● The NASCAR Cup Series has two remaining road course races in the 2024 season, with the historic Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International next up on the schedule. The field will tackle the serpentine 2.45-mile layout during Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen. For Josh Berry, who is contending for 2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors, he will make his debut at the track in NASCAR’s premier series in Sunday’s event. The 33-year-old driver has two starts at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, his best finish of ninth earned in August 2022 for JR Motorsports after starting 17th and finishing the second stage in seventh. Berry’s second Xfinity Series appearance at Watkins Glen came in August 2023, when he started seventh and finished 20th.
● Sunday marks crew chief Rodney Childers’ 16th start at Watkins Glen in NASCAR’s premier series. The veteran shot caller’s drivers have accounted for one top-five finish and five top-10s at The Glen. Best of those came in August 2015 with former No. 4 driver Kevin Harvick driving to a third-place finish after starting fourth and leading 29 laps.
● The No. 4 team will employ multiple spotters Sunday led by the team’s primary set of eyes in the sky, Eddie D’Hondt, who will be working in front of his home state crowd. D’Hondt hails from Long Island, New York, five and a half hours from the road course that helped fuel his passion for motorsports. The No. 4 spotter joined Stewart-Haas Racing ahead of Berry’s rookie campaign after the two worked together when Berry filled in for an injured Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports entry last year. During his tenure at Hendrick, D’Hondt collaborated on 18 Cup Series victories and the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship with the No. 9 team after spotting for four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.
● With nine races remaining in the 2024 Cup Series season, Berry and the No. 4 team are competing for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title. Currently ranked 24th overall and second in the rookie standings, Berry looks to close a 23-point gap to fellow rookie Carson Hocevar in the remaining events. Since Berry is not in the playoffs, his best possible points finish this season is 17th, and he is currently 204 markers behind current 17th-ranked driver Ross Chastain.
● Bed Bath & Beyond adorns Berry’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at The Glen. The partnership celebrates Bed Bath & Beyond as the ultimate online destination for home essentials, featuring an unmatched assortment for every room of the house. Whether it’s your kitchen, bedroom, outdoor space or bathroom, Bed Bath & Beyond has what you need to create a space that feels uniquely yours. From cookware and bedding to bath accessories and beyond, Bed Bath & Beyond is your go-to source for functional and stylish home essentials.
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse
When preparing for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen, how much does it help to use Ford’s simulator to get laps under your belt before hitting the track this weekend?
“Having access to the Ford simulator ahead of a road course is really helpful, at least for me, in finding the rhythm and learning how the course flows together. It’s hard to get acclimated fast with how short our practice sessions are, so having access to that tool provides me a way to get semi-used to the way the track feels in terms of the rhythm. Obviously, we can try other setup options and try to find speed – those are the two biggest things in my opinion.”
How challenging is it to go to new tracks in the NextGen car and, when you have a new track to go to, how are you able to redefine success each week?
“It’s always going to be a challenge to go to a new track in the Cup Series. The level of competition is just so high and these guys, for the most part, have more experience on these tracks than I do, so it’s hard when I am behind the eight ball most weeks. But I have a really experienced team around me and teammates to lean on with what they feel in practice and how to navigate some of the obstacles I am facing in my rookie season, all of which shortens my learning curve. For our team this weekend, a clean, mistake-free race is a successful trip to Watkins Glen.”
Of the road courses the NASCAR circuit goes to, where do you feel Watkins Glen ranks in difficulty for you personally, and how do you carry lessons from one track to another?
“Watkins Glen is a really fast road course and one that most people have experience at in some level of competition, so it’s one where, for me, you feel more comfortable heading to. COTA is hard for me and that ranks, in my opinion, the hardest one we go to. But all of them are tough just coming from a short-track background and not making a ton of laps turning left and right. There is going to be an adjustment period for a while for me and I understand that.”
● Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 28 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 15
● Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
● Layout: 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
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