● The opening round of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs wraps up Saturday night at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and while Josh Berry missed this year’s playoffs, the 33-year-old rookie remains very much in contention for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year crown. “The Last Great Colosseum” is expected to be a competitive track for the driver of the No. 4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse. A native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Berry narrowly missed qualifying on the pole in his Cup Series debut on his home-state track’s concrete surface last March. From his second starting spot, he persevered through challenging tire-wear issues that affected the racing throughout the field that day, finishing 10th in the opening stage on his way to taking the checkered flag 12th.
● Berry has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start on Bristol’s concrete surface. Best of his Xfinity Series outings was a seventh-place finish in September 2022, driving for JR Motorsports. His lone Truck Series start there resulted in an 11th-place finish in September 2021, driving for the Rackley W.A.R. team.
● Berry started racing go karts in and around his hometown of Hendersonville at age eight before making the move to Legends cars in 2006, scoring race wins and track championships over the next three years at his hometown Nashville (Tenn.) Fairgrounds Speedway.
● Berry first made a name for himself on short tracks, climbing the ranks to earn his seat in the Cup Series by dominating at the grassroots level. During his days driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as part of the JR Motorsports Late Model program, Berry amassed an impressive 95 victories in his 262 starts with the team, with 189 top-fives and 219 top-10s. He was also the NASCAR Weekly Series champion in 2020, finishing every race but one inside the top-10 that season.
● Crew chief Rodney Childers knows what it takes to compete at short tracks. Growing up in the Late Model world before he climbed out of the driver’s seat and began his career as a shot-caller. As a Cup Series crew chief, Childers has tallied two Bristol wins – August 2016 and September 2020, both with Kevin Harvick at the wheel. The 48-year-old also has collaborated on 10 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s, and has seen his drivers complete all but four of 35 Cup Series starts at Bristol.
● Bed Bath & Beyond adorns Berry’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Bristol. 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
This weekend, the same tire compound will be used from the spring Bristol race. What do you expect this weekend, and what did you learn in the spring race that you think might help you?
“I think our group is really adaptable and can react well, and we saw that in the spring. When our team saw how the tires wore out faster and knew we were basically having to rework our strategy, Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and all the guys did a really good job of getting to work quickly and putting together a new plan that was really effective and gave me a car that drove through the field. As a group, we are just staying open-minded to the fact that the race may play out the same as the spring, or maybe totally different – it’s just too early to make that call.”
How important is qualifying this weekend, knowing the tire situation is in a way unknown?
“Having track position to start the race is important and, as a result, getting a good pit stall helps, too. Being able to keep the car clean at a chaotic place and making everyone’s life easier on pit road just takes a couple of variables out of the equations and that’s what it takes to run well at Bristol. Being able to limit the chance for mistakes and maximizing the weekend starts with getting a good starting position for Sunday.”
Is there a benefit to saving tires early, or is track position paramount at Bristol?
“It kind of depends on where you start the run. Like, if you are up front, you are going to have to find a balance of speed, but also saving some tires to get the most out of the run. If you are further back, you can save harder and try to make a run later in that stint. It is really hard to say, too, with how the race in the spring unfolded. I think it will be situational and depends a lot on our strategy, but we had a really good car in the spring and I am confident that our team will build another fast No. 4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse and we can go try to maximize our day and contend for a win. We are more than capable; we just need to put together a complete day.”
● Event: Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Round 29 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 21
● Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: .533-mile, concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 500 laps/266.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 125 laps / Stage 2: 125 laps / Final Stage: 250 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
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