Josh Berry has shown great performance recently behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford of Wood Brothers Racing. Along with the rest of the Team Penske crew, with whom they share a close alliance, Berry is looking to finish his 2026 season on a high note.
However, Berry’s situation is quite complicated. The 35-year-old driver is in a race to save his position, as Wood Brothers Racing plans to replace him with Jesse Love in 2027. This pressure has led him to compete with higher intensity, a fact he has acknowledged on several occasions.
Berry has stated: ‘As I have said in recent weeks, I am not doing anything different. Maybe today I was a little more aggressive than usual for me.’ This change in focus is due to the need to prove his worth to NASCAR team owners.
In one of the most recent races, Berry made a bold move against Bubba Wallace while battling for the lead, and led 73 laps in New Hampshire, his personal best in a single Cup race. ‘The truth is we have had better cars and, honestly, better luck,’ added Berry, who has achieved four consecutive top ten finishes, a record not seen in this team for 32 years.
After starting second, Berry finished third in New Hampshire, following his positions of eighth in Richmond, fourth in Iowa, and seventh in the Brickyard 400. These performances give him hope in his search for a new contract while preparing for an intense season finale.
Berry is the first Wood Brothers Racing driver to achieve four consecutive top ten results since Morgan Shepherd in 1994, a statistic he will surely want to highlight in his résumé during his search for a new future in NASCAR.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
