Disappointed. That’s the word that’s been most present on Josh Berry’s mind during the opening stretch of his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season.
It’s no secret it’s been a difficult start to the year for Berry and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing crew. Prior to his 12th-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last Sunday, the highlight was a 20th-place result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 3.
All in all, it’s been a bumpy road for the short-track veteran and former Xfinity Series star, who was surrounded by a shroud of high expectations when he signed with SHR last June.
It began with fuel pumps issues during the Duels at Daytona, continued with issues on pit road during the Daytona 500, speeding penalties at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a spin during qualifying that set him back at Phoenix Raceway
“Each race has been a little different,” Berry said. “I think you can’t have those mistakes. You’ve got to execute each practice session, qualifying session and, to me, I think that’s where I’ve missed it a little bit. I’ve got to clean that stuff up.”
The five-time Xfinity Series race winner doesn’t feel like a top 10 or even a top five is out of reach, but he knows it will take an elevated level of perfection from SHR to get there — and that starts with him.
“I feel like when our car is balanced and driving pretty good it’s fast. The speed is there, so to me, it’s just about learning how to communicate those different pieces to Rodney (Childers, crew chief),” Berry explained.
“When I go out to practice at Phoenix and feel like I’m tight, I don’t know how tight I really am. I don’t know what adjustments we need to make exactly, so just learning that and understanding that stuff, so I can give him better information, is gonna be important.”
Executing each practice and qualifying session was also part of Berry’s new directive, and last Saturday at Bristol, it appeared he took the message to heart. The No. 4 Ford qualified second the .533-mile track, only 0.16 seconds slower than polesitter Ryan Blaney. It was Berry’s best qualifying effort of the season to date.
During his media availability at the Tennessee facility, Berry clarified that the learning process has been starkly different with SHR, compared to the substitute rides he held last season at Hendrick Motorsports and Legacy Motor Club.
“Last year, you’re on borrowed time each race. We didn’t know which race they were coming back or not and we kind of just raced. We didn’t really think about any of that stuff and now whenever you’re trying to build, you build piece by piece into something bigger,” Berry explained.
“This is an important time for all of us right now to learn each other and just do a little better job of that, and I think it’ll come with time.”
His 12th-place finish at Bristol was a small, yet promising, step forward for the No. 4 team.
Up next for the Cup Series is the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Berry’s highest finish at the 3.41-mile road course during his Xfinity Series career was eighth last year.
“Growing up, I didn’t race any road courses, so it’s been a steep learning curve for sure, but it is something I have worked really hard at to be better and I feel like I did get a lot better at it in the Xfinity Series. I am excited to get to field a Cup car and see how it’s different but, at the same time, it’s just more learning and I am sure it will be a challenge,” Berry said.