Getty Josh Berry before 2024 Daytona 500.
Josh Berry joined Stewart-Haas Racing at what is undeniably a low point in the organization’s history, the 2023 season absent of a single win from all four drivers. Unsurprisingly, there’s been criticism from fans and the media.
The 33-year-old driver, who earned five NASCAR Xfinity Series wins in almost three full seasons with JR Motorsports, said in an exclusive interview with Heavy that he’s heard the noise from the outside about the team’s struggles, and believes much of it is unwarranted.
@joshberry says @StewartHaasRcng and @NoahGragson have received an “unfair” rap and been victims of the “piling-on” mentality.
“I don’t think that the rap that Stewart-Haas Racing is getting is necessarily fair, right?” Berry suggested. “Like they’ve had a tough year, but even with Kevin’s (Harvick) season last year, Kevin was in contention to win a lot of races, including his last one.
“And I just don’t necessarily feel like it’s all fair. I think in this day and age, people just want to pile on somebody that’s down and enjoy doing that. You take Noah (Gragson), for example, right? I mean, Noah is a great example. Obviously, him coming in and being a teammate.
“Like six months ago, everybody wanted Noah gone and were running him through the mud every chance they got. And now he runs sixth this weekend, has a great weekend and everybody’s excited for him. So for us, we’re looking forward to the day when we go back to Victory Lane and everybody’s going to be fans of us again.”
Josh Berry Talks About Brad Keselowski Flipping Him Off at Las Vegas
As a rookie, Josh Berry is still learning the Next Gen car. He’s still learning how to race his fellow Cup competitors.
During the March 3 Las Vegas race, fellow competitor Brad Keselowski was not happy with the SHR rookie and let him know about it displaying NASCAR’s universal sign of displeasure, the middle finger. The driver asked his team about the No. 6’s bird usage over the radio.
“He wanted you to let him go by,” spotter Eddie D’Hondt informed his driver. “And I told TJ (Majors) next to me, we’re not going to just let you go by. We’re racing.”
“He was running the top and I was running the bottom,” Berry replied over the radio. “I mean, just f****** go by if that’s what you want. I don’t know any of these guys. F*** them.”
Asked about that scenario, Berry said it’s all part of a learning experience for him.
@joshberry talks about his run-in with @keselowski at Las Vegas and the conversation he had with @Tjmajors about why the @RFKracing driver/co-owner flipped him off.
“It was an interesting exchange,” he admitted. “It’s kind of funny because TJ Majors spots for Brad, and he spotted for me last year. So, actually, I talked to TJ for a while yesterday. I just tried to understand, or kind of find out exactly what the scenario was from their eyes.
“And, I took some stuff away from that, right? You’re learning these guys racing with them, you know, and I think building that relationship and it’s just getting this – like I said, I don’t know Brad, right?
“But obviously Brad was expecting me to – basically wanted me to more or less let him go. And I think the message that was relayed back to me is that you know, one day they feel like that the role is going to be reversed and I’m going to get repaid the favor.”
Berry Reveals Similarities Between Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart
When Josh Berry reflects on his career years from now, he’ll be able to say he drove for two of the biggest names in NASCAR history, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and now Tony Stewart. Although he’s now working with his second Hall of Famer in a totally different organization, the driver revealed one of the reasons for the success of both teams is due to their similar racing philosophy, which he’s reminded of before he straps into his car each Sunday.
“I think, believe it or not, I feel like their approach and their pointers that they give you before the race, they’re actually kind of similar,” he said. “Tony and Dale, they’re both always like, ‘Hey man, just do your thing. Be patient. Be there at the end.’
“That’s the age-old saying, right? And it’s so important in these days. I mean, they know how long these Cup races are and so much that can happen in them.”
So much can happen in them. Like upsetting another driver and getting the bird. Or, struggling and hearing it from the fans. But it’s all part of the job. And you can tell by the way Josh Berry talks about it, he recognizes that this is an opportunity of a lifetime and he’s going to do whatever he possibly can to make it a success.