Notes of Interest
● This Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series will take on Iowa Speedway in Newton for the first time. While the track is new to NASCAR’s premier series, Josh Berry arrives with a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series on his resume at the .875-mile oval surrounded by cornfields. Both came behind the wheel of the No. 8 entry for JR Motorsports, and the first marked his Xfinity Series debut, resulting in a 12th-place finish after qualifying 10th in August 2014. Berry returned for the July 2016 race, qualifying sixth and finishing ninth.
● Last Sunday, Berry took on the serpentine Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway layout for his second Cup Series road-course race in 2024. Berry took advantage of a rare, 50-minute practice session on Friday to learn the track and get into a comfortable rhythm. He started 32nd in Sunday’s race and saw his day come to an early end when he was sidelined with a bent suspension after a lap-36 incident. He was left with a 32nd-place result.
● With just 10 races left in the 2024 Cup Series regular season, Berry and the No. 4 team are ranked 23rd in the standings, 103 points behind Joey Logano in the 16th and final playoff position. Berry is also ranked second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 10 points behind leader Carson Hocevar.
● Overstock.com adorns Berry’s No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Iowa. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Iowa is a new track for the Cup Series. Do you view a more even playing field an advantage or disadvantage for Sunday’s race?
“I think it’s a mix between both, honestly. As a driver, I think it’s nice to have some laps there. Obviously, it is a different scenario this weekend than when I went there with Xfinity, but the interesting part is that a lot of my race team actually hasn’t been there, so they are all excited about that – a little nervous, too, but I am sure we will develop a good plan and go do the best we can like every other week.”
How do you predict the race will go based on your simulator work? Will the tires play a part in the way strategy will be planned?
“The track is going to be unique after they did some patchwork on the track, resurfacing some spots. We will be running hard the whole time, but those repaved spots make the groove unique and a bit of a challenge to set up for. Regardless, it will be interesting and new and the challenge will be fun. I am just excited to get there and see how it feels in practice.”
What other tracks the Cup Series already visits compare to Iowa, and how has that helped you prepare for this weekend’s race?
“I don’t think we can really look at other places since they patched the bottom two or three grooves of the corners, which was a pretty rough area on that track, so all of us will be fighting to get down in those grooves pretty much the whole race. That could be a good thing and could be a bad thing, I just think there are a lot of unknowns, and the simulator can only do so much. We will just have to see how it goes when we get there and adapt when we get some time on the track.”
You have 10 races left in the 2024 Cup Series regular season and are sitting 23rd in the driver points – second in rookie points. What are the expectations for the No. 4 team as you look to close out these races heading toward the playoffs?
“I still feel really confident we can accomplish Rookie of the Year and the next stint of tracks, I think, are really good for our team. It comes down to executing on our plans. We have been running better than we have been finishing, but we have also been able to put it together and show that our group is able to contend. The most recent example was Darlington. We didn’t qualify all that great, but we had a really solid car, solid day on pit road, and came away with a top-five. If we can do that a few more times in the next couple of weeks, I don’t see why we can’t contend for a spot in the playoffs and win Rookie of the Year.”
TSC PR
- Fast Flowdynamics Team Ready for Usac/Cra Race at Perris on Saturday - June 22, 2024
- Michael Christopher, Jr. Wins CBYD Senator’s Cup, Saunders, Hovey, Paradis, & Hydar Score June 21 Weekly Feature Wins at Stafford Motor Speedway - June 22, 2024
- Hull, Tanner Capture Flat Track Wins as USA TODAY 301 Weekend Begins at “The Magic Mile” - June 22, 2024