Josh Berry’s start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series has been difficult, and after four races, he ranks 31st in the standings. The season went off to a great start in Daytona where he finished ninth, but its all gone downhill since then, and Berry has already started showing concerns.
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Wood Brothers Racing has work to do in the coming weeks, and that’s something Berry admitted to ahead of the Las Vegas race on Sunday. , “I mean, I don’t know if it’s full-blown panic, but I mean, even if it is panic mode, what are you going to do about it, really?” he said in a media scrum.
“Like, you just go every week and try to do the best you can and score the most points you can. But yeah, we recognize that we’re in a pretty big hole. Obviously, our goal is to make the chase again like last year. Obviously different format.
“We realize where we have to be stronger than we were last year. And, starting in hole is not ideal, but I mean, I definitely feel like we have the potential,” Berry added.
Following his Daytona outing, Berry suffered DNFs in both Atlanta and Phoenix. His race in Atlanta ended on Lap 81 after a wreck that swept up several cars across the track. At the following event at Circuit of the Americas, he managed to finish the race, though the car spent most of the afternoon buried in the pack. Starting 22nd, Berry fought through traffic and worked his way toward the top 25 with eight laps remaining, but ultimately slipped back to 26th by the time the checkered flag waved.
Trouble struck again at Phoenix Raceway. After contact damaged the front splitter, the team chose to stay out under caution while many others pitted, briefly allowing Berry to lead 13 laps. The strategy unraveled late when another wreck broke out on Lap 254, bringing his day to an abrupt end.
For now, Berry is taking each race as it comes and continues to gain points. His goal is to show speed in practice, qualify near the front, and finish where the car belongs at the end of the races.
Berry expects this season to be better than last year
After the shutdown of Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024, Berry moved to Wood Brothers Racing and found victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his first win in the Cup Series. That run helped carry him into the playoffs, where he wrapped up the year 16th in the standings.
At this stage last season, the #21 driver had already bagged a top-five finish at Phoenix. This year, he has one result inside the top 10 through the opening month. Still, Berry believes the team can regain the tempo that carried them through stretches of the last season.
Looking back, the WBR driver noted that early in the season, the car showed pace at many tracks, but execution slipped. Later in the year, the crew tightened up on pit road and strategy calls, though speed sometimes fell short. Hence, this year, the team aims to bring both sides together.
