Posted on by Adam Fenwick

Mike Ewanitsko is a name fans at Riverhead Raceway know very well.

From North Babylon, New York, Ewanitsko is one of the best to ever compete at the quarter-mile paved oval located in Riverhead, New York. During a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career that started in 1985 at the age of 18 and spanned 20 years, Ewanitsko won a record 11 times at Riverhead.

It’s a record that still stands today, although Justin Bonsignore has closed to within one victory of Ewanitsko’s record following his most recent win at Riverhead on May 21.

For those reasons and many more, track officials decided to honor Ewanitsko by naming Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event the Miller Lite Salutes Mike Ewanitsko 200 (8 p.m. ET on FloRacing).

“I don’t feel I’m deserving of it. I really don’t,” Ewanitsko said. “It means everything in the world to me. That was home. We had a real big fan base there. To have a race named after you while you’re still alive is a big deal. Usually you’re not here anymore; that’s when the accolades come.

“To have this come while I’m alive and at Riverhead, it’s beyond any expectations.”

Saturday’s race is a full-circle moment for Ewanitsko, who began racing during his teenage years at Islip Speedway before transitioning to Riverhead.

“My dad had actually owned cars. He was involved with Lew Hennessy, who drove the No. 23 on Long Island for quite a while. Then we had Ed Brunnhoelzl driving; he drove it for a while,” Ewanitsko said. “When I turned, I guess it was 16, they rented out Islip Speedway, and we went out there one day for some practice, and I ended up turning some laps that were quicker than the guys who were driving the car at the time.

“That was on a Wednesday. That Saturday night was the start of my racing career. That’s how it all started.”

RELATED: Mike Ewanitsko’s career stats

Ewanitsko was briefly a regular at Islip, but when the track closed for good in 1984, he made his way to Riverhead and became a regular there.

He quickly took to the tight quarter-mile oval and began winning races, a skill he eventually carried with him when he began competing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on a consistent basis a few years later.

“We ended up buying a car from Barney Truex, Martin [Truex Jr.’s] uncle,” Ewanitsko recalled. “We went out to Jersey and bought the car. The first practice that year in ’86, we went to Riverhead for practice, we came in from practice and it was a big difference in the way that car handled and drove.

“I actually told my father that this is easy now. It just came to me a lot easier. I was running with the guys that I couldn’t run with before in the other car.”

His first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory came in 1987, and, not surprisingly, it came at Riverhead. He added a second win that season, also at Riverhead. In fact, of his first eight NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour triumphs, six came at Riverhead between 1987-92.

“I got a good setup for that car, and it always worked in any Troyer car or other chassis that I brought there,” Ewanitsko said. “We’ve always been competitive with it when I drove for Art [Barry] with the Spafco chassis. The setup worked there for that. When you’ve got a car that’s fast off the trailer, it makes life a lot easier.

“I don’t want to say I get around there better than anybody else. I think we just had a good setup. It was fast on the short run and it stayed fast on the long run. For those 200 lap races there, that’s what you need.”

His first full season with the Tour came in 1989, and he finished the year ranked 13th in the standings. Another full season followed in 1990, which resulted in an 11th-place finish in the standings.

Mike Ewanitsko in Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway in 2001. It was his last victory with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. (Photo: NASCAR Archives)

A few part-time seasons followed, but by 1994, he became a regular face on the Tour again. His breakout season came in 1995, when he won a career-best four races and finished the season ranked fourth in the standings.

A winless year in 1996 followed, but he rebounded in 1997 with four wins and a sixth-place championship effort. Four more wins in 1998 led him to a runner-up championship finish, a feat he replicated one year later despite only winning once.

He added five more wins in the next two years to bring his career total to 28, but by the end of the 2001 season, medical issues forced Ewanitsko to step away from full-time competition.

“I have been a diabetic since I was 12 years old,” Ewanitsko said. “It was about 1999, and I was still at the top of my game. Things were going real good then. In 2000 I started having problems seeing. I actually developed cataracts in each eye. That was the end of the racing career. That was from the diabetes.”

A few years later, Ewanitsko had surgery to repair the cataracts in his eyes, and he made a brief return, finishing fourth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in a car fielded by Eddie Whelan in 2005.

He made one more start at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park before more diabetic complications permanently ended his racing career.

“My kidneys started failing from the diabetes,” Ewanitsko said. “That was ’05. In 2010, I got a kidney transplant from my sister Lisa.”

Ewanitsko will be the guest of honor during Saturday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Riverhead. He’s excited to be back at the track where he enjoyed most of his racing success driving for car owners like Art Barry, Curt Chase, Ed Close, Whelan and Scott Bandzul.

He’s even excited to see if Bonsignore can tie his win record on Saturday night.

“This little kid that was waist high on me used to come up and ask for my autograph. Now he’s looking to tie my record. That just blows my mind. Where did the time go?” Ewanitsko asked. “I think I would enjoy if he did end up tying me on the night they’re honoring me.

“His owners, the Massas, they live right down the block from me. I see them all the time. I think when Justin got to seven or eight wins I told Ken Massa, ‘Listen, if he gets any closer to me you might have to start fielding a car for me and make sure I can at least get a couple more and make the job a little harder for him.’”

