MARTINSVILLE, VA :: Josh Berry hopes this is his Late Model swan song.
In a perfect world, the 25-year-old JR Motorsports driver will have advanced to the NASCAR Xfinity Series or Camping World Trucks by the start of Daytona Speedweeks. After all, he’s done nearly everything there is to do in the short track world.
He’s the all-time wins leader in CARS Tour competition and has earned track championships at both Motor Mile Speedway and Hickory Speedway. But one trophy has eluded him — Martinsville.
“I think this would complete it,” Berry said. “For what our goals are with this team, we’re not going to race for a national championship. We’re not going to race 50 times a year. We’re going to race 20-25 times and this is probably the best way to end my time as a full-time Late Model driver.”
Berry has enjoyed a remarkable season, winning four times in CARS Tour competition and a handful of times in weekly action at Hickory. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is hoping to secure the funding needed to supply his friend and protege a full-time deal at the highest levels of the sport.
He has finishes of ninth and 13th in the NXS No. 88 at Iowa and Kentucky respectively. But again, Martinsville is the goal this weekend and a grandfather clock wouldn’t hurt his efforts to attract the partners he needs.
“I feel like we’re pretty good,” Berry said after qualifying ninth on Saturday. “We unloaded good. I thought we had a good test last week. I feel like we made some good changes afterwards. I thought we unloaded as one of the fastest cars. It was a good day and we’ll see what we have tomorrow.”
Berry spent much of last year’s race in the top-10 but was involved in a crash in the closing laps. Much like his boss, Earnhardt, Berry has grown attached to this place and wants to win a grandfather clock. He wants to win one for himself but wants to celebrate a win here much like Earhardt did back in 2014.
“This would be awesome for Dale,” Berry said. “I was here celebrating after he won here a few years ago so I know how much this means to him. He wants this race badly and I want to give it to him. That’s why we’re here.”
Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.
