| What began as a tough night for Josh Berry and the No. 21 eero team turned into a hard-fought comeback, as they rebounded from a lap down to finish 12th in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.Berry rolled off 18th but quickly began losing ground to the leaders as handling issues set in. He had dropped to 30th by Lap 40 and was on pit road under the green flag when Kyle Larson spun and brought out the caution flag.That ill-timed caution dropped Berry to 37th and a lap down, but he took the wave-around on the next yellow and finished Stage 1 in 33rd.Berry and the eero team endured another tough stretch in the second 100-lap Stage, holding on to finish 27th while staying committed to turning things around in the closing half of the race.As the handling of the No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse steadily improved, Berry finally caught a break, earning the free pass after a multi-car incident at Lap 247 involving Ryan Blaney and four others.Returning to the battle in 22nd place and back on the lead lap, Berry was able to finish 20th in the third Stage.With the car dialed in for the final 100-lap run to the checkered flag, Berry cracked the top 15 by Lap 315, ran as high as fifth during green-flag pit stops, and settled into 14th with 38 laps to go.With nine laps remaining, he moved into 13th place, then passed Erik Jones for 12th with two to go, earning his fifth finish of 12th or better in 13 races this season.Eddie Wood said that the strong comeback was rewarding for him and for the family of Marine Cpl. Ian Zook, whose name was on the windshield of the Wood Brothers Mustang as part of the sport’s Memorial Day Weekend remembrance of fallen service members.“Len and I got to spend time with Ian’s family before the race,” Wood said. “It turns out they were long-time fans of our team, and getting to meet them and talk to them reminded us of the sacrifices that families like them have made over the years.“We were honored to have Ian’s family members with us and to be able to learn more about the young man who gave his life so we all can enjoy nights like tonight.”Berry and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to Nashville Superspeedway and next Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400. |