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

The on-track action gets back underway after a week off as NASCAR shifts over to the “Music City” for a weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.

Intensity is going to pick up as the summer heat kicks in, and the push to the playoffs gets underway with 10 races to go. Before cars hit the track around the 1.33-mile Tennessee oval, take a look at trends to watch ahead of Sunday’s Ally 400 (7 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Goodyear tire info and interactive ways to follow all the action.

RELATED: See paint schemes for Nashville | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race

☀️ SUMMER STRETCH BEGINS 😎

With summer officially in full swing, the push to the playoffs creeps into view with 10 races to go in the regular season. Currently, 10 drivers are provisionally locked into the playoffs after winning earlier in the year, but a handful of big names, including Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick and Ross Chastain, remain winless heading into a key part of the season.

Over the last few years, no one has been better in the summer than Elliott, where seven of his 18 career Cup wins have come between races 16-26 on the NASCAR calendar. In 2022, Elliott owned a five-race stretch of top-two finishes that began with a victory at Nashville.

A trio of road courses and a pair of superspeedways left before the playoffs could allow for some surprise entrants into this year’s playoffs, especially after the showings of Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell at Sonoma, where they both finished inside the top 10.

MORE: Who’s next to score first 2023 win?

📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈

— Hendrick Motorsports has won both Cup Series Nashville races.

— The top seven in regular season standings are separated by 32 points, the closest ever after 16 races.

— The driver who led the most laps won seven times in 2023, including the last three races.

(Via Racing Insights)

NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥

2021: Kyle Larson wins inaugural Cup race at Nashville | WATCH

2022: Chase Elliott hangs on late to score Nashville win | WATCH

ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️

Friday, June 23

— 6:30 p.m. ET: Practice (USA, NBC Sports App)

Saturday, June 24

— 1:05 p.m. ET: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Sunday, June 25

— 7 p.m. ET: Ally 400 (NBC, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

MORE: Full weekend schedule at Nashville

RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞

The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after being extended for this season’s first five races.

Cup teams will run the tire setup at Nashville that has been used at Fontana, Las Vegas and Kansas this season. Each team will be allotted three sets of Goodyear tires for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional nine sets for Sunday’s race.

In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.

If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.

RELATED: See rules changes for 2023

FAN REWARDS 🫵

Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.

There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.

Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.

JOIN TODAY

FOLLOW THE RACE 📲

NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.

How to access Live Activities on iPhones:

  1. Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
  2. Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
  3. Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
  4. Select “Follow the Race.”
  5. Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
  6. Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
  7. To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”

FANTASY LIVE 🏆

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

It’s no secret that Davey Callihan has been friends with Willie and Dinah Mullins, the owners of Mullins Racing, for several years.

Callihan, a veteran competitor at Virginia’s Dominion Raceway, is a valued member of the Mullins Racing family. He helps the team prepare for ARCA events at the shop, has been part of the team’s crew at the track and even competed in an ARCA Menards Series East event for the team at North Carolina’s Southern National Motorsports Park in 2021.

“The Mullins’ and I are great friends,” Callihan said. “I’m around their body shop just about every day because we work close to each other.”

Mullins Racing recently added to its fleet of race cars a Limited Late Model — called a Virginia Racer at Dominion Raceway. As they prepared to race the car for the first time, the team was looking for somebody to race the car and give them a good baseline.

Callihan was the obvious choice, and he paid them back in spades by sweeping a pair of twin features at Dominion.

Once again impressed by Callihan’s ability behind the wheel, Willie and Dinah decided to give him an opportunity to make his ARCA Menards Series debut this Saturday at Minnesota’s Elko Speedway in the Menards 250 (8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET on FS2/FloRacing).

“Davey did such a great job in our Virginia Racer Late Model class that we have here at Dominion,” Willie said. “He hopped in our car there and got two wins, so we decided to give him another opportunity to go ARCA racing.”

If Callihan’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he went viral on social media late last year after an incident at Martinsville Speedway during the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 that saw him have a disagreement with fellow competitor Andrew Grady.

Callihan has put that incident behind him and is focus is on racing weekly at Dominion, where he ranks fourth in the track’s Late Model Stock Car point standings.

“I’m kind of the local Late Model short track guy in the area. I guess they think I can get the job done,” Callihan said.

However, a race at Elko Speedway presents a multitude of challenges that Callihan has never faced. For one, Callihan has never competed outside the Southeast, with most of his racing taking place in Virginia or North Carolina.

This also will mark just the second time Callihan has even laid eyes on Elko. He visited the track last season as part of the Mullins Racing crew when Willie drove to a ninth-place finish in the Menards 250.

A general view of Elko Speedway during the Menards 250 for the ARCA Menards Series at Elko Speedway in Elko New Market, Minnesota on June 25, 2022. (Matt Krohn/ARCA Racing)

He’ll have a strong support system helping him get up to speed at the 3/8-mile oval, the shortest track on the ARCA Menards Series schedule. That includes veteran crew chief Kevin Reed Sr., who will be acting as his crew chief during the Menards 250.

The goal for Callihan, according to Willie, is a finish inside the top five. But more importantly, Willie wants Callihan to “aggravate the big teams and make sure they know we’re there.”

