Berry settles for third after slow final stop in New Hampshire

Josh Berry left it all on the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but a small pit road gaffe may have been the difference in securing a resume-boosting win.

Berry was among the frontrunners during the final stage of Sunday’s Dollar Tree 301 when a crashing Riley Herbst and Connor Zilisch on lap 225 brought out the caution flag. The No. 21 team called Berry to pit road for a four-tire stop — a move that would cost him track position with others taking two, but position Berry to go on offense for the final run to the finish.

The plan was sound. Unfortunately, the execution was mixed.

Berry admitted that he “slid a little long” into the box. A slow stop followed, hampered by issues on the left-front tire. In the end, the collective setback dropped Berry to 11th, five spots behind Bubba Wallace, who led all drivers on the four-tire strategy.

That proved to be the difference. Berry had the quickest car on the final run and mounted a spirited charge through the field, drawing within 1.9s of eventual winner Ryan Blaney at race’s end. But he ran out of time, ultimately settling for a hard-fought third.

“We just gave up too much track position early,” Berry said.

“I fought hard to get back through there, man. That was everything I had … Everything I could do today.”

Eager for redemption after falling just short of victory at the track in 2025, Berry returned to the Magic Mile desperate to win and showcase his worth to NASCAR’s top teams. Unlike one year ago, when the sting of a loss was the only pain to endure, Berry is now racing with the added pressure of uncertainty over a ride for 2027.

The Tennessean was confirmed not to be returning to Wood Brothers Racing in June and has been outspoken about a lack of any guaranteed offers for next season. His best chance to secure an opportunity is to deliver on-track results and prove himself too good to ignore.

Berry’s made a compelling case for himself over the past month, notching finishes of seventh, fourth and eighth entering New Hampshire - all the best results of his entire season to date. He looked the part again through the weekend on the one-mile oval, qualifying second and navigating a chaotic, wet-to-dry affair to score a top-five.

“[It was a] great job by these guys,” Berry said. “The car was really solid. To manage the rain, the drying track and all the different conditions we had. To stay up front like we did was a good day.”

The road to that good day wasn’t always simple or clean. Feeling the desperation to deliver a strong result, Berry admittedly got his elbows out and muscled out more than one of his competitors over the course of the race.

Given his position and preceding reputation, the 35-year-old hopes his rivals will understand.

“I was a little rougher than I wanted to be today,” Berry said. “But it just comes down to [circumstances]. Everybody knows the situation that I’m in right now. All these guys I’m racing with right now have a lot of respect for me, and I think they understand the situation that I’m in.

“It’s time to go. If you do it long enough it comes back around. But I think in this scenario, they’ll understand.”