NEWTON, Iowa—Just about the time that Josh Berry found his groove in the NASCAR Cup Series, Stewart-Haas Racing announced it was shutting down at season’s end.
On Sunday at Iowa Speedway, Berry and the No. 4 Rodney Childers-led team proved the setback would not slow their progress.
Berry led a career-best 32 laps in the Iowa Corn 350 en route to the third top-10 result of his rookie season.
“I thought we had a really good race and a really good car,” said Berry, who finished seventh. “To score stage points like we did, we had some great restarts in there and just that last restart didn’t really go our way. We lost a little bit of track position and just could never get it back.
“But, all in all, just really proud of everybody on the 4 team. They did a great job. That was a lot of fun, for sure. We’re going to keep digging to keep getting better.”
Berry’s third-place qualifying effort was his best result in time trials since he started second at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. The team made the most of their pit selection and track position throughout the race.
Berry maintained a top-five presence over the first 70 laps and finished fifth at the end of Stage 1. While the top two drivers—race winner Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson stayed out—others pitted along with Berry. He restarted 15th and cycled back to second-place to end the second stage.
On Lap 220, Larson, who had led a race-high 80 laps, was collected in a multi-car wreck involving Daniel Suarez and Denny Hamlin. When the race restarted eight laps later, Berry grabbed the lead from Chris Buescher. His advantage was short-lived as Buescher grabbed the point on the next circuit.
Berry remained in the hunt and regained the lead on Lap 232. His 31 circuits out front ended when Buescher developed a tire issue and slapped the wall in Turn 1.
Following pit stops, Blaney captured the lead with a two-tire call. Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., adopted the same strategy and lined up second and third, respectively. William Byron, the first driver on four tires, lined up fourth. Suarez and Berry, both on four tires, restarted fifth and sixth.
Before the race returned to green on Lap 267—the longest green-flag run of the final stage—Berry tagged the back of Stenhouse’s car under yellow and slightly damaged the nose on the No. 4 Ford.
“We had a little issue in the car with the padding on the door,” Berry said. “I got to messing with it and that’s kind of how it happened. Definitely, frustrating. It just goes to show you sometimes it’s just inches in this game. I wish I could have that back. It probably hurt the car a little bit, but being mired fifth, sixth, seventh (in traffic) was probably worth more than the damage.”
Another factor appeared to be the ability to restart on four new tires. Several drivers struggled to get enough heat in the rubber with all slicks to get a solid launch for the last run. Still, Berry has a lot to be grateful for with his seventh-place run.
“We were the leader coming to the last pit stop,” Berry said. “You start to wonder, ‘What if? Could this be the night?’ But I feel like we’re proving ourselves over and over again. Not every race is going to be perfect. I still have a lot of experience to gain at this level.
“But like I’ve said, we’re all racing for our jobs. I don’t know what more I can do to prove myself short of winning a race. And I think that’s possible—which is pretty cool.”
Berry remains grateful for the opportunity. He embraces each race as a chance to improve his craft.
“I feel good about what we’re doing. I really do,” Berry said. “There are a lot of great tracks coming up for us. We’re doing all the right things. We’re qualifying better. We’re putting races together better. I don’t think we’re going to be perfect every week, but I’m learning a lot. I’m getting better.
“You never know. It might take the perfect night, but we can win a race and that’s pretty cool for being a rookie.”
Despite the continued growth of the No. 4 SHR team—a crew that enjoyed tremendous success for a decade with Cup champion Kevin Harvick behind the wheel—it’s bittersweet for Berry to realize what could have been.
“We’re all just trying to figure out what’s next,” Berry said. “It’s only going to get harder and harder. It’s only going to get harder. Our weeks are filled with more of ‘What does the future look like rather than what does next week look like?’
“It’s just going to get harder. But these guys are professionals. Rodney is a great leader. They’re top-notch and great at what they do. We just have to keep after it week after week and let it come together when it does.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
