An interesting moment between Josh Berry and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. under caution came under fire after the checkered flag waved in Iowa Speedway.
Both Berry and Stenhouse Jr. were looking for their first win of 2024, and unlike many of the races this season, they were at the front of the pack, with the chance to get it done. Then, in a surprising twist of fate, Berry ran into the back of Stenhouse Jr. during a caution lap, which just so happened to be before the final restart of the race.
Thankfully, both wheelmen were able to salvage solid finishes out of their evenings, and gain some much-needed points for the stretch run. Still, Berry’s car was damaged a bit during the ordeal, and he answered questions about what happened in that moment while speaking with the media afterward.
“We had an issue with the pad — the door pad, came loose, with the radios in it and everything, and it came loose like, early in the race,” Berry said, via Frontstretch. “We got it taped, and the tape had come loose on it, and I was trying to kind of smash it back in, and hold it in the door, and just got to messing with it, and just ran into the back of Ricky.”
Evidently, Berry was a little distracted coming to the green, and didn’t expect Stenhouse Jr. to check up at the last moment. Many casual drivers on the road know that feeling, as people get rear-ended in a similar fashion every day throughout America.
Alas, it was weird seeing it during a NASCAR Cup Series race though. Nevertheless, Josh Berry and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. still were able to leave Iowa with top-ten finishes, and they’ll look to carry that momentum to New Hampshire this weekend.
Josh Berry: ‘We’re all racing for our jobs’ at Stewart-Haas Racing
Since the news of Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure at the end of the 2024 NASCAR campaign, a fire has been lit under Josh Berry and the No. 4 team.
That was never more evident than during Sunday’s trip to Iowa Speedway. Berry was racing like a bat out of hell, doing everything he could to capture his first since taking his talents to the Cup Series full-time earlier this season. Alas, he couldn’t finish the job, but he did come home with a solid P7 finish.
With his future uncertain and no ride inked for the 2025 season at the moment, Berry recognizes that he needs to continue stacking performances like Sundays if he wants to be considered for a different seat.
“Yeah, I mean, this is more than what we’re capable of,” Berry said, regarding his performance at Iowa versus his performance at Sonoma the week earlier, via Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut. “Honestly, Sonoma — I just made a mistake. That’s as simple as that, right? And those are going to happen. So, tonight is obviously what we’re capable of, and you know, look — the reality is, we’re all racing for our jobs, man. I mean, we are. For me, I don’t know what else I can do, besides win a race, to prove that I can race at this level.
“I really, you know, we’re running up front. We’re doing some really good things. We’ve shown a lot of potential. We’re qualifying better. Racing better. I think that, you know, there’s a lot of good days coming for the No. 4 team.”
If Josh Berry can keep stacking performances like Iowa Speedway, his future will become less murky, as teams will be lining up to hire him. We’ll see if the No. 4 wheelman is able to do so, and change the narrative around his future in the process.
The post Josh Berry explains contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. under caution before final restart appeared first on On3.