Callihan is ready for the challenge.

“They’ve really set me up with a really good race car,” Callihan said. “They’ve given me a race-winning crew chief. Kevin Reed is going to be the crew chief, so I’ll have a lot of experience on the box. That’s going to help me. I’m going to lean on him to try and get sped up on the race track and what I need to be doing.

“I’m going to try to go there, and I really, truly believe with the equipment provided and with the crew chief they’ve provided, that we should be able to go there and definitely run top five. And my expectation is maybe even a little better than that. My expectation to get Mullins Racing their best short-track finish to date.

“Anything fourth or better would be really what I think we can do.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Next on the roster for Trackhouse Racing’s exciting Project 91 program is Australian Supercars Championship competitor Shane van Gisbergen, set to make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at the Chicago Street Course on July 2.

van Gisbergen, a highly-decorated street racer, will vie for the victory in the team’s No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during the historic race weekend in the Windy City. van Gisbergen is currently fourth in the series standings down under and is the defending champion after a record-breaking season in 2022, bringing his career total to 63 wins and 152 podium finishes.

RELATED: More info, schedule for Chicago weekend | Buy tickets

But for the 34-year-old wheelman, racing in NASCAR is the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I can honestly say I have dreamed about an opportunity in NASCAR, but really never thought it would become a reality,” van Gisbergen, a New Zealand native, said in a team release. “I can’t wait to get to the States to meet everyone and prepare for Chicago. It’s NASCAR’s first time on the streets of Chicago, so in some ways, everyone will be a rookie like me, but I don’t underestimate that it’s going to be a huge challenge.”

van Gisbergen will aim to add a NASCAR Cup Series victory to his extensive resume, highlighted by three Supercars championships (2016, 2021 and 2022) and victory in Australia’s grueling Bathurst 1000.

Though van Gisbergen races a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Australia, the model currently competing in the Cup Series, and has a long list of racing accomplishments, Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks knows this is a big opportunity for van Gisbergen to compete stateside and familiarize himself with North American race fans.

RELATED: Relive Project 91’s debut with Kimi Räikkönen

“I’ll concede the American racing fan might not be as familiar with Shane as they are with Kimi, but if you talk with anyone in Australia, New Zealand and that part of the world, they will tell you he is one of the most talented drivers on the planet,” Marks said. “He’s used to street racing in heavy cars, and I think everyone will be very impressed with his performance.”

Well, based on his incredibly-detailed helmet design, it’s safe to say he’s off to a very good start.

van Gisbergen is the second in a growing list of international drivers to make their NASCAR debut via Project 91, following Räikkönen, the former F1 champion, who raced at Watkins Glen International in 2022 and Circuit of The Americas in 2023. Marks stated in May that there will be ‘multiple‘ drivers behind the wheel of the team’s third entry this season alongside Cup Series regulars Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez.

6/26 UPDATE: van Gisbergen was on hand at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25 to talk about his upcoming Cup Series debut, indicating that he and Marks had briefly talked about the potential of SVG running an oval-track race at some point:

“We had a small chat about that earlier,” van Gisbergen said during a press conference Sunday. “I’ve never really thought about ovals too much, but yeah you’d love to have a go at it. Like watching yesterday and how committed the guys were in qualifying — they had the practice and then you sit around all day and you get one lap. To see how committed everyone was and see who was braver than the others into Turn 1. It was pretty cool to watch. It sucked watching, I wanted to be out there. So, yeah I’d want to have a go at it one day.”

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. – Josh Berry is officially set to become a NASCAR Cup Series driver.

Stewart-Haas Racing announced Wednesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway that Berry will drive the No. 4 Ford for the organization beginning in 2024, replacing the retiring 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick. Crew chief Rodney Childers will remain atop the pit box for the No. 4 team as Berry officially joins the Cup Series.

“Obviously this is a really special day for me and special for a lot of people,” Berry said Wednesday. “First off, I have to thank everybody sitting up here with me for believing in me and, bringing me here to this. This is such a special day and it’s been a … fun process over the last couple of months getting to know these guys and working with them, and I can’t imagine a better opportunity for myself than to be full-time Cup racing with Stewart-Haas and headed for the No. 4 car.”

RELATED: Full details on Berry’s signing | Earnhardt Jr: Berry’s a ‘great fit’ at SHR

Berry found himself front and center of the stage in the Charlotte media center, flanked to his right by SHR chief competition officer Greg Zipadelli and team co-owner Tony Stewart and to his left by Harvick and Childers. In the crowd sat Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports and the kick-starter behind Berry’s racing career.

The belief behind him has been palpable for years. Wednesday provided the clearest example of that belief yet.

“It really means a lot to have the support that I’ve had,” Berry said. “Obviously, to get to this point, I knew that everybody at SHR and this group beside me believes in me and what I bring to the table. Like I’ve said, it’s going to be a great challenge trying to fill the job that Kevin’s done over the years. I mean, he’s a future Hall-of-Famer and has won countless races, a championship and I’ve been watching the races this year – these guys have been running really well from what I’ve been seeing. So it’s really encouraging for me and exciting to know that I’m gonna get such a great group around me. I intend to do everything I can to try to keep that group together and excited to work with me.

