Following a below-average performance in the Round of 16, Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry is no longer a championship contender. But his race at New Hampshire last Sunday proved that one doesn’t have to be in the playoffs to be in the middle of the typical NASCAR drama that plays out this time of the year.
He fought long and hard against his Ford teammate, Ryan Blaney, and finished the race in second place. Blaney thanked him for not crossing the lines and wrecking him, even when he had the chance to do so. Berry had raced him hard and clean. Just as any driver should race against a teammate still competing for the title.
Berry said in a Ford media call this week, “I made him work for it, for sure, but I knew if I was able to get up beside him that I was gonna have to be careful. I was gonna have to make sure that nothing bad happened.” This responsibility that he took is what earned him respect all over the garage.
It is also what Ty Gibbs failed to take when racing against his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. The youngster made it a point not to let them pass and got wrecked by Hamlin for it. As a result of the incident, his entire team now finds itself in a toxic environment.
Berry Doesn’t Want To Be in the JGR Situation
Berry continued to note that the Team Penske/Wood Brothers Racing camp does a good job of making sure that drivers are held accountable for not taking care of their teammates. He put great value on the teammate code and expressed that a toxic environment would be the outcome if drivers aren’t punished for wrecking teammates.
He strongly believes that the non-playoff drivers have to take care of the playoff drivers. His reasoning went, “It’s bigger than you. There’s a company with hundreds of employees.”
He went on about the mood in the rival camp, “I think you need to obviously race your teammates hard, and we’re racing everybody hard, but it goes a long way if you just cut your guy a break and hopefully receive it on a later day, but you don’t want to be in a situation like they’re in.”
Berry’s mindset is refreshing to see in times when intentional wrecks have become the norm. Hopefully, more young drivers will learn from him the importance of not burning bridges for a few clicks on social media.