JOSH BERRY (WOOD BROTHERS RACING) FORD
2024 DRIVER FANTASY POINTS: 25TH
2025 FANTASY NASCAR RANK: 25TH
* The 2025 ranking are based on the driver’s projected points scored for the 2025 season and not his predicted finish in the Cup Series standings. The rankings are based on the driver’s performance last year, momentum heading into the 2025 season and the strength of the driver’s team.
2024 RECAP/2025 PREVIEW: Josh Berry took over the seat in the No. 4 car at Stewart-Haas Racing last year. He had some big shoes to fill after Kevin Harvick retired. Berry was set up to fail since Stewart-Haas Racing was shutting down three of their teams last year and most of the employees were looking for jobs at other organizations. Berry was still able to finish 4 races in the top-10 and 2 races in the top-five (Darlington and New Hampshire). Berry is known for his talent on the short tracks and that was once again the case in 2024. He nearly won the race at Richmond while filling in for an injured Chase Elliott in 2023 (Berry finished 2nd in that race). His first win will likely come at a short, flat track in the Cup Series.
It did not take long for Josh Berry to find a seat after his team was shut down at Stewart-Haas Racing. Berry will take over the seat in the famous No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers. Harrison Burton did not have much success in this car and the team is hoping to get the car back to where it was when Ryan Blaney and Paul Menard drove for the Wood Brothers. Mike Stanley will take over as the crew chief for the No. 21 car. Stanley was a lead engineer at Team Penske and he was an important part of the championship runs by Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Berry has everything he needs to have success in the Cup Series this year. Now he needs to go out and prove that he belongs.
SUPERSPEEDWAY VALUE (DAYTONA, TALLADEGA, ATLANTA)
This will be my 30th season playing Fantasy NASCAR and one of the easiest picks over the three decades has been selecting the Wood Brothers car at the Superspeedways. This team knows how to build a car with speed in the draft. Even Harrison Burton was able to win at Daytona last year while driving the No. 21 car. This will be an interesting season for the team. The Superspeedways have been the worst tracks for Josh Berry. He only finished 1 of the 6 races inside the top-25 last year (Josh Berry finished 16th Talladega in the spring). Will the move to the Wood Brothers be enough to make Berry a good pick for your Fantasy NASCAR lineups?
Josh Berry could be one of the best sleeper picks at these tracks in 20225. Most people will look at his stats and fade the No. 21 car. We know he is going to be racing with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney in these races. That is not a bad place to be on the track. As long as Berry can keep up with his Team Penske alliance cars, he should be in a position to finish up front at the Superspeedways this year. Do not look at the stats for Berry at the Superspeedways. Look at the past performance of the No. 21 car when deciding if you want to use Berry in your Fantasy NASCAR lineups at Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta.
(Josh Berry ranked 32nd in fantasy points scored on the Superspeedways last year with an average finishing position of 26.7)
SHORT TRACK VALUE (PHOENIX, RICHMOND, MARTINSVILLE, BRISTOL, GATEWAY, NEW HAMPSHIRE, IOWA)
Josh Berry has a good chance to be a really good pick on the short tracks in 2025. Team Penske was the best team at the short tracks last year and Berry will have all the support from Team Penske to ensure his car has a setup to run in the top 10. Berry has proved that he has the talent to run up front at these tracks when he has a fast car. Berry finished 3rd at New Hampshire and 7th at Iowa last year. Those 2 tracks, along with Richmond are his best tracks on the schedule. It would be a good idea to take a chance with Berry as your One & Done pick at New Hampshire. He is also worth a spot in your DFS lineups at each of the short tracks in 2025. I would stick to the drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske for your Fantasy Live lineups when the Cup Series races at the short tracks this year.
(Josh Berry ranked 17th in fantasy points scored on the short tracks last year with an average finishing position of 17.9)
INTERMEDIATE TRACK VALUE (LAS VEGAS, KANSAS, CHARLOTTE, TEXAS, NASHVILLE AND DOVER)
Josh Berry had a few good runs on the intermediate tracks last year. He finished 15th at Kansas in the spring, 10th at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600 and 14th at Dover. Harrison Burton did not have any success in this car on the intermediate tracks last year, but I am ignoring his stats. Team Penske started off slow on the intermediate tracks last year and then they figured out how to gain some speed in the second-half of the season. They should be stronger out of the box this year and their alliance with the No. 21 team should allow Berry to have the speed to run in the top-15. That is not good enough for your Fantasy Live lineups, but it makes Berry a good sleeper pick for your DFS Contests in 2025.
(Josh Berry ranked 23rd in fantasy points scored on the intermediate tracks last year with an average finishing position of 22.4)
HIGH TIRE WEAR TRACK VALUE (DARLINGTON, MICHIGAN, HOMESTEAD)
When I think of Josh Berry, I think of short track races. Berry was not even on my radar at the high tire-wear tracks last year, but maybe he should have been. Berry finished 3rd at Darlington in the spring and 11th at Homestead in the fall. A lot of that success probably had to do with Rodney Childress setting up the No. 4 car for Berry last year. You still cannot ignore the results. We just need to monitor Berry in practice and qualifying at Darlington and Homestead. He proved that he has the talent to run up front at these tracks when he has a fast car. Michigan is an important track for Team Penske and the Wood Brothers since Ford Motor Company is in the backyard. I expect the No. 21 car to have some speed when the Cup Series travels to the Irish Hills of Michigan.
(Josh Berry ranked 15th in fantasy points scored on the high tire wear tracks last year with an average finishing position of 16.8)
ROAD COURSE TRACK VALUE (COTA, SONOMA, WATKINS GLEN, CHICAGO STREET, MEXICO AND CHARLOTTE ROVAL)
Josh Berry entered NASCAR without much experience on the road courses. He has only competed in 5 road course races in the Cup Series. His average starting position is 33.2 and his average finishing position is 30th. These are not the kind of stats you want in your Fantasy NASCAR lineups. Berry has a long ways to go before he can be considered for any road course races. Simply skip over Berry and find a driver with better stats when the Cup Series makes left and right turns in 2025.
(Josh Berry ranked 35th in fantasy points scored on the road courses last year with an average finishing position of 30.4)
Best Tracks for Josh Berry: 1) New Hampshire, 2) Iowa, 3) Richmond, 4) Darlington, 5) Homestead
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* Team Information from Jaysky.com
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