Josh Berry battles back from spin to finish fifth

LAS VEGAS — A spin in Stage 2 Saturday didn’t derail a Top-5 run for two-time Xfinity Series Las Vegas winner Josh Berry Saturday in the Alsco Uniforms 300.

Berry, who started fifth, rebounded to a fifth-place finish after a single-car spin off of Turn 4 on lap 74.

“We recovered well,” Berry said.

Berry has two consecutive fifth-place finishes and is eighth in points after the first three races.

The JR Motorsports driver is set to fill in for an injured Chase Elliott Sunday at the 1.5-mile speedway in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 entry.

Among the goals for the 32-year-old driver are to run all the laps and get the highest finish possible in his first Cup Series start since 2021.

“I’m trying not to overthink it too much, to be honest,” Berry said. “I think that I have to be realistic. If we try to run a smart race and learn throughout the day, hopefully we can stay on the lead lap,I think we can get a solid finish.”

Berry will start 32nd. The Pennzoil 400 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.