DARLINGTON, S.C.: Despite not securing Ford its first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Stewart-Haas Racing demonstrated their resilience by placing two of their cars inside the top five when the checkered flag waved.
Josh Berry, in his first full season of Cup competition, showcased a remarkable progression throughout the race. Despite a challenging qualifying effort, his fast race car allowed him to climb through the field and finish a competitive 17th at the end of Stage 1.
Keeping up with track conditions as the race played out, Berry hovered just outside the top-10 through much of Stage 2 before claiming 12th at the green and white checkered flag, just one position behind teammate Chase Briscoe.
Early into Stage 3, Berry continued to capitalize on track position and a well-balanced Ford Mustang Dark Horse to quietly enter the top-10 shortly after the round of green flag pit stops.
Berry was hovering at the bottom of the top-10 when the race’s final caution waved 39 laps from the finish. A brilliantly executed pit stop following the last caution of the day strategically put Berry in a good track position on the restart with 32 laps to go.
Strategic decisions and a well-coordinated team effort played a pivotal role in Josh Berry’s success. Over the final 30 laps of the race, Berry, with a car that performed best on the long run, was able to make his way into the top five. A collision between leaders Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick, followed by a pit stop under the green flag for flat tires, propelled Berry to third, where he was able to secure his second career Cup top-five finish ahead of Denny Hamlin.
Before his podium finish on Sunday, Berry had earned a season-high 11th-place finish at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in late March. Entering Darlington, Berry, under the guidance of crew chief Rodney Childers, had claimed two straight top-15 finishes at Dover (Del.) and Kansas Speedway, respectively.
“It was just a really good day,” Berry, the top-finishing rookie at Darlington, said after the race. “We had a really good car yesterday in practice. Unfortunately, we didn’t qualify where we should’ve. A lot to take away from that. But overall, the car was really strong.”
With his first top-10 finish of the year behind him, Berry said his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team can perform like the one he had in his second Cup start at the 1.33-mile Darlington Raceway and is encouraged moving forward.
“We know we’re capable of days like this; we just need to keep chipping away at it, keep learning, and keep getting better,” he added. “I have a great group of people around me, and this is a finish they deserve, for sure.”
Berry earned just their second career top-five finish on Sunday. Last season, Berry finished second at Richmond (Va.) Raceway driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, substituting for the injured Chase Elliott.
The performance also elevated Berry from 23rd to 20th in the championship standings, 92 in the arrears to the Playoff cutline currently secured by Briscoe.
Behind Hamlin, Berry’s teammate Briscoe flew under the radar for much of Sunday’s 400-mile race despite qualifying 13th to earn a solid fifth-place finish, 4.245 seconds behind race winner Brad Keselowski.
Honoring his family heritage with a unique “Throwback” paint scheme, Briscoe battled the balance of his race car, especially in dirty air, for most of the race.
As we’ve witnessed throughout his Cup career, adjustments during the third and final stage allowed Briscoe to climb the ladder. The 13th Cup race of the season was no different, allowing Briscoe also to claim his first top-five finish of the season.
While not the strongest in the short run, Briscoe’s car would deliver the strength he needed on a long run allowing him to secure his fifth top-10 finish of the season.
Briscoe also benefited from Reddick and Buescher’s misfortune, gaining two spots on the track over the final eight laps of the race.
“Our car was extremely good on the really, really long runs,” offered Briscoe after the race. “The short run, we kind of gave up too much time. We kind of needed those really, really long runs. It would’ve been interesting to see how the race would’ve played out if it would’ve gone green until the end.”
With just a 30-lap run to the checkered flag at Darlington, Briscoe said he believed he had the fastest car on the track during the extremely long runs of 40 laps or more, but he was proud of the effort from his team for being able to accomplish the finish they did
“We were probably the best car over 40 or so laps, but the race didn’t play out to go with our car,” continued Briscoe, who earned his best Cup finish at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame.”
“Overall, it was a really good weekend for our guys. It was a good day for Stewart-Haas Racing. Just wish we could’ve been four spots better, but after the last two weeks, we needed a really solid run. I’m really happy to see that a Ford won. I wish it would’ve been us, but it’s nice to see a Ford finally win. Now we go to the All-Star Race and see if we can race our way in.”
In 293 laps, Stewart-Haas delivered all four of its cars inside the top 20, with Noah Gragson mounting a respectable 14th-place finish and former Xfinity Series winner Ryan Preece just three spots behind in 13th.
With Ford picking up their first NASCAR National Series victory on Sunday, Stewart-Haas Racing looks to deliver its first since the summer race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway with the now retired Kevin Harvick at the wheel.
Next weekend, the Cup Series will head to the historic North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race. All four SHR drivers will be looking their way into the exhibition way through the All-Star Open or fan vote next weekend.
Championship action returns at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, to kick off the second half of the regular season with the series’ longest race, the Coca-Cola 600.
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
