Josh Berry picks up 1st career Xfinity win
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Josh Berry has worked for several years as a coach for JR Motorsports, working with upand-coming drivers and enjoying their success as their careers developed.
On Sunday, he showed he can do what he tells his pupils to do.
Berry passed star rookie Ty Gibbs with 28 laps to go at Martinsville Speedway and earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in the completion of a race that started Friday night.
“It’s unbelievable, man. It really is,” Berry said, adding that his familiarity with the track from his short-track career was a source of confidence. “It’s really going to take a while to soak this in.”
That was true for Berry, and also for his boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who said on a postrace Zoom call that he was watching the race at home but, “with about 20 to go, I got to where I couldn’t watch it anymore. … I’ve never been so nervous about a finish.”
Earnhardt said he did peek at the TV as the final laps wound down, and once he saw Berry take the white flag with a pretty nice lead, “We cried some happy, happy tears.”
Berry, who has raced in five of the first seven races in the series on a parttime deal with JRM, gave himself enough cushion after getting by Gibbs to withstand challenges by Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric, who ran out of time trying to navigate lapped traffic.
“I had a good gap that allowed me to be patient and not panic,” Berry said.
Berry, making just his 13th career start spread over five seasons and eight years, became the second driver to gain his first Xfinity Series win on the 0.526mile oval, joining Brett Bodine (1985). Berry’s best prior finish was seventh earlier this year at Las Vegas.
“Oh my gosh. I have so many people I could thank, I could be here ’til tomorrow morning,” he said after climbing from his car.