After a nerve-racking race at the Brickyard 400, Josh Berry is still hungry for more. The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver posted a drab streak of finishes outside the top 20 in the Cup Series. Things came to a head at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Berry got caught in smoking wrecks in both Xfinity and Cup races. So he went back to his racing roots to help get over his multiple heartbreaks.

However, a thorny experience was awaiting him at Hickory Motor Speedway. Nevertheless, Josh Berry cherished his return to familiar ground. He also thanked the people who made it possible – retired Cup veteran Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana.

Berry hails car owner Kevin Harvick

Josh Berry has a gloried history at Late Model tracks. He first entered JRM’s Late Model program in 2010 and created a glittering resume for himself. Berry owns 21 CARS Late Model Stock Tour victories – yet he had to leave that behind to pursue a career in NASCAR. After a few years of dabbling in the sport’s three series, Berry came back to the Late Model program late last year.

Kevin Harvick guided him – Berry wheeled the No. 62 Late Model stock car owned by Harvick and built by crew chief Rodney Childers. Yet Berry’s most recent showing at the zMAX CARS Tour SoundGear Throwback 276 looked different from his previous glorious pursuits.

The race featured a lot of dented fenders and soaring tempers, as Berry shared his own struggles post-race. “I thought we were okay at the start. But we just got way too tight…struggled on restarts, pinned on the bottom – Just really tight, just faded back. You know, really just ran about where we should. Going into the day, like in the race, I felt okay. But it still seemed like we needed to be a little bit better to be more competitive.” He could piece together a tenth-place finish.

However, the SHR rookie did not fail to thank his benefactors, Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana. “Yeah, it’s cool. It’s a lot of fun to come back and do this. I can’t thank Kevin and DeLana enough, everybody at KHI…everybody that supports this program. It’s fun to come to do.” Yet Josh Berry emphasized that his familiar touch has disappeared. “It’s getting harder and harder though. Man really, every time I come back, things change so much in this style of racing. It just makes it harder and harder to get competitive when you only race once or twice a year.”

Now, all Josh Berry can do is focus on his new Cup Series plans for 2024. Even then, Kevin Harvick’s veteran fold might just give him the push needed to find his footing in Late Models again. Yet his recent Hickory experience rivals Berry’s achievements on the same track.

Berry did not shine on his winning track

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The Cup Series race of the Brickyard 400 featured an old but gold face in the racing community. Jimmie Johnson came back to race at one of his strongest tracks – he owns four Indianapolis wins. Yet the senior driver could hardly manage it and got caught in a crash. Josh Berry’s situation is also pretty similar – Hickory Motor Speedway is one of his greatest assets. He won the 2014 track championship title on the famed 1/3rd mile track. Berry also had four victories at the annual 200-lap Fall Brawl race held there.

When Berry put his heads together with Kevin Harvick last year, the first on their list was not Hickory. Yet given his speed there, Berry planned to wheel the No. 62 at his familiar track. “Really we didn’t set out necessarily to go to Hickory. We went and tested, and it went really well. We kind of felt like we were to the point where to learn and to build and kind of continue our progress, we really felt like we were ready to race. That’s why we decided to go there. Obviously my experience at Hickory I think is really going to be of value. It’s really cool because Rodney is a past winner of the Fall Brawl, too. We’re excited to go do it.”

But the tables seem to have turned, as Josh Berry washed up against difficulties on his familiar track. Yet he gave his best shot, and we expect to see more Late Model trophies under Kevin Harvick’s guidance.