“I know that I’ll have some great support with Tony, Kevin and Dale as well as I transition to a full-time Cup driver. It’s all great. Like I said, I really can’t imagine myself going to a better opportunity.”

Josh Berry speaks with reporters after being announced as the next driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford starting in 2024
Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR Studios

The 32-year-old native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, was an immediate candidate of interest for Harvick, Childers and SHR as Harvick planned his retirement. As the organization planned its next steps, it was clear Berry was its guy.

“We literally put all of our eggs in one basket, and we put them on this kid to my left here with Josh Berry,” Stewart said. “He’s somebody that we all feel like is the right fit to step into the No. 4 car in the future and we’re all super excited to have him at Stewart-Haas Racing.”

Harvick, whose resume boasts 60 Cup wins, two Xfinity championships and two Craftsman Truck Series titles as an owner, now co-owns the CARS Late Model Stock Tour with Earnhardt, Jeff Burton and Justin Marks. That connection to Earnhardt – among plenty other ties – led Harvick to picking up the phone for a conversation about Berry.

“That’s really how this started,” Harvick said. “I just called Dale and I said, ‘Hey, would it be OK to have a conversation with Josh about possibly driving the No. 4 car, and that’s really how this started. So once that happened, and it was OK to just have some conversations, then (I) delivered that message to the team and everybody started talking about things and here we are today.”

Earnhardt recalled the conversation vividly, eager to see a door to the Cup Series crack open for Berry, who he met via iRacing some 15 years ago and guided to JRM’s late-model program just two years later.

“I told him (Harvick) that Josh was open to discuss any opportunities with anybody and that he would be thrilled and humbled to be considered for a replacement at Stewart-Haas in any car,” Earnhardt said. “I also introduced the idea that Josh didn’t have any formal representation as he progressed into whatever opportunities he had for the Cup Series.”

Earnhardt, a NASCAR Hall-of-Fame driver and car owner, pointed to Harvick’s agency – KHI Management – which could help Berry land a ride even if the door closed on at Stewart-Haas Racing.

“It (the call) was just about, ‘Yeah, get to know Josh. Why don’t you guys to know him better?’” Earnhardt said. “And they had a lot of meetings with Josh before the season even started. And so we just kind of waited around for them to finally make that decision if that was what they wanted to do.”

Berry’s first inkling of SHR’s interest came in January, when Harvick approached him on media day. From there, conversations continued with SHR’s chief commercial officer Brian McKinley as well as Stewart and Zipadelli.

Stewart emphasized Wednesday Berry earned consideration based on merit, adding sponsorship remains “totally open” on the No. 4 car in 2024.

“I am not interested in some kid’s father coming and buying their way into the Cup Series. I have zero interest in that,” Stewart said. “We want guys that earn their way, that work hard, that understand the values that it takes to be a top-tier driver – not one that just got his high school diploma and now all the sudden he’s a Cup driver. I’ve got zero interest in that. Josh has put the time, the effort, and every time he’s got an opportunity, he’s made the most of it. Those are the traits that championship drivers are built off of, not the easy ticket to get there.”

NASCAR ROOTS: How grinding through grassroots led Berry to Cup

As conversations progressed through the winter and spring, it became clearer to Berry the ride was his if he wanted it.

“From our side of things, there really was never a question that this was not a great opportunity for me,” Berry said. “Dale was fully supportive and he said himself he thought this was best-case scenario for me and for all this. He’s been there every step of the way.”

Indeed, Earnhardt has been there since the beginning, watching Berry flourish as a racer but never getting a true shot in NASCAR’s national touring series until timing allowed he and JRM to get Berry into the team’s No. 8 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series for a partial schedule in 2021 – a ride in which Berry was able to triumph at Martinsville Speedway before winning again as a substitute driver in JRM’s No. 1 car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway later that season.

The pride Earnhardt takes in seeing Berry earn a championship-caliber ride in the top level of stock-car racing was evident Wednesday.

“It’s a big relief because we’ve been waiting on this opportunity for Josh,” Earnhardt said. “It’s a big relief any time you can help anybody achieve a goal like that. I’m just looking forward to getting into this next season and him getting behind the wheel and starting to work. It’s going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be tough. There will be some challenges and he’ll have a lot of help and support – myself included – just to navigate all that.

“But it’s a good relief. It’s a happy, happy day for me. It’s fun to watch Josh go through this and realize a dream. It’s a great moment for the sport to have stories like this developing, and now we’ve got to sit and wait. Everybody’s got to go back to work, right? I told Josh, ‘Listen, man, this day’s going to be a big day. Let it all sink in. Absorb it all. Because as soon as this day’s over, you’ll wake up tomorrow and it’s back to the Xfinity Series.’”

Posted on by Brandon White

CONCORD, N.C. — A dreary Wednesday morning just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina served as one of the most gratifying days of Josh Berry’s life.

Years of learning, grinding and winning at short tracks along the East Coast finally paid off for Berry with the opportunity of a lifetime when Stewart-Haas Racing announced the 32-year-old from Hendersonville, Tennessee will replace Kevin Harvick as the driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2024.

With Berry surrounded by Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Greg Zipadelli and Rodney Childers in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s media center, the rain outside could not put a damper on the mood as he relished the long-awaited chance to race full-time in the Cup Series.

