● The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday to kick off the 2024 playoffs. But for Josh Berry, this 1.54-mile superspeedway-like oval is grounds for redemption. In his second points-paying race in his rookie campaign earlier this spring, the 33-year-old driver qualified 14th for the Ambetter Health 400. Berry, who at the time had limited seat time in the NextGen car, maneuvered to eighth place by lap 250, eyeing a top-10 finish to kick off the season when he was collected in an on-track incident that ended his day early. He finished 29th. Berry also has cut laps in the Next Gen car at Atlanta in March 2023 when he filled in for an injured Chase Elliott. In that race – his second time ever in the NextGen car – he started 21st and managed to gain three spots before the checkered flag waved. While most would not consider this a significant gain, it does show that Berry has experience drafting and racing the new car on the new layout.
● While Berry is not in the running for the 2024 playoff race, he is still eligible to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title and the race for the crown is as close as ever. Berry is currently 11 points behind rookie points leader Carson Hocevar. Berry’s ninth-place finish in the first stage and seventh-place result in the second stage last Sunday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway helped him narrow the gap to Hocevar.
● Berry made six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta with JR Motorsports prior to earning a promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. In that stepping-stone division to the elite Cup Series, Berry tallied one top-five finish (runner up in July 2022 after starting second in that race) and two top-10s. Additionally, Berry earned an average starting position of 11.2.
● Rodney Childers will dive deep into his notebook for Atlanta, preparing for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race. Childers has tallied two wins, five top-five finishes, nine top-10s, and 1,123 laps led. In fact, in Childers’ first race with former No. 4 driver Kevin Harvick, the duo won the pole position. That pairing found victory lane in 2018 after leading 181 circuits at the old layout. Just two year later, Childers and Harvick found their winning combination again and led 151 laps in that event.
● This weekend, the No. 4 team brings aboard a new partner – Decisely – with a unique twist on what it means to be a teammate. Kevin Dunn, CEO of Decisely and Robert “Cheddar” Smith, car chief of the No. 4 team, met after a bass fishing event with Decisely Chairman Wally Smith, and quickly bonded. Decisely sponsors Bassmaster Elite rookie Bryant Smith, and their friendship eventually led to a partnership with Berry. Dunn appreciated the parallels between racing and bass fishing, where, with the crucial support of a team, it falls on an individual’s shoulders to claim victory. This resonated deeply with Dunn, as it mirrors the independent spirit of the business owners served at Decisely – driven individuals who, much like racers and anglers, are committed to achieving success through their own determination and grit.
● Decisely is a technology-based employee benefits and HR services platform focused on helping small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. By providing comprehensive benefits solutions, HR management tools, and expert advisory services, Decisely enables businesses to attract and retain top talent while driving growth and success. Decisely proudly serves franchise and association businesses from NAPA, FedEx, The Society of Collision Repair Specialists, Tire Pros, Amazon and more. For more information about Decisely and its services, visit www.decisely.com.
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Decisely Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Atlanta is a track where you have had speed in the NextGen car, but the results don’t reflect that. What have you been able to learn in a short amount of time to get you comfortable there?
“I think it has a lot to do with Rodney (Childers) and this No. 4 team helping me with good Ford Mustang Dark Horse racecars, the experience they have as a team, and just getting seat time. Obviously, heading to Atlanta for the first time, I didn’t have a ton of experience, but coming off of the Daytona 500 and racing in a similar style with the draft, it wasn’t as hard of a transition as it might have been if we had a road course or short track the week prior. I can’t say it enough, this team is just really strong from top to bottom and I am super proud of all of them and how hard they work each and every week to get me ready to compete on Sundays”
Decisely is on the car this weekend, a local company with a close tie to the No. 4 team and Robert “Cheddar” Smith. What does that mean to you?
“It’s a really cool opportunity to see one of Cheddar’s friends get involved and want to support myself and the whole team. It’s not very often that you get to have a relationship that is so close to the team like this one is, so to be able to get to meet the great folks at Decisely, see their colors and branding on the No. 4 car, and try to get them to victory lane is really neat. I am excited to vie for a win this weekend and I would love to celebrate with friends of the No. 4 team.”
What are your expectations heading to Atlanta this weekend?
“Honestly, I just want to put together a complete race. It feels like recently, we have been clean on pit road, had good strategy, and worked well as a team and then something has taken us out of contention. So, for me, I want to just continue to maximize our effort, stay true to our process, and put together a clean and complete race. If we do that, I think we can be competitive for a lot of the last 10 races this season.”
● Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 27 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 8
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
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