Berry Extends Cup Surge With Fourth Straight Top 10

Josh Berry in action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Matthew Thacker/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

By Justin Glenn, SWN Staff Writer

LOUDON, N.H. (Aug. 24, 2026) – A life raft in the NASCAR Cup Series schedule was thrown at the beginning of August for Josh Berry to excel at his ‘bread and butter,’ short track racing.

Three weeks later, he clearly took that opportunity and reminded the masses of how good he can be. 

Everyone knows his situation: out of the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford at the end of 2026. It’s a tough task to endure knowing a career-changing clock is ticking.

However, there’s only one thing Berry can do to pick himself up: perform. 

Berry finished third at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday in the Dollar Tree 301, surviving wet conditions, track changes, and eventual sunshine along the way for his fourth straight top 10 dating back to July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In doing so, Berry became the first Wood Brothers Racing driver since Morgan Shepherd in 1994 to secure four top 10s in a row for NASCAR’s oldest organization. 

“It was a lot of fun. Just great job by these guys,” said Berry. “The car was really solid. [We] managed the rain, drying track, all the different conditions we had to [face in order] stay up front like we did. It was a good day.”

Berry was close to his second career NASCAR Cup Series win, but a slow stage-three pit stop where he slid into his box a little bit too long cost him precious time. It put him back in eighth, and though he drove up to third, it wasn’t enough to catch race winner Ryan Blaney and second place Bubba Wallace. 

“I slid a little long in the last stop. The pit stop was a little slower, too,” said Berry. “I gave up too much track position early [in the final restart with 62 laps to go]. Fought hard to get back through there. That was everything I had. Everything I could do today. It was pretty good, I’ll say that, too.”

Berry came into New Hampshire with a 2.5 career average finish at the ‘Magic Mile.’ He said the track reminded him of the short circuits he grew up racing on. That strong performance didn’t change, as he qualified second. It marked the second straight week Berry started inside the top three. 

The race began on wet weather tires, and Berry excelled by using the top damped groove to perfect balance and make speed. He didn’t burn or shred his wet tires prior to the lap-40 competition caution to change to slicks. 

Once on slicks, Berry took off, using the low lane to finish turns and show aggression. The 35-year-old knew his No. 21 had the pace to be in contention, as he finished fifth in stage one. Berry started the second stage on a two-tire strategy.

After a lap-81 caution for Carson Hocevar and Connor Zilisch, he drove up to second on a restart and passed Ryan Preece for the lead. 

The Hendersonville, Tenn., native led for a period, but ultimately settled in second to Blaney. To start the final stage, crew chief Miles Stanley went back to four tires. A caution fell in between, but Berry took the lead from Wallace twice on ensuing restarts to lead a total of 73 laps.

It’s the most he’s led in a race in his Cup Series career, and most since the Bowman Gray Stadium Clash exhibition weekend on Feb. 4. 

Things went well until Berry’s race-winning chances were lost on the aforementioned lap-227 pit stop.

Berry slid deep into his box, adding precious tenths-of-a-second, in addition to an average tire exchange. He restarted 11th, creating a steep drive back to the lead, causing him to settle for third after a possible win was in store. 

“I don’t know if he [crew chief Miles Stanley] knows this or not, but I was driving my [expletive] off every lap,” Berry said. “It didn’t get much more out of me. Made me overdrive it a couple times. Yeah, I don’t know. I did everything I could, for sure.”

Berry now has three podium finishes, 35 stage points and an average finish of 2.7 at Loudon. He hasn’t started worse than 10th at his statistical best Cup Series track. 

It’s no secret 2026 has been tough. That’s old news pertaining to Berry and the Wood Brothers group. But a month like August is what Berry needs to résumé build as he searches to finalize his 2027 plans. 

Berry had to drive aggressively, rub fenders and ‘close the door’ on gray-area moments on track. But he’s racing for his career, not just points or a championship. 

“I was a little rougher than I wanted to be today, but it just comes down to, I mean, everybody knows the situation I’m in right now,” said Berry. “All these guys I’m racing with have a lot of respect for me. I think they understand the situation that I’m in.”

Next week, Berry will turn to Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway, the regular season finale, but also the great equalizer before the postseason. It provides another opportunity for deep contention.  

Berry has run six races on the Central Florida high banks. He has two straight ninth place finishes, which started at the August summer race a year ago.

There are 11 races left in his Wood Brothers tenure and possibly his Cup Series tenure overall. That’s why strong results don’t hurt while on the hunt for what’s next. 

“If you do it long enough [race clean and build respect], it comes back around. I think in this scenario, they’ll understand,” noted Berry.

Coverage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona is slated for Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.