“This is a really special day for me and a lot of people,” Berry said. “I have to thank everyone up here sitting with me for believing in me. It’s been a fun process over the past couple of months, and I can’t imagine a better opportunity for myself.

“If we do the right things and stay the course, the results will come.”

RELATED: Berry carrying the flag for grassroots racers in NASCAR

Joining Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cup Series program would not have been possible for Berry without the guidance of another accomplished driver in Dale Earnhardt Jr.

By the early 2010s, Berry and his family had exhausted most of their resources in Legends cars to the point where Berry was considering pulling out of racing altogether. As Berry kept his skills sharp on iRacing, he formed a friendship with Earnhardt, who offered a test in one of his Late Model Stock Cars.

What followed was one of the most efficient careers in Late Model Stock competition.

Berry quickly proved himself against the established veterans of the discipline, earning victories in crown-jewel events like the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway before claiming the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship in 2020.

Having made periodic starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports during that stretch, Berry became more actively involved in the series starting in 2021. He has carried over his consistency with five victories and a Championship 4 appearance last year.

Advance Auto Parts delivers the NASCAR Weekly Series national championship trophy to Josh Berry and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the JR Motorsports facility in Mooresville, N.C. on Nov. 17, 2020. (Reagen Lunn/NASCAR)

Berry admitted to slight disbelief over how his career has unfolded since the turn of the decade. There were many days before 2020 in which he believed his career terminus would be racing Late Model Stocks with JR Motorsports.

Despite this, Berry never viewed his circumstances with a negative outlook. He feels his extended time racing on short tracks has only prepared him more for the demands of competing in the Cup Series.

“When I was racing short tracks, all I was worried about was winning races, working hard and building fast race cars,” Berry said. “That was the goal, and I wasn’t really thinking about my future. I had accepted that I was going to be a full-time short track racer, but I didn’t think that was a negative thing.

“There are a lot of great short-track racers fully capable of racing on Saturdays and Sundays, and I feel like I represent those guys.”

Josh Berry and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
A major part of Josh Berry’s success stems from his friendship with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who he has driven for since the early 2010s. (Photo: Reagen Lunn/NASCAR)

While Berry fought for every win in Late Model Stock competition, Earnhardt worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure the young driver would be able to one day progress through NASCAR’s top ranks — even if it meant Berry would have to eventually depart JR Motorsports.

That day will arrive once the 2023 Xfinity Series season concludes. Although Wednesday’s press conference was bittersweet for the NASCAR Hall of Famer, Earnhardt was elated for his long-time driver. He’s eager to see how Berry performs with Stewart-Haas.

“It’s a big relief, because we’ve waited on this opportunity for Josh,” Earnhardt said. “It’s going to be a lot of work, and there will be a lot of challenges, but he’s going to have a lot of support, myself included.

“It’s a happy day for me, and it’s fun to watch Josh go through this, and it’s great for the sport to have stories like this.”

Stewart does not envision Berry having to go through much of a learning period once the 2024 season begins.

Replacing both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman at Hendrick Motorsports earlier this year gave Berry valuable track time in the Next Gen car, but Stewart stressed Berry’s versatility in Xfinity cars, Late Model Stocks and Super Late Models gives him an advantage compared to younger drivers currently progressing through the developmental ladder.

“You want somebody who has the capability and the mindset of understanding not only what it takes to get to the track and what happens at the shop, but also does the rest of things that it takes to be successful,” Stewart said. “You have to put yourself in a position to win races and championships.

“[Berry] has done that work and has made the most of every opportunity he’s had.”

Josh Berry and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
With so many accomplishments to his name, Josh Berry is ready to take on the responsibilities of being a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver with Stewart-Haas Racing. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Like Stewart, Earnhardt is confident that once Berry gets acclimated to his environment at Stewart-Haas, he will thrive just like he did in Late Model Stocks for so many years.

Being in the Cup Series will require Berry to shoulder more responsibilities, particularly when it comes to building chemistry with his crew and teammates. Earnhardt watched Berry take on a mentorship role countless times with his Late Model Stock program and expects him to become an immediate leader within Stewart-Haas.

“For Josh, he has to use all the support around him,” Earnhardt said. “He has what I think is a Hall-of-Fame crew chief [in Rodney Childers], along with Kevin Harvick, who is a future Hall-of-Fame driver, as well as Greg Zipadelli and Tony Stewart. Josh has so many people who want to see him succeed, and he needs to lean into that.

“The most important role for Josh is to introduce himself to everybody and invest time with the team.”

Berry is ready to face the challenges of being a full-time Cup Series driver, but he also understands wins are not going to come easy. In his eight Cup starts this year, a second place at Richmond Raceway was Berry’s only top five.

Those results have done little to impact Berry’s overall mindset. Adversity never slowed him down when he was dominating Late Model Stock races, and he is only more determined to carry that efficiency into the Cup Series and prove himself as a perfect replacement for Harvick in the No. 4.

“[We] all know how tough Cup [Series] racing is,” Berry said. “I got the full experience with that this year, but I feel like we have the right pieces around us at Stewart-Haas and we can do the necessary things that will allow us to compete for wins in due time.”

