JOSH BERRY
Talladega Advance
No. 4 SUNNYD Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Event Overview
● Event: YellaWood 500 (Round 31 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 6
● Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 2.66-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 188 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● The NASCAR Cup Series will tackle the largest oval track on the circuit during Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 SUNNYD Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing, has one previous Talladega start behind the wheel of a NextGen car, which took place in April. The 33-year-old driver from Hendersonville, Tennessee, started the race in 29th and navigated his way through the field to the sixth position coming to the checkered flag. But before he crossed the finish line, an on-track incident collected nearly half the field, including Berry’s No. 4 machine. Berry slid across the finish line to take the checkered flag 16th with his car stacked on top of the No. 7 entry of Corey LaJoie.
● Berry has five Talladega starts with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, netting one top-five finish, two top-10s and an average starting position of 10.1. Best of those outings was his fifth-place finish from the seventh starting position in the October 2022 race. After finishing 10th in Stage two, he deftly maneuvered the draft lanes to score his solid top-five.
● Crew chief Rodney Childers will climb atop the No. 4 pit box Sunday for his 36th NASCAR Cup Series start at Talladega. He’s called the shots for six different drivers at the track, tallying one pole award (April 2018 with Kevin Harvick), four top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, an average starting position of 18.6, an average finish of 17.1, with only five DNFs (did not finish).
● With six NASCAR Cup Series races left in his rookie campaign, Berry has two top-five finishes, four top-10s, and 96 laps led. He has finished third on two occasions this season: at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in May and again at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in August. Through 30 races, Berry is ranked 26th in the driver standings. He is second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 66 markers behind Carson Hocevar.
● SUNNYD returns for another ride with Berry and the No. 4 team Sunday at Talladega, bringing back the vibrant orange-and-blue SUNNYD colors in its first race since March at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. SUNNYD has been an associate partner of the No. 4 team throughout the 38-week season, featured on Berry’s firesuit and the team’s hauler and toolboxes.
Josh Berry, Driver of the No. 4 SUNNYD Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Talladega always has the component of luck, but it takes a lot of skill to run competitively. How do you balance pushing the pace versus being reserved?
“When you look at the guys who consistently run well at superspeedways, you see them making moves that keep them advancing and they never seem out of control. I think, for me, Daytona in August was some of my best superspeedway racing. We just had an unfortunate outcome that day because the car was really good, and Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and Eddie (D’Hondt, spotter) kept me focused for the whole race. It just felt like we had some sense of control in a race that is typically chaotic.”
You had a pretty intense accident in Daytona. Does that make you rethink making aggressive moves when you need to?
“As a racecar driver, we all get into some pretty bad wrecks, whether that’s when we were younger or now in the Cup Series. But I think anyone who drives knows that is part of the job and being competitive. It can happen. The wreck that happened at Daytona looked violent, but the car did its job to protect me, we didn’t have to change any of the harnesses or belts, so I am just as confident to make those moves and be aggressive and try to win.”
You have six races left, including Talladega, in your rookie season. Does it feel like it went by quickly, and how do you evaluate yourself?
“This season has been crazy, to say the least. With the situation Stewart-Haas is in, and having to audition for a ride, signing with the Wood Brothers, and then having to stay focused on competing the best we can as a group, all in my rookie year, it wasn’t something I had on my Bingo card. But I don’t regret any of my decisions and I am overall happy I made it this far. For a while, I thought I would just be a Late Model racer and that would be my life, so to have even made it in a Cup car for a season surpassed any of my expectations. Now that I have another shot next year, I am going to have to reevaluate my goals and keep chasing my racing career for as far as it will carry me.”
No. 4 SUNNYD 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: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois
Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Holland, Michigan
Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia
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
