Event: Duel at Daytona
Location: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Date: Thursday, February 13, 2026
Start: 13th
Finish: 6th
Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team saved their best for the last of Thursday’s second America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona, charging from 17th to sixth place to earn the 14th starting spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Berry started Thursday’s 150-mile qualifying race from 13th place and ran in the back half of the field for most of the race that ran under the green flag from start to finish.
He was in the final group to make a green-flag pit stop with 12 laps remaining. He briefly pulled up in front of a pack of oncoming leaders but wound up dropping to 17th. He moved into the outside line initially and steadily weaved his way forward.
“The top was just faster, and we had to stay up there to make it happen,” Berry said.
Overall, Berry said his Thursday night ride in the No. 21 painted, to look like the Mercury that David Pearson drove to victory in the Daytona 500 fifty years ago this Sunday was a great time.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “We finally got up to the front there the last few laps. I’m pretty happy with the decisions I made the last five to ten laps of the race to get us up there and just needed a little more time.
“It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. The team did a great job and the car is in one piece and we didn’t wreck so it was a good day.”
Berry and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will have two more practice sessions to tune their Mustang Dark Horse for the 500. The first is scheduled for Friday at 5:35 p.m. and the final one for Saturday at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s race is set to start just after 2:30 p.m. with Stage breaks planned for Laps 65 and 130.
FS1 will carry the TV broadcast of the preliminary events, with coverage switching to FOX on Sunday.