Berry’s path to the Cup Series has been far from easy, but every positive and negative he endured on that journey has shaped him into a driver more than capable of racing alongside the best on Sundays.

While Wednesday was an enthralling moment for Berry, he knows more work still needs to be done for him to build upon his proud legacy in racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Noah Gragson is set to return to NASCAR Cup Series racing on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) after missing Sonoma Raceway earlier this month, the team announced Wednesday.

Following a crash at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 24-year-old rookie experienced concussion-like symptoms, according to the team, and did not make the trip to the northern California road course. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran Grant Enfinger filled in for Gragson, piloting the No. 42 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club to a 26th-place finish.

MORE: Cup standings | Nashville weekend schedule 

NASCAR granted Gragson a playoff waiver after missing a race and will remain eligible for the 2023 postseason.

In 15 starts in the Cup Series this season, Gragson sits 33rd in the driver standings with a best finish of 12th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

CONCORD, N.C. – Josh Berry will drive the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2024, he and the team announced Wednesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The ride becomes Berry’s first full-time opportunity at NASCAR’s top level, replacing 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick as he retires from his 23-year career before a transition into the television booth. Crew chief Rodney Childers will remain atop the pit box for the No. 4 team as Berry officially joins the Cup Series.

“I can’t imagine a better opportunity for me – to get in a car that’s been as successful and iconic as the No. 4,” Berry said in a team press release. “Kevin is a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, and it’s going to be a challenge trying to come after someone so successful. But I know I’m going to have an amazing group of people around me, led by Rodney Childers, to where we can hit the ground running.”

RELATED: Cup standings | Key moments in SHR history

Berry, 32, is in his second full-time Xfinity Series season with JR Motorsports. The native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has won five races in the second-tiered series, including a three-win performance in 2022. He moves to Stewart-Haas Racing, which won the 2014 Cup Series championship with Harvick and has earned 69 victories since team co-owner Tony Stewart partnered with Gene Haas in 2009.

“We’re incredibly proud to have Josh Berry begin the next chapter of his racing career in our No. 4 Ford Mustang,” Stewart said in a release. “Kevin Harvick has obviously set a very high bar, but Josh brings maturity, experience and, above all, a winning record to Stewart-Haas Racing. He is the right driver, at the right time, for the No. 4 team and our organization.”

MORE: Berry carrying the flag for grassroots racers

The long-time late-model racer has also filled in for two Hendrick Motorsports teams during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet for five races while Chase Elliott recovered from a broken left leg before getting into the No. 48 Chevrolet for three points races while Alex Bowman recovered from a fractured vertebra. Berry also competed at North Wilkesboro Speedway in the exhibition All-Star events, winning the All-Star Open to advance to his first NASCAR All-Star Race.

While subbing for Elliott, Berry scored his career-best Cup finish by placing second at Richmond Raceway on April 2. His stint in the No. 48 Chevrolet included starts at Dover Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Darlington Raceway, earning a best finish of 10th at Dover.

“Josh Berry has proven himself in the Xfinity Series and this year showed how quickly he can adapt to the cars and the level of competition in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Greg Zipadelli, the team’s chief competition officer, said. “He’ll be a rookie in our race car next year, but he drives like a veteran. He puts in the work to ensure that he’s always ready for the opportunities that come his way, and we’re very happy that his next opportunity is with Stewart-Haas Racing.”

Josh Berry sits in a Stewart-Haas Racing car with his name on the vehicle
True Speed Communication

Berry is a renowned late-model stock car racer who joined JRM’s late-model program in 2010. Per the team’s website, Berry collected his 100th overall victory with JRM in the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park on Nov. 27, 2022. The most significant of those triumphs came at Martinsville Speedway in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the most prestigious race in late-model racing.

LATE MODELS TO CUP SERIES: Berry through the years

“Late-model racing is where I came from, and I think it’s the best place to learn and prepare to eventually race in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Harvick, who co-owns the CARS Late Model Stock Tour. “Josh is a really good example, and probably the best and most recent example, of applying all that he’s learned in late models to what he’s doing in the Xfinity Series.

“Winning the CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship and the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series championship (in 2020) requires a lot of skill and an equal amount of determination. Josh did both and won a lot of races along the way. That experience allowed him to be fast and successful right off the bat when he got to the Xfinity Series, and when he had his opportunities to race in the Cup Series earlier this year, he again showed speed and an ability to race at the front.

“I’m very happy for Josh and proud to see him get this opportunity. He’s going to be a really good fit with Rodney and the No. 4 team.”

His NASCAR trajectory took a bit longer to develop. After two Xfinity races with JRM in 2014, he scored a breakout opportunity in September 2015 at Richmond Raceway, where he was placed behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet in a last-minute deal because sponsorship hadn’t been sold otherwise.

A seventh-place run garnered heaps of attention after competing inside the top five all night, but it took another six years until he was afforded a significant, multi-race opportunity in the Xfinity Series. Berry joined JRM to drive the No.8 Chevrolet for 12 races in 2021, scoring his first NASCAR national series victory at Martinsville.

