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Josh Berry Advances To Round Of 8 With Solid Charlotte ROVAL Finish

by Hunter Thomas October 9, 2022 0 comments

CONCORD, N.C. – Josh Berry spent years competing in Late Model Stock Cars, and now in his first fulltime season competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he’s advancing to the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Playoffs.

On Saturday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, the JR Motorsports driver locked himself into the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs after finishing eighth in the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina. He didn’t quite enter the race as a bubble driver, but he certainly wasn’t safe with any result. Berry started the race in 14^th, but he quickly made his way to the top-10, finishing out Stage 1 in ninth. In Stage 2, he finished seventh, and then in the final stage he avoided all of the late-race chaos to earn his 19^th top-10 finish of the season.

“We were luckily in a pretty good spot,” Berry said. “We knew what we needed to do. We knew we were going to take stage points, no matter how many it was and just try to survive, and a lot of those times, that’s what this race turns into at the end. You’ve just got to try to just make it to the end, and put yourself in smart positions. I think I’ve done a really good job with that I feel like at the road courses. I think we’ve had some good results, so we’ll have to build on it.”

Obviously being a Playoff contender, Berry and his No. 8 team have been stout this season competing for wins. So far this season, he won at Dover in April and at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. He has also spent all but two race weekends in either fourth or fifth in the standings. That’s quite impressive for a first full season. Looking ahead to the Round of 8, Berry has won at two of the three tracks. In 2021, he captured his first series win at Martinsville Speedway, and then just before the season ended, he won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Berry is really excited to get the Round of 8 underway, and he believes that he and his team can get the job done.

“It has been awesome,” Berry said. “We’ve had a solid season, first fulltime season in the Xfinity Series. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. We’ve survived this first round, we knew that’s what we needed to do, and it has been solid. I’m excited for what we have in front of us. With Vegas and Martinsville, those were my two wins last year, so that gives us a little bit of extra confidence. We’re excited to get there.”

Berry is a driver who stays close to his roots. While his focus is on winning this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series title, Berry is hoping to compete in the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park, November 25-27, which is after the NASCAR Xfinity Series season. The Late Model Stock Car race is paying $50,000 to-win, and it’s slated to attract the most competitive asphalt grassroots drivers in the country.

“Hopefully the Thanksgiving Classic,” Berry said. “That’s all I have on my radar right now.”

The Round of 8 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs will get underway on Saturday, October 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Live coverage will broadcast on NBC and PRN at 3 p.m.  ET.