A strong run for Josh Berry with a glimmer of hope to advance further in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs ends in a mechanical failure and a spin.
“It was definitely an issue,” said Berry about his power steering.
On Lap 33 during Stage 2, Berry spun shortly after reporting his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro had lost all power steering. No caution was thrown by NASCAR officials as Berry was able to continue in the race with no damage.
“I had no power steering on the oval track and through a couple of the sections in the infield,” he continued. “The compression basically had little to no power steering, so it’s just difficult to deal with. I couldn’t be as consistent with the car, but that’s part of racing and those things don’t happen very often.”
Even then, the stock car veteran charged through the field to finish third in his elimination race as his teammate Sam Mayer captured his must-win victory to advance.
“I felt like Sam was the best car,” admitted Berry. “He’s done a great job on these road courses, so I’m not going to take anything away from Sam there. I’m really proud of the car we had. I felt like we were top three all day. We did a great job today.”
In what will be Berry’s final full-time Xfinity season, he looks to end his sophomore year strong before promoting to the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart Haas Racing, inheriting Kevin Harvick’s ride in the No. 4 Ford Mustang.
“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 earlier this year 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.”
For now, his top priority is focusing on the remaining four races of the 2023 season, where he will compete next Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.