In addition to driving the No. 31 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing five times that season, he also replaced an injured Michael Annett in JRM’s No. 1 entry, earning his second win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Xfinity Season standings

“The Xfinity Series win at Martinsville changed my career and allowed us to point toward a full-time season for 2022 where we competed for the championship,” said Berry, who qualified for the Championship 4 in the Xfinity Series last year.

Berry has driven the No. 8 Chevrolet on a full-time basis since the beginning of the 2022 season and currently sits fifth in points, 112 markers behind series leader John Hunter Nemechek with six top-five finishes and 10 top 10s in 14 races.

Posted on by Adam Fenwick

There was a point in Josh Berry’s life when he thought a career in racing was beyond his reach.

Berry is the driver who filled in for injured Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman in eight NASCAR Cup Series races this season before landing a full-time Cup ride in Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford Mustang starting in 2024. But he had to take the long road to what has become a successful NASCAR career.

That road so far has been filled with bumps and surprises, but Berry has held a steady wheel every step of the way. In doing so, he has become an inspiration for grassroots racers across the United States.

“My family were race fans, so I grew up as a race fan at a young age,” said Berry, who is in the midst of his second full NASCAR Xfinity Series season with JR Motorsports. “I watched the races as a kid, but my first racing experience would have been on my eighth birthday when I got a go-kart. I began racing just locally, just me and my mom and dad going racing.”

It wasn’t long before Berry moved up the racing ladder to competing in a four-cylinder at historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

However, the sudden passing of Berry’s mother combined with the financial burden that comes with racing almost brought an end to his career before it truly got started.

“We built a car for me to race on the quarter mile at the Fairgrounds. I raced it a handful of times, and then my mother unexpectedly passed away,” Berry said. “That created a burden on us for awhile. There was a lull there for a year or so maybe.

“When I was a little bit older, we got a Legend car and raced on the quarter mile there for a handful of years. Basically once I got to graduating high school, I’m 18 or 19 years old at that point, each year we raced a little less. It was just a little bit harder to make happen.”

Josh Berry
Josh Berry (88) races Austin McDaniel during a CARS Tour event at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2016. (Photo: Adam Fenwick)

That’s when Berry’s racing career shifted from competing on a real race track to racing on a digital one. At the time, the computer game NASCAR Racing 2003 Season had become popular, and Berry began making a name for himself as a top-tier online competitor.

It was through this that Berry met the man who would have possibly the biggest influence on his racing career: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

At the time, Earnhardt spent much of his free time racing online. The two crossed paths when Berry competed in a league run by Earnhardt. The two later raced against each other on iRacing, which launched in 2008.

“We just developed a friendship on there,” Berry said. “We would just chat here and there. Real casual. We weren’t really even racing together on there, we were just kind of racing around each other and kind of developed a friendship.”

Eventually Earnhardt became so impressed by Berry’s talent that he invited him to come test one of his Late Model Stock Cars. Berry jumped at the opportunity.

“We talked about my racing at the Fairgrounds. I remember he had inquired about it a little bit. I think I sent him some videos of it. Never thought anything of it,” Berry said. “I guess at the time they were in the midst of kind of looking for a driver for the Late Model program at JR Motorsports. They were just looking for some direction there or maybe Dale was looking for a project I think, maybe, for it.

“He asked me if I’d ever like to test his Late Model. Of course I was ecstatic, because at that point in my career and life, I never thought I would ever drive a stock car. To get asked to test like that, it was just crazy.”

Soon after a successful test at Virginia’s Motor Mile Speedway, Berry was named the team’s regular Late Model Stock Car driver. Track championships at Motor Mile (2012) and North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway (2014) followed in the next few years.

The 2015 season brought a major change with the creation of the CARS Tour, a Southeastern-based touring series that featured Late Model Stock Cars as its headline division.

Berry and JR Motorsports quickly found a home with the series. Despite only racing in four events during the inaugural season, Berry won three CARS Tour races. He followed that up with five victories in 2016 and four victories in 2017 to go along with the series championship.

He was doing all of that while also serving as a mentor to young drivers as part of the JR Motorsports Late Model program, including future NASCAR Cup Series star William Byron.

“We decided to go try the CARS Tour, and we ended up finding a home there after that,” Berry said. “A lot of my career and my life has been about timing, right? I raced Late Model Stocks because that was the opportunity that I had. I quickly learned to love that and love Late Model Stock racing and love racing at all these tracks in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, all of these amazing short tracks.

“I just learned to love it. It was my life.”

Josh Berry
Josh Berry celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Late Model Stock portion of the Jack Ingram Memorial at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway on June 11, 2022. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

Berry continued in that role while racing with the CARS Tour until the 2020 season, when the COVID-19 pandemic — combined with an on-track incident at North Carolina’s Ace Speedway that led to a one-race suspension from the CARS Tour — changed his plans for the season.

Instead of focusing on the CARS Tour schedule, Berry and JR Motorsports pursued the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship. The decision paid off, as Berry won 26 races and cruised to the national championship.

“It was an unusual year for everybody,” Berry said of 2020. “One of the main things that opened up the idea of us going for the national championship was the pandemic. When race tracks first started opening up, our Late Model program is a business, like a lot of people at that time, you’re just trying to keep your business going.

