NASCAR is back! Known as ‘The Madhouse’, the Bowman Gray Stadium has lived up to its reputation for crashes, high-intensity races and on-track drama, even before the main event has officially begun. With all the drivers eager to qualify for the pre-season opener, tempers were unsurprisingly flaring at the quarter-mile short track with cars scrambling to make it past the finish line during last-chance qualifying to begin their season on a positive note.

Making his debut for Wood Brothers Racing, Josh Berry was one of the lucky ones to survive the 75-lap qualifying race, racing his way into the Clash against all the odds. The former JR Motorsports driver is eager to hit the ground running after beginning a new chapter in his career.

Dale Jr praises Josh Berry’s aggressive driving style

It was never going to be easy. Bowman Gray Stadium is known for its narrow, quarter-mile track, which is more akin to a demolition derby than a stock car race. While it provides a tremendous amount of entertainment for fans, the spectacle-first, racing-second approach of ‘The Madhouse’ tests drivers to their limits, and their hunger to succeed at all costs. The last chance qualifying (LCQ) allowed three drivers to make it to Sunday’s pre-season race, which will feature 23 cars at the iconic venue.

Josh Berry will be one of them, after climbing up the grid by taking advantage of the misfortune that fell on Erik Jones and Austin Dillon. Driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, the Tennessee native battled it out with Kyle Larson for the lead, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver managed to gain the advantage with four laps to go to finish first. A runner-up finish was an impressive outcome for the 34-year-old, with his former employer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. writing on X, “Heck ya. @joshberry got the chrome horn out. The Madhouse demands it. Be the bug or the windshield.”

It’s not surprising to see Dale Jr. cheer for his protege’s aggressive driving style during the Cook Out Clash qualifying. Josh Berry was forced to fight his way through the grid and was at the center of several on-track incidents, including the time Erik Jones spun in the latter stages. However, hard driving is the name of the game at the iconic venue, with the 34-year-old saying, “We knew it would be rough. You hate that, but it is what it is, it’s the Madhouse, it’s Bowman Gray Stadium.” The racer expertly held off Austin Dillon to take the final qualifying spot, while Ryan Blaney also made it to the Clash because of his points tally in the 2024 Cup Series campaign.

Josh Berry has a long history with JR Motorsports which goes back all the way to 2014. The racer has completed two full-time stints with Junior’s team along with several one-off appearances, finishing as high as fourth in the driver standings in 2022, his best result in the Xfinity Series so far. The Tennessee native will start the pre-season race in 22nd place and will be eager to impress at a venue where the team’s founder and family patriarch Glenn Wood secured 29 wins. Will the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver begin his 2025 season with a surprising triumph at the quarter-mile oval? Time will tell.

Berry outlines Penske’s expectations for the No. 21 team

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Josh Berry has a big season ahead of him. After completing one full-time year with the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, the 34-year-old racer replaced Harrison Burton at Wood Brothers Racing for 2025. Expectations are high from the driver, especially because his new team has a decade-long technical alliance with Team Penske, who have thoroughly dominated the Next-Gen era. Having secured two top-five results last year, Berry will be expected to do even better this time around to safeguard his Cup Series future.

Revealing the goals set by Roger Penske, Josh Berry candidly said, “I mean, the expectation is to, is to run like their, their other three race cars, and that’s, that’s the fact of the matter. And, you know, I’m ready to take on that. I think we all are miles is, you know, everybody on the 21 team is, is ready to get back up there and run up front and compete for wins, and that’s what we’re here to do.”

Josh Berry will begin his 2025 Cup Series season at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 21 Ford driver has competed in ‘The Great American Race’ only once before, finishing 25th at the crown-jewel event last year. He will hope to do even better this time around, taking inspiration from his predecessor Harrison Burton’s performance on the same track at the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400.