Josh Berry and Wood Brothers Racing earned a much-needed good result Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after three weeks of playoff misery.
Berry, who was eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series postseason a week ago, finished second to affiliate teammate Ryan Blaney in the Mobil 1 301. Blaney made the winning pass on Berry with 39 laps to go, the older tires on Berry’s car being the hindrance on the final run. Berry stayed out under the final caution with 48 laps to go to take the lead.
“It was definitely an awesome day,” Berry said. “We had a really good car. Hat’s off to Ryan [Blaney] at the end. All of our cars were really strong, and Ryan did a great job there. I was honestly surprised … I was a little worried when he got around me as quick as he did, but it seemed like it leveled out, and I was able to keep him honest at least at the end.
“All in all, Miles [Stanley], this whole team did a great job. We were down a set of tires after the spin, so I think it kind of forced our hand. We didn’t want to take our last rights, at least that early, with that many laps left, but we still made the most of it. So, just hats off to everybody at Wood Brothers and Team Penske, Motorcraft/Quick Lane … Yeah, it stings to finish second, but after the last couple weeks, it feels really good. This is definitely what we’re capable of, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
Berry finished last in all three playoff races in the first round.
Sunday, he rebounded from another potentially disappointing day when Shane van Gisbergen spun him on lap 82. The incident came after Berry finished fourth in the first stage. It was this incident that put Berry’s team at a disadvantage on a set of tires, which led to them staying out under the final caution.
He finished 10th in the second stage. When the final caution came out, when he did not pit, Berry was running third to teammates Blaney and Logano.
The race restarted for the last time with 42 laps to go, with Berry at the front. Blaney initially gapped his teammate, but Berry rebounded with less than 15 laps to go and began mounting a challenge. The charge ended for good when he washed up in Turn 3 with 12 laps to go.
“I was going to race him, but it’s definitely a tough situation,” said Berry, who averaged an 8.3 running position in the race. “You have to take care of him, right? That’s how I try to race anyway. These restarts and stuff, I try to do the best I can and be smart, and it’s tough out there sometimes. I was going to race him hard but clean.”