Josh Berry repeatedly used some variation of the phrase “a great match” Wednesday when discussing his 2025 transfer to Wooden Brothers Racing to drive the No. 21 Ford Mustang.
“I wouldn’t be right here if I didn’t consider in these guys,” Berry mentioned. “I do know the hassle that goes into placing the 21 automotive on observe each weekend; I feel that’s been fairly clear, and I really feel like this can be a nice match for me. There’s no excuses from my aspect of issues. I really feel like we’re going to have what we have to carry out, and it must be a fantastic alternative.”
Berry’s new deal got here collectively rapidly, though it wasn’t till the final week that Berry formally signed the contract. Stewart-Haas Racing publicly saying Could 28 that it was shuttering its NASCAR program at season’s finish put issues in movement because the season-long rumors turned truth.
Wooden Brothers Racing initiated the talks with Berry, who was the following candidate after the workforce couldn’t come to a take care of Chase Briscoe, who signed with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jon Wooden, the president of Wooden Brothers Racing, mentioned Berry was an apparent selection. He would be the workforce’s fifth driver since 2016, when the corporate returned to full-time NASCAR Cup Sequence racing.
“I had dedicated to them fairly rapidly,” Berry mentioned. “It felt like the fitting match. They didn’t waste any time and I felt prefer it was the fitting match for me. I’m assured in what they’ve right here, and clearly, the affiliation with Group Penske is large. To get to work alongside Joey [Logano] and, Ryan [Blaney] and Austin [Cindric] as teammates, I feel that’s one other massive plus. Then clearly, Ford supporting this can be a massive deal as effectively.”
Wooden Brothers Racing will proceed its technical alliance with Group Penske and obtain producer help from Ford.
“I feel they’re going to stay up for having him in these conferences,” Wooden mentioned of the Penske drivers working with Berry. “With this automotive being so equal and so depending on the driving force, extra so than in years previous the place it was quite a bit about automotive preparation, now a driver has quite a bit to do with it. They’re going to be slightly extra apt to take heed to any person like Josh in these conferences. He’s going to assist them, they usually’re going to assist him.”
Because the struggle for outcomes continues, Wooden Brothers Racing was able to make a change. The group has been winless since 2016. Burton has one top-10 end in two-and-a-half seasons.
Wooden will not be placing the blame solely on Burton’s shoulder, admitting maybe it has been group, too. Both manner, not performing because the group desires has been irritating.
“I feel we had been at some extent the place we had given this season sufficient time to be fairly certain that was the street we had been going to go down,” Wooden mentioned of creating a driver change. “The Stewart-Haas factor, it wasn’t like flipping a light-weight swap the place at some point they’re in enterprise, and the following day they’re performed. This had been happening for some time; the dialogue of them going out of enterprise, and we had extra cause to suppose they weren’t going to make it than they had been, and so we type of knew as soon as that formal announcement was made, it could be a possibility to make these strikes and have these discussions.
“However we didn’t have them till that occurred. We had been attempting to respect the system and the method (and) not make a transfer or speak to any of these drivers — that included Chase [Briscoe]. We waited till it was the fitting time and by that point, it was too late with him. We didn’t do something improper — we revered the system, and we landed the place we wanted to be with [Josh].”
It’s a multiyear deal for Berry to drive the famed No. 21.
“It’s a multiyear deal so long as I run (effectively),” he mentioned with a smile. “And I don’t plan on operating dangerous.”
