While winning six Legend Cars championships as a teenager, Berry was also competing in iRacing, and it was during some online racing sessions where Berry caught the attention of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The NASCAR Hall of Famer and owner of JR Motorsports was intrigued enough to see how Berry would fare on an actual racetrack, so Earnhardt offered up a Late Model test and Berry seized the moment.

He joined JR Motorsports’ Late Model program in 2010 – first as a parts washer – but soon Berry put those parts to work as a driver, amassing wins and championships. A track title in 2012 at Motor Mile Speedway near Radford, Virginia, followed by another track championship in 2014 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway led to even bigger crowns, most notably the 2017 CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship and the 2020 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series championship. In all, Berry won more than 100 Late Model races and became the winningest driver in CARS Tour history.

With Dale Earnhardt’s belief duly rewarded, the NASCAR icon double-downed on his faith in Berry by promoting his protégé to one of JR Motorsports’ Xfinity Series entries, albeit on a limited schedule. In just his 13^th career Xfinity Series start, Berry won on April 11, 2021 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The site of one of Berry’s most prominent Late Model victories – the 2019 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 – became the site of his breakthrough NASCAR moment. A second Xfinity Series victory was earned on Sept. 25 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, setting the stage for a three-win campaign in 2022 where Berry competed for the championship in his first full-time season.

In just 95 career Xfinity Series starts, Berry racked up five wins, four poles and finished among the top-10 in more than half his races. Those exploits made Berry the go-to solution for Cup Series teams in need of an interim driver. He made 12 Cup Series starts spread across three different teams, with his best effort being an impressive second-place drive on April 2, 2023 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway while subbing for the injured Chase Elliott.

INFORMATION COURTESY STEWART HAAS RACING MEDIA RELATIONS