"Race Hard, But Don't Wreck 'Em": Josh Berry on Racing Playoff Drivers

Rob Branning | TobyChristie.com

After three consecutive last-place finishes in the Round of 16 of the Playoffs, Josh Berry is no longer one of the drivers battling for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. But, as was evident last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, non-Playoff contenders can still find themselves in the thick of postseason chaos.

Berry is balancing racing for the win and continuing to show respect for those competing for a championship. He's navigating it with a level head and a strong sense of respect for the bigger picture.

In the closing laps of the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Wood Brothers Racing driver found himself battling with his Team Penske quasi-teammate, and Playoff contender, Ryan Blaney for the win. After Blaney picked up the hard-fought win, he expressed gratitude for Berry not choosing to rough him up for the lead in their late-race battle.

Berry raced him clean, hard, and smart. Just the way it should be, Berry says.

"I was pushing hard to do everything I could to keep Ryan honest," Berry said in a Ford Racing media call. "I made him work for it, for sure, but I knew... I was gonna have to be careful. I had to make sure nothing bad happened."

The Unwritten Rules of Playoff Racing

While Berry chose not to cross the line, from an aggression standpoint, with his Playoff-contending teammate at New Hampshire, the same couldn't be said for Ty Gibbs, who raised the ire of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin over several laps in Stage 2 of the race. In the end, Hamlin would make contact that would send Gibbs crashing in Turn 2 on Lap 110.

TENSIONS. ARE. HIGH. 👀

Denny Hamlin voices some frustration while battling with teammate Ty Gibbs. #NASCARPlayoffs

📺: @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/epxts7yuDJ

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 21, 2025

Now, both drivers are at odds.

While team owner Joe Gibbs explained after the race that Joe Gibbs Racing will allow its drivers to hash out their differences on their own, Hamlin is encouraging Joe Gibbs Racing management to step in and clear the air between the two drivers.

Berry sees the line clearly. You must race hard for your team, but you can't jeopardize the big picture.

“We’re racing for ourselves and our teams and our partners… but you’ve got to take care of those guys,” Berry said. “It’s bigger than you. There’s a company with hundreds of employees.”

In Berry’s case, the stakes are especially high. As his Wood Brothers Racing team has a technical alliance with Team Penske, he shares data and meetings with Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric. He knows that one over-aggressive move could blow up not just a race, but perhaps the partnership between the two organizations.

“It can create a pretty toxic environment if you don’t hold the drivers accountable,” Berry added. “You don’t want to be in a situation like [the Gibbs camp].”

Trust, Teamwork, and Turning the Page

The trust and communication inside the Team Penske/Wood Brothers Racing alliance is something Berry doesn’t take for granted.

“They do a good job of that here… communicating well and establishing that that type of stuff isn’t gonna happen,” Berry explained.

As already established, it's a delicate balance for non-Playoff drivers in the final races of the season. On one hand, you want to race with intensity, but on the other, you don’t want to take liberties. Earn respect, don’t demand it is the mantra for Berry. That’s been a theme throughout Berry’s first season with the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team, even in the face of adversity. He recently endured three straight DNFs, but never lost his composure.

“You move onto the next one,” Berry said. “Whether you win or wreck, everybody goes to work Monday for the next race.”

That mindset paid off at New Hampshire, where Berry rebounded from a spin at the opening of Stage 2 to lead laps, and in the end, he finished second, just behind Blaney. And it’s that same approach that will guide him through Kansas and the Roval, even as the playoff intensity continues to ratchet up.

The Bottom Line: Race with Purpose

“You race your teammates hard — we’re racing everybody hard,” Berry said. “But it goes a long way if you just cut your guy a break and hopefully receive it on a later day.”

In an era where playoff contact has become the norm, Berry’s old-school mentality is a breath of fresh air in the modern era of the NASCAR Cup Series. Berry, who worked his way to the top series in NASCAR through what is considered an unconventional path by today's standards, learned along the way to race with purpose, but don’t burn bridges.

It might not always make for a lot of social media impressions, but inside the shop, and inside the team, it earns something even more valuable, and that's trust.