LEBANON, Tenn. — A month after Stewart-Haas Racing announced it would shut down, Josh Berry feels more confident about what his future will hold.
In his first NASCAR Cup Series season, Berry took the reins of SHR’s No. 4 entry after future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick retired. Co-owner Gene Haas will retain one of the organization’s four charters to create Haas Factory Team, an enterprise that will also field two Xfinity Series entries.
That organization will be operated by Joe Custer — father of Xfinity driver Cole Custer — as the president.
But from what Berry understands, he’s not a candidate for the ride.
“Throughout that whole process we heard the rumors of what was going on and whether there was gonna be one charter kept, two charters kept,” Berry said on Saturday. “I read it on the internet, so I assume that I’m not a candidate for that ride and I’ve had no communication there.
“I’m happy that Gene is staying in the sport and continuing that on, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity that I got to come race at Stewart-Haas, but obviously there are things that have happened that they required to make a change and I respect them for that.”
The 33-year-old from nearby Hendersonville has seemingly hit his stride over the last several weeks, posting top-10 finishes in four of the last six races. He led 32 laps two weeks ago at Iowa Speedway and had a chance to win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last week in wet-weather conditions.
The two outliers in that span are DNFs — and certainly not because of pace.
He hopes his recent window of success will prove his worth to Cup owners.
“I feel like our results have been really strong the last couple of months. I don’t really know other than winning a race at this point is the only thing left that I can do,” Berry said. “I really think that whole situation, at least for myself and our team, you find a lot about yourself when your back is against the wall and everybody is performing at a really high level, the highest probably we ever have, and we’re fighting together and I feel like opportunities will come.
“I feel good about having a spot in the Cup Series next year.”
But if he can stay in Cup, will he remain with crew chief Rodney Childers?
“Some days you feel like it’s more possible than others,” Berry said. “I would love to stay with Rodney. I know he feels the same way, but I really can’t say for sure. I think time will tell. There’s been some opportunities out there where maybe that’s possible. There are some other opportunities where we’re not as sure if that’s possible.
“We’re gonna keep trying to provide results on the track like we have been the last couple of months. Having races like we had at Iowa and last week at New Hampshire, I mean, that’s the biggest audition there is. We’re working together well, and the way I look at it, it’s no risk. It’s turn-key. You plug us in there and put the right people around us, we’re gonna run like we do now.”
With eight races remaining in the regular season, Berry is 20th on the playoff grid – 73 points below the cutline. Obviously, a victory is the easiest way into the postseason, and Berry thinks that’s obtainable under certain circumstances.
At the same time, he’s still well within the mix to qualify for the playoffs based on points.
But the way he views it, each race is an audition — something he’s used to with his many years in the late model ranks.
“I’m at my best when my back is against the wall and I have to go out and perform,” he said. “I think we’ve seen that time and time again, and I welcome that and accept that.
“I feel like I deserve a spot racing on Sundays. I think I’ve proved that, and I think that most definitely my journey to get here for sure prepared me for that moment and I’m ready for what’s next.”