On one hand, the 2025 season was a hit for Josh Berry, in that it produced his first Cup Collection victory and for the Wooden Brothers no much less. Then again, there have been additionally stretches the place quite a bit was left on the desk and left them questioning what may have been.
Particularly, the enduring No. 21 was amongst the quickest in your complete discipline within the first spherical of the playoffs, however Berry additionally suffered by three consecutive final place finishes en path to an abrupt elimination.
Berry began third within the Southern 500 however bottomed out on the primary lap and spun into the wall. The following week at Gateway, he was spun by Chase Elliott working close to the entrance of the sphere after which caught hearth from tire rubber build-up within the Bristol Night time Race.
However once more, they received a race of their first season working collectively, and confirmed the potential for what may very well be a profitable mixture within the years to return.
“I’m excited for it,” Berry mentioned on Wednesday throughout a Wednesday media availability. “I agree that there have been a number of positives in our efficiency final 12 months. There have been loads of races the place the end didn’t point out the kind of day we had, in order that’s been our focus is wanting by a few of that stuff and making an attempt to determine what we may do higher and put ourselves in higher positions to get the finishes we deserve. …
“That is actually the primary 12 months since I’ve been in Cup or Xfinity that I’ve actually had the identical group two years in a row. That made the low season really feel totally different since I’ve already been working with these guys and understanding them, and never establishing that communication, so I feel that needs to be a constructive as properly and we’re able to get to the Conflict.”
Josh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing Ford
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Pictures
With the tempo and efficiency there, to not point out having vehicles that come out of the Staff Penske store, Berry views 2026 extra about execution than discovering pace. In any case, that’s what derailed their championship run, but additionally costing them the prospect at one other couple of wins.
“I feel we sat down early within the offseason and sort of broke it down and checked out every race,” Berry mentioned. “It’s quite a lot of issues. It’s points on pit street. There have been a few dashing penalties over the course of the 12 months. Clearly, that stuff you must clear up. Points on pit street with penalties. Mechanical issues. We had a few these alongside the way in which.
“I feel the largest factor is simply wanting on the decision-making in the direction of getting to those races possibly is the largest factor. I feel you’re higher off to take a prime 10 than possibly put your self in a nasty spot that might lead to it, however, actually, the important thing to that’s not one thing that I don’t assume any of us actually know. Clearly, you’ve acquired to exit and race exhausting and battle for each spot, and simply sort of studying with expertise and making an attempt to verify we get the finishes we deserve. However the largest factor, I feel, is simply limiting your errors. Like I mentioned, we had a handful of these over the course of the 12 months and hopefully we will clear these up and get the finishes we should always.”
The consistency will have to be there, as a result of not like the win and in you’re in championship format, merely profitable a race is not going to be sufficient to complete contained in the top-16. The Chase for the Championship would require ending top-16 in factors by the top of the common season.
“I feel that clearly it’s a unique format, however first time winners and first wins on this sport have all the time been one thing which can be actually widespread and make for nice tales,” Berry mentioned. “There’s no motive that the playoff format altering ought to change the sensation that you simply get from when you may have a first-time winner or an underdog story kind of deal – sort of like we had been final 12 months. Now it doesn’t embrace an computerized berth into the playoffs or the Chase, but it surely’s nonetheless an amazing story. There are going to be a number of storylines evolve all through the season and as that adjustments, counting on consistency slightly bit extra might be going to place the perfect guys within the Chase on the finish of the 12 months. As a workforce, we really feel slightly extra strain going into this understanding that we’ve acquired to execute week in and week out and, to me, that’s not a nasty factor.”
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