Josh Berry back in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — Legacy Motor Club announced Friday they will have Josh Berry racing its No. 42 Chevrolet at Daytona next Saturday.
Berry will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at the historic 2.5-mile track.
“I can’t thank everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB enough for giving me the opportunity to drive the No. 42 again next weekend at Daytona,” said Berry. “I haven’t driven these cars on a superspeedway yet, but I’ve got great teammates in Erik Jones and Jimmie Johnson that I can lean on throughout the week to be up to speed for Saturday night.”
LMC tabbed Berry to fill in for Noah Gragson at Michigan after his suspension. While Berry’s day ended with a crash after 50 laps, the organization praised his effort.
“Josh stepped in at Michigan and fit in great with the team. He understands the need to work together at superspeedways as a teammate. He can help LEGACY M.C. have a solid points day and contest for the win,” said Joey Cohen, the VP of Race Operations at LMC.
In 2024, Berry will have the honor of replacing Kevin Harvick as he enters retirement. Berry earned the ride, in part, because of his reputation as a sturdy substitute driver.
In 2021, he filled in for Justin Haley at Dover and Corey LaJoie at Michigan.
This year, though, has been a watershed year for Berry.
Berry filled in for Chase Elliott for five races. He finished 10th in his second start with the Gen 7 car – at Phoenix – and second at Richmond.
Then, Berry earned a 10th-place finish in one of his three starts filling in for Alex Bowman. During that stint, Berry advanced from the All-Star Open into the main event.
Saturday at Daytona will be 10th start of the season for Josh Berry.
This weekend at Watkins Glen, Mike Rockenfeller will race the LMC No. 42 Chevrolet. Last weekend at the Indy road course, the sportscar ace finished 24th in the car.
Berry finished 14th at Indy in the NASCAR Xfinity Series after leading two laps. He’ll race his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet again this Saturday at The Glen.
Berry has no wins this season but eight top-5 finishes and 13 top-10s. He also has three playoff points and is in line to earn six more, should he hold his fifth-place spot in the regular-season standings.
If the playoffs started today, Berry would be in the No. 7 seed with nine playoff points. He’d presumptively be three points ahead of current No. 9 seed Jeb Burton to advance to the second round.
