Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Quaker State 400 | Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Decisely Insurance Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, stopped by the infield media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway before qualifying to answer questions from the media.
JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Decisely Insurance Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU HAVE A NEW SPONSOR ON THE CAR. “We’re really excited to have Decisely Insurance on the car this weekend. It’s a really good-looking car. It’s purple and should really stand out on the racetrack, so we’re excited to welcome them to the sport. It’s the first race for them and the first race for us. It’s exciting to bring new partners in for us amidst everything that’s going on, so it’s a benefits-based company here in Georgia that is growing really fast and this is a home race for them. We’re gonna have a bunch of their employees and partners with us here this weekend, so we’re excited for it.”
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN PLAY SPOILER THIS WEEKEND? “Yeah, I think so. Obviously, we had a really good car at Daytona with a lot of speed. We were in great position there until we weren’t, so we feel like we had a strong car here in the spring. I feel like I’ve grown and learned a lot since then. I put us in a hole speeding on pit road in the spring, so we’ve ironed all of that stuff out hopefully. Car handling does matter a lot here, just because how the draft is and how tight the track is. You can tell the cars that are comfortable and handling well, so if we can check those boxes at the beginning of the race and we stay out of trouble, I think we’ll have a shot at it at the end.”
HOW DO YOU BALANCE THESE LAST 10 RACES TO FINISH STRONG WITH SHR BUT ALSO TRYING TO TAKE SOME NOTES FOR NEXT YEAR WITH THE 21? “Nothing has really changed for us. Obviously, we would love to be in the Playoffs. We’ve been working all year trying to get better. It’s been a little up and down, but we’ve had a lot of great races. We’ve had a couple bad ones, but we’ve had a lot of great races in there too, so I think we just need to keep trying to be more consistent. That’s all we’re lacking. It’s pretty apparent when we have the speed and we might find ourselves to the front, we pass cars, we get up there. I think for us we’re trying to add a little bit more consistency and enjoy these last 10 races together. That’s a big part of it too, and obviously Chase being in the Playoffs is great for the company. He drove a fantastic race last week. He really did and I think between both of us, I think both of our cars were fast enough to win and he was able to get it done, so that was really cool for everybody at the company, too.”
HOW DO YOU STAY GROUNDED DURING EVERYTHING GOING ON? “I don’t know. To be honest, the last couple of years have been a whirlwind, and I think even sitting here today I never would have thought I would be in this situation and this would all happen like it has even this year. I don’t even know if I really know what to expect anymore. Obviously, I’m proud of the job we did this year amidst everything going on. To have landed the opportunity with the Wood Brothers and the 21 car is something I’m excited for. That’s a great group with a great legacy in the sport. There’s a ton of backing from Ford and Team Penske and everything that I think a group and being a part of that program is really gonna help me grow and work on some of the things that I need to do better on the track. Aside from everything else that’s been going on, I think none of us would have thought we’d be in this position that we have been in, but it is here and we’ve got 10 more weeks together to keep racing and enjoy our time together. Then we’ll all go our separate ways.”
HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATION WITH HARRISON ABOUT TAKING OVER THE 21 NEXT YEAR? “Not specifically. Obviously, I reached out to all of those guys after the Daytona win and congratulated them, but we’re all professionals. We’ve all been doing this stuff a long time and there’s no awkwardness or hard feelings there. Obviously, I’m cheering for those guys. They’re in the Playoffs. They’re focused. I’m staying out of everything they have going on. They’re focused on their Playoff run these next few weeks and I’m gonna let them do their thing.”
DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE AS GOOD A SHOT AS ANYBODY TO WIN THIS RACE TOMORROW? “Yeah, I think so, but I think these races ebb and flow. Some weeks you definitely have the races where it seems like if you just survive you get a good finish, but there are some times the cream really does rise to the top and stays up front the whole race. I think it’s really important to have your car handling good where you can race up front all night and then there is definitely some fate involved in being there at the end, but I feel like we have as good a shot as anybody coming here. We just have to execute and stay out of trouble.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT BRISCOE’S WIN MEANT TO SHR? “I think it was just a really cool moment for everybody there. There’s been a transition period ever since obviously it was announced they were closing down and selling charters. We lost some people initially and then now who is left are the people that are gonna ride this out – racers that aren’t gonna quit on us and keep building fast race cars and doing whatever they can to get in Victory Lane. I know that everybody has been working extremely hard all year, but especially recently trying to do everything we can to make that push to hopefully get a car into the Playoffs and go to Victory Lane, so it’s a big deal to win a race like that. Like I said, he did a great job. Who knows what’s gonna happen these next 10 weeks for them, but just getting there is a big deal and I think we all recognize that.”
YOU HAVE TIES TO THE LAST TWO WINNERS IN THE SPORT. WHAT IS THAT LIKE? “I think that obviously the Daytona win, that’s great for their program. It’s a huge deal for the Wood Brothers. I would have loved to win the 100th race, but it was Harrison’s day and he capitalized and won, but it’s great for that program and the Wood Brothers that I’m gonna benefit from next year. So, it’s exciting for them and the same with Chase. I think that was really exciting for everybody at Stewart-Haas to see that win and the job that those guys did. It was a big morale boost for everybody, but nothing really changes. Everybody has been working their guts out all year trying to win races, but it’s still cool to get a reward for all of their hard work and it was fun to see that for sure. I think the only thing that really sticks out to me through the whole thing is thinking about how important it is to win a race to make the Playoffs. I’m not 100 percent sure on this, but I would say some of those guys that missed it were probably 11th or 12th in points. It’s so important to win a race when you get the opportunity. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve taken from it the last couple weeks going into next year is that if you want to make the Playoffs, you better plan on winning.”
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD DO OR HOW AGGRESSIVE THIS WILL MAKE YOU IN THE FUTURE? “I don’t know. If you get in those situations, capitalizing on it is incredibly important. We talk about points and we look at the points. Even as a team we look at them all year long and stage points and this and that, and then you come down to it and unless you’re in the top 10, you’re probably in danger. So, unless you’re in the top 10 or you’re racing for the regular season championship or something like that, then the points matter. They do matter, but it’s just such a unique scenario of what’s happened and how it’s played out the last few weeks, having those new winners. I don’t know that my mindset changes in any way, but if you’re gonna fall back on points, you better have a lot of them.”
SO DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT THIS WEEKEND WITH THE TRACK CONTINUALLY AGING? “Yeah, it’s definitely changing. Every time we get here the asphalt color looks lighter and lighter, so it’s gonna continue to evolve. It’s warmer this time around. It’s not gonna be super hot, but it’s gonna be warmer, so handling should be a bigger deal than maybe what we had in February, but this place is kind of coming into its own. The next few years as it continues to age a little bit and lose some grip, it’ll be really interesting to see how it plays out and become kind of a hybrid between a superspeedway pack race and an intermediate track. I think handling is gonna be more important this time around than February, but we’ll have to see.”
