Josh Berry 2026 Report Card: Rough Start, Strong Finish, a C
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 21, and the biggest midseason turnaround in the field.
The Short Version
Josh Berry's 2026 season was two different years stacked on top of each other. Through the first 18 races he averaged a 26.7 finish, crashed out five times and learned in June that he would not be back in the No. 21. Over the last 18 he averaged a 15.1, ran off six straight top 10s and led 73 laps at New Hampshire. His computed season grade is a C, 24th of 35 full-time drivers, because the first half counts just as much as the second.
Why the Josh Berry 2026 Grade Is a C
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Berry's season score ranked 24th of 35, which lands at C. His 20.9 average finish ranked 24th and he finished 22nd in points. Five DNFs ranked 23rd, and all five came before the end of July. His median finish was 26th, which tells you how many deep finishes were mixed in with the good ones.
Split the season in half and the grade makes more sense. A 26.7 average finish over the first 18 races is bottom-of-the-field territory. A 15.1 average over the final 18 is the work of a driver who belongs in the top half of the sport.
Josh Berry by the Numbers
Here is where Berry ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
The best numbers on the card are the speed numbers. Berry ranked 12th in fastest laps run (235), 13th in top 10s (11), 14th in top 5s (4) and 14th in percentage of laps in the top 15 (51%). He led 102 laps, 18th in the field. Those are middle-of-the-pack numbers for a team that finished 22nd in points.
The weak spots are the finish columns. He ranked 24th in average finish, 23rd in DNFs and 28th in finish spread, meaning his results swung more than almost anyone's. When the No. 21 got to the end, it was often a good day. Too many times it did not get there.
A First Half to Forget
The year started fine with a 9th in the Daytona 500. Then it came apart. Berry crashed out at Atlanta (38th) and Phoenix (32nd), and he finished 26th or worse in 11 of the first 15 races. He crashed out again at Talladega in April and Nashville in May.
There was some disruption along the way. Crew chief Miles Stanley did not travel to Kansas in April for personal reasons, and Wood Brothers performance director Matt Swiderski called the race as acting crew chief. Berry finished 27th.
On June 10 the team announced it would not pick up its option on Berry for 2027. "I'm not gonna be back in the 21 next year," Berry said on a Ford teleconference. He was 30th in points at the time. A week later the team named 2025 O'Reilly Series champion Jesse Love as his replacement.
Racing for a Job, and Getting One
A crash at North Wilkesboro on July 19 was his fifth and last DNF of the year. After that, the No. 21 turned into one of the most consistent cars in the field.
- Indianapolis, July 26: started 26th, finished 7th.
- Iowa, Aug. 9: started 13th, finished 4th.
- Richmond, Aug. 15: started 3rd, finished 8th.
- New Hampshire, Aug. 23: started 2nd, led 73 laps, finished 3rd, his best result of the year.
- Daytona, Aug. 29: finished 9th.
- Darlington, Sept. 6: finished 7th, his sixth straight top 10.
Berry did not make the 16-driver Chase, but the run did its job. On Sept. 8, Legacy Motor Club named him the driver of its No. 42 Toyota for 2027, replacing John Hunter Nemechek. He kept going after that, with a 6th at Bristol, a 4th at Charlotte and a 4th at Martinsville. His average finish over the final 10 races was 14.6.
What 2027 Looks Like
Berry moves to Legacy Motor Club's No. 42 Toyota in 2027, alongside Erik Jones in the No. 43. Chais Eliason, named the No. 42 crew chief on Sept. 17, stays on the pit box for him. The team is co-owned by Jimmie Johnson. Jesse Love takes over the No. 21 at Wood Brothers. Track every move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
The C is fair for the whole year, but it undersells where Berry finished. The driver who averaged a 15.1 over the last 18 races is the one Legacy hired. If that version shows up in a Toyota in February, his 2027 grade will look a lot better than this one.
Gear Up for 2027
Berry's first Cup win came at Las Vegas on March 16, 2025. Celebrate it, or grab a hat for the offseason.
- Josh Berry No. 21 First Cup Win Las Vegas 2025 T-Shirt
- Josh Berry Big No. 4 Mesh Hat
- Josh Berry Name and Number T-Shirt
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; Kansas crew chief change via NASCAR.com, Jayski and Daily Downforce; Wood Brothers option and Berry quote via Speedway Media and Frontstretch; Jesse Love via NASCAR.com and Speed Sport; Legacy signing via Speed Sport and Jayski; Eliason via RACER; 2025 Las Vegas win via AP.
