Josh Berry Is 14 Years Too Early to Break Long-Standing NASCAR Record of Cult Figure Dick Trickle

After months of rumors and unofficial reports, Josh Berry’s place in Stewart-Haas Racing is now official. With Kevin Harvick retiring at the end of 2023, Berry will take the wheel of the #4 Ford Mustang. Driving full-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, Josh Berry has also performed relief-driver duties this season for Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman. Besides his 7-year dabble in NASCAR, Josh Berry is known for being the all-time winningest driver in CARS Tour’s short-track racing history. All set to move permanently to NASCAR’s premier league, Josh Berry has once again become the talk of the town.

Given Josh Berry’s pedigree in the short-track form of racing, a fleeting thought crosses every old-school NASCAR fan’s mind. Is Berry too early to break short-track racing legend, Dick Trickle’s NASCAR record?

What’s stopping Josh Berry from breaking Dick Trickle’s NASCAR record?

A majority of stock car drivers start their Cup Series quest at a fairly young age. Most current Cup Series drivers are either in their twenties or started their Cup career in their twenties. Josh Berry joining full-time in the Cup Series next season is a departure from this rule. Although Berry has been a part of NASCAR for seven years now, he will be 33 (come October) when he starts his full-time Cup Series venture.

Speaking in an interview with Bob Pockrass, his future team co-owner Tony Stewart said, “I find it hard to believe that if you really want a championship driver, that you’re going to find that in anybody that’s as young as these guys coming in. They’re great race car drivers but I don’t know if they’re champions, and Josh is somebody we feel like we can turn into a champion.”

While his future team owner feels Josh Berry has the mindset to bring home the championship cup, Berry might just bag the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award next season. The future SHR #4 driver will be 34 years old when and if he bags the Rookie of the Year award. Although many for a moment may consider that Berry might just be the oldest driver to ever bag the Rookie of the Year award, Josh Berry is still 14 years too early. The record is held by one of the biggest cult figures in American motorsports, Dick Trickle. 

To give some context, Dick Trickle, the winningest short-track driver in the history of American motorsports, won the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award in 1989 at 48 years of age. A grandfather at the time, Trickle was, and still remains, the oldest driver in Cup history to bag the Rookie of the Year award. With the massive inflow of young drivers in NASCAR today, Josh Berry was the only one who could come even remotely close to Trickle’s record. 

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While it is obvious Trickle’s record will stand the test of time, let’s take a look at the legacy of the larger-than-life cult figure.

From dominating short tracks to ending his life—Dick Trickle’s legacy

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What would now be termed controversial by today’s whitewashed standards, Dick Trickle’s larger-than-life persona was the true embodiment of NASCAR’s raw unfiltered nature that fans love. Now a forgotten figure, Trickle was the last of his generation to smoke cigarettes in race cars. Allowed by NASCAR to smoke cigarettes during the yellow flag period, Trickle was known for having drilled a hole in his safety helmet to smoke without obstruction. He even got cigarette lighters installed in his race cars. If that isn’t someone who had his priorities straight, who else did?

Often made fun of by commentators for his name, Dick Trickle was and still to this day remains the king of short-track racing. Running over 2,200 races, the Wisconsin short-track king won an estimated 1,200 races. Nicknamed the “White Knight,” Trickle is thought to have lapped the short track a million times. 

What truly was the extent of Trickle’s achievement on the race track cannot be accurately represented, as much of it is lost in history. What can be measured though was Dick Trickle’s influence on the track. Many drivers looked up to him, harnessing knowledge from the master. In his years at NASCAR, though brief, Trickle mentored others in the art of short-track racing. Trickle even mentored the Wallace brothers, Rusty and Kenny Wallace. Noted by many to be funny, Trickle’s most notable, hilarious response came after winning the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award saying, “I guess I’d just like to thank everyone who gave a young guy like me a chance!“

Turning into a cult figure with time, it’s a well-known fact that Dick Trickle liked to smoke cigarettes and drink beer. Trickle was also famously known for always having a brewing company’s logo on his car. What was surprising was the fact that his family and friends had never once seen him drunk. Almost always spotted with a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in another, Trickle was known for partying hard, often only sleeping one hour before a 100-lap race. How he did it, still remains a mystery. The stories that drivers share regarding Dick Trickle have now become the stuff of legends. 

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Words can never do justice to the persona of Dick Trickle. Mostly lost in history, Trickle’s legacy lives on through the scattered pieces written on his life and in the memories of drivers and fans. After years of heart troubles and other ailments, the White Knight developed chronic pain under his left breast. With doctors unable to pinpoint the cause, the pain got unbearable. On May 16th, 2013, the motorsports world mourned the loss of Dick Trickle, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 71.