MARTINSVILLE, Va.—Josh Berry predicted that the short tracks would allow the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team to shine.
And he did just that with top-15 results at Bristol Motor Speedway and a season-high 11th last weekend at Richmond Raceway.
But Berry brought a different type of glow to Martinsville Speedway where he qualified seventh in a golden livery on his Darkhorse Mustang—commemorating Mobil 1’s 50th anniversary.
“We had a good day today,” said Berry, after establishing his best effort in time trials since starting on the front row at Bristol. “The car is good. We had a solid run and starting in the top 10 is a good day for us. I felt like I slipped a little bit into turn one on the second lap, which hurt us. As close as it is, that was probably the difference.
“Overall it was a great day and I am proud of the guys. We will keep working on it. We have a good starting spot for tomorrow and we have a good Mustang. We just need to go race and execute and have a good solid day on pit road. You never know what can happen.”
In 2023, while subbing for the sidelined Chase Elliott, Berry drove the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a career-best second-place result. Not surprisingly, Berry was solid at Richmond again. Despite qualifying 30th on Saturday, the 33-year-old rookie finished ninth in stage 1, second in stage 2 and was running in the top 10 prior to a late-race caution.
The 11th-place finish elevated Berry to 23rd in the Cup standings and atop the rookie-of-the-year battle by nine points over Carson Hocevar.
Clearly, the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords unloaded quicker at Martinsville Speedway. Berry’s teammate Chase Briscoe qualified fifth—a season-best and the first time since Daytona that two SHR Mustangs will start in the top 10.
“I think it should be another good opportunity for us to build on the success we’ve had at the short tracks this year,” Berry said. “Martinsville has been a good place for me in the past.
“I feel like if we can continue to carry the momentum we have had at some of the other short tracks this year, there’s no reason we can’t contend for a win.”
While the Cook Out 400 will be his first Cup start at the .526-mile oval, Berry has enjoyed tremendous success here in the Xfinity Series. His first NXS victory came on the paper clip-shaped track in 2021. In six NXS starts at Martinsville, Berry has three top fives.
“One of the things I learned really early on was just having patience,” Berry said. “There are so many situations where you can get into trouble early in the race and just having the patience to keep the car clean and be smart because those races are just so long.
“This weekend will be the longest race I have run there by far, so having the patience and discipline to be smart early will help me and the No. 4 team work our way through the race and hopefully be there at the end.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
