing competitors’ experience to play a key role.
“I think it’ll be pretty similar to what we’ve seen in years. And obviously, everybody on our teams and a lot of the industry has a lot of experience there. So, yeah, it’s a little unique, only racing there once, but I don’t think — it’ll be the same old Richmond, I feel like. I don’t think it’ll be too different,”
Berry said. —Josh Berry, Driver
Season Highlights and Playoff Prospects for Berry and No. 21 Team
Berry secured his spot in the playoffs by capturing the 101st win for Wood Brothers Racing at the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas early in the season. Since then, the team has shown speed but has struggled to convert that into consistent top finishes. With three top-10s in 24 races, Berry is still hopeful about the upcoming playoff races, noting the favorable characteristics of the tracks in the first round.
Discussing Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol–the three tracks in the playoff opening round–Berry expressed confidence that the team can maximize their performance given their past strong runs, despite some setbacks caused by incidents and tire failures.
“Yeah, I think all of them — Darlington, we were really solid in the Spring, we unfortunately got into the incident with [Tyler Reddick]. But ran good there last year too in the 4 [car]. Gateway, we had a good race going last year in the 4, but blew a tire. But I really haven’t raced there a lot, but I still feel that it should be a good place for us. And obviously, the Penske cars are really strong there. And then yeah, Bristol, we had a solid race there in the Spring. I feel like we can make our cars better off of what we had there,”
Berry reflected.
“Obviously, there was a lot of debate on if the tires were going to wear, and how they were going to wear, and all of that stuff heading into that race. I feel like we can maximize everything going back. Yeah, I feel like those are three really good opportunities for us. It’s just going to come down to unloading well and executing our weekend, and I think we’ll be in the hunt.”
—Josh Berry, Driver
Looking Ahead: Richmond as a Key Opportunity Before Playoffs Begin
If Berry and the No. 21 team can finish the regular season strong with good results at Richmond and then next weekend at Daytona International Speedway, they will enter the playoffs with momentum and confidence. This could position them as a surprise contender for the championship despite earlier inconsistencies.
Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway presents the immediate challenge. How Berry and the Wood Brothers handle the qualifying disadvantage and execute race strategy will set the tone for their playoff push moving forward.