JOSH BERRY
Texas Advance
No. 4 Miner Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Event Overview
● Event: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (Round 9 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 14
● Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● Josh Berry will take on the 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for the first time in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks during Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The 33-year-old rookie has enjoyed success on other intermediate tracks, scoring three of his five NASCAR Xfinity Series victories on 1.5- mile ovals, twice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (fall 2021 and 2022 races) and once at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (spring 2022), all under the JR Motorsports banner. He led a combined 192 of 602 possible race laps in those three victories.
● Berry showed speed at his second consecutive short-track race last Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where the driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing started seventh and finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the opening two stages. A loose tire penalty during a green-flag pit stop in the final stage forced Berry to serve a drive-through penalty, relegating him to the tail of the field and left him with a disappointing 25th-place result. However, the valuable stage points he earned in the first two stages helped Berry maintain his lead over his three fellow Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders.
● Crew chief Rodney Childers climbs atop the pit box for the 33rd time in the Cup Series at Texas and brings a wealth of notes on the 1.5-mile layout. Childers’ drivers have amassed four pole positions, three Cup Series wins, 11 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s, an average start of 13.3 and an average finish of 14.3 at Texas. The most recent win for Childers came in November 2019, when former No. 4 driver Kevin Harvick won the pole position, the first stage, and led 119 of the 334 laps.
● On Tuesday, Berry and Childers unveiled the No. 4 throwback scheme for this year’s May 12 race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway at the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion. The No. 4 will don the silver, red, and black colors of Childers’ No. 54 Late Model car he ran in 1998. During that season, Childers won the inaugural Fall Brawl at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Partner Harrison’s, the family-owned clothing and footwear chain based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, ditched it’s brand colors to embrace the true nature of the throwback weekend and will feature two grassroots tracks – Greensville-Pickens Speedway in Easley, South Carolina, and Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds Speedway in Spartanburg – along with several South Carolina-native Cup Series Hall of Fame drivers, including Ned Jarrett, Fireball Roberts and Lee Petty. Click here to see the social graphic posted by Stewart-Haas Racing.
● The No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will host a new partner this weekend, sporting the vibrant red, black and silver colors of MINER. MINER is North America’s industry-leading facility expert. Whether you have equipment down today or want to maximize uptime tomorrow, trust MINER to install, repair, and maintain your warehouse dock doors and levelers, commercial sectional overhead doors, HVLS fans, and related facility accessories. Through both proactive maintenance strategies and emergency responses, MINER maintains every important piece of logistics equipment in your facility. Its nationwide service coverage, ability to self-perform and strong affiliate network mean you’re never far from same-day or next-day service, solutions for every application, technical expertise, and safer, higher uptime equipment. Learn more at minercorp.com.
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 Miner Ford Mustang Dark Horse
You’ve had a mixed bag of results at Texas Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series, and now you’re heading there for the first time in the Cup Series. What translates and what doesn’t?
“Texas (Motor Speedway) is a high-grip track and really fast. Each corner is significantly different and takes a slightly different approach, which makes it challenging. But all of the skills from Xfinity I think will translate. Ultimately, my results from Xfinity don’t matter in my mind because I am with a new team, a new car, a new manufacturer, so it’s almost a clean slate, but I am excited for the opportunity to go with Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s obviously our second race on the intermediates but, on the team side, we know that’s where we need to improve the most. It’s a great opportunity to learn and keep improving before we get into the summer months.”
Rodney Childers has a deep wealth of knowledge about the track and has had drivers show speed at Texas. What does he help you with in your preparation that is specific to Texas?
“It depends on the track. I think, for Texas, it will take a little bit of a different approach than what a short track or a road course would. He gave me the freedom over the past few weeks when we were going to the short tacks to take the lead on preparing for the races. Texas is going to take more of a specific regimen to prepare, just knowing my background, but as long as we stay focused and continue to do the best we can, I think we can have a solid day at Texas.”
The intermediate package has been a focus for Ford heading into this season. Talk about how Ford has helped Stewart-Haas Racing prepare differently than years prior.
“The new Ford Mustang Dark Horse is going to be new and going to be evolving and getting better throughout the season. The car has definitely improved from last year and it will just take time to continue to learn the intricacies of the new package and get the car where we need it to be, but I feel like we have a great jumping off point.”
The No. 4 team has sung your praises about how well you prepare for a race weekend. Talk about your week and what you do day-to-day to get ready for each weekend?
“Typically, on Monday, I try to take a little bit of time off and just reset for the next week, but I will review the race a little bit from the day before while it is still fresh in my mind – whether that is film or our data. Tuesday is usually filled with team meetings to get the No. 4 group together and review the previous race, preview the next race, and just make sure we are all rowing in the same direction. Wednesday is usually a simulator day and more preparation work that I will do to tie up any loose ends before we get ready to travel. It is a busy week, but it ensures the No. 4 team and Stewart-Haas as a company are ready for Sundays.”
No. 4 Miner Team Roster
Primary Team Members
Driver: Josh Berry
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith
Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin
Engineer: Dax Gerringer
Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina
Engineer: Billy Kuebler
Hometown: Saline, Michigan
Spotter: Eddie D’Hondt
Hometown: Levittown, New York
Over-The-Wall Members
Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina
Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina
Tire Carrier: Mason Flynt
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina
Jack Man: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina
Fuel Man: Evan Marchal
Hometown: Westfield, Indiana
Road Crew Members
Mechanic: Tyler Trosper
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Mechanic: Chris Capaldi
Hometown: Armada, Michigan
Tire Specialist: Zac Lupien
Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Transporter Co-Driver: Jake Zierhoffer
Hometown: Billerica, Massachusetts
Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell
Hometown: Woodville, Ohio