“My first race back from the pandemic were twin 40-lap races at Hickory. There was like 30 cars there and we won both of them. That was when it kind of clicked. We were like, ‘Wow, we could do this.’”

Josh Berry
Josh Berry and Dale Earnhardt Jr. pose with Berry’s NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship trophy at the JR Motorsports facility in Mooresville, NC. (Photo: Reagen Lunn/NASCAR)

The Weekly Series championship directly led to Earnhardt tabbing Berry to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series part-time in 2021.

Berry repaid Earnhardt’s faith with a victory early in the year at Martinsville Speedway, which he followed with a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while competing as a substitute driver for the injured Michael Annett.

The stock of the driver from Hendersonville, Tennessee has continued to rise since. His impressive performances in the Xfinity Series, which included three wins in 2022, is what led Hendrick Motorsports to pick him to drive the No. 9 Chevrolet while Elliott recovered from a fractured tibia he suffered in a snowboarding accident.

RELATED: How Chase Elliott can make the 2023 Cup Playoffs

He further turned heads with a runner-up finish in Cup Series competition at Richmond Raceway, prompting Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon to say, “I think he’s got a future in the Cup Series.”

Berry will enter the next chapter of his racing career with the support of not only people like Earnhardt and Gordon, but with the support of weekly racers across the country. Berry is living proof that with enough hard work, dreams can come true.

“I’ve had lots of guys, whether they were friends or foes over the years, reach out to me and express the excitement that they have,” Berry said. “What it does, for one, is just solidify what the CARS Tour and what the Weekly Series and what these local tracks are. That it is a proving ground. It is legitimate.

“To be in the position to get an opportunity and capitalize on it and even make it to the Xfinity Series is a big deal. I think it really shows the amount of talent and how important these short tracks are to all of us.”

Posted on by Press Release

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (June 21, 2023) – Today, Comcast announced nominations for the 2023 Comcast Community Champion of the Year are now open through August 1, 2023, at ComcastCommunityChampion.com. The prestigious annual award has recognized the philanthropic efforts of individuals within the NASCAR community. In the ninth year of this award, Comcast will surpass $1 million in total contributions made to organizations affiliated with previous champions and finalists with this year’s awards.

To nominate and learn additional details about the award, visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com today through August 1, 2023.

Created in 2015, the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award was designed to honor the incredible efforts of NASCAR industry members who are improving their communities. Comcast will select and honor three finalists, sharing their stories publicly. Following the finalists’ selection, a committee of NASCAR and Comcast executives, as well as 2022 champion Jes Ferreira, will determine the Comcast Community Champion of the Year. The champion will receive $60,000 to their affiliated charity and the two other finalists will each receive $30,000 to their selected charities later this year.

“Creating positive change across communities is a core pillar of Comcast’s mission and every year we look forward to telling the stories of these inspirational individuals within NASCAR who have selflessly dedicated their time and energy toward supporting others,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Amplification.

Any individual with a 2023 annual credential or NASCAR full season license from NASCAR’s top-three national series are eligible to be nominated as a 2023 finalist, including:

• Team owners, drivers and all NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™ and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series™ employees
• Full-time employees of tracks that are currently on the schedule for NASCAR’s three series
• NASCAR Media members who have a Print, Broadcast or Photography Hard Card
• NASCAR Officials
• NASCAR Partners/Sponsors
• Family members of drivers and crew members
• Driver and team employees (motorhome drivers, agents, and managers etc.)
• Support industry personnel (engine builders, parts and service providers etc.)

Since the inception of the program, Comcast has donated to 24 different nonprofit organizations, furthering the impact of the philanthropic efforts of all finalists and champions. This year, Comcast will reach the milestone of having donated $1 million to deserving organizations in a nine-year span.

“It was truly an honor to have been named Comcast Community Champion of the Year last season,” said Vice President of Live Shows, CSM Production, Jes Ferreira. “Most importantly, Comcast’s generosity benefited Foster Village Charlotte to support all of the life-changing work that they do for foster families in the region.”

Past champions include:

• Vice President of Live Shows, CSM Production, Jes Ferreira representing Foster Village Charlotte
• World Wide Technology Raceway Owner, Curtis Francois, representing Raceway Gives Foundation
• NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace, representing the Live To Be Different Foundation
• Dover Motor Speedway President, Mike Tatoian, representing USO Delaware
• NASCAR champion, Joey Logano, representing the Joey Logano Foundation
• Chip Ganassi Racing’s pit crew department representing Ronald McDonald House
• JR Motorsports fabricator, Wade Jackson, representing Camp LUCK
• NASCAR driver, Joey Gase, representing the Iowa Donor Network

In celebration of the 2023 Comcast Community Champion of the Year program and reaching the million-dollar mark, Comcast will be engaging within the community in Nashville, Tenn. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Josh Williams, who was a 2022 Comcast Community Champion of the Year finalist, will be visiting Seacrest Studios at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as part of his work with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation.

Comcast has a storied history of strengthening communities each and every day of the year providing education opportunities and digital skills training to help create more pathways to economic mobility for young people and adults alike, most recently through its Project UP initiative. Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach millions of people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky that connect people to the internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators. For more information on Project UP and the latest news on efforts to address digital inequities, visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.