| Event: Freeway Insurance 500Date/Time: Sunday, October 18, 2026, 3 p.m. ETLocation: Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, ArizonaLayout: 1-Mile OvalTV/Radio: USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio |
| As Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team enter the final stretch of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, this weekend’s Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway presents a promising opportunity to build on their recent momentum and contend for another strong finish.The relatively flat, one-mile oval has been a favorable track for Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team, who recorded fourth- and seventh-place finishes in their two visits to Phoenix last season. Their success on similar tracks this year provides further reason for optimism, with Berry earning a fourth-place finish at Iowa Speedway, an eighth-place result at Richmond Raceway and a third-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.While the team’s most recent visit to Phoenix on March 8 proved challenging, with brake issues hampering the No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse before Berry was collected in an accident, the driver remains confident in the team’s ability to return to form this weekend.During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week, Berry pointed to the team’s previous success at Phoenix and its continued strength on shorter tracks as reasons for optimism heading into Sunday’s race.“It was a bit of a struggle for us in the spring compared to last year,” Berry said. “We had two really good races there last year, and we’ve been super strong at short tracks this year.“We can look back on those notes and take what we’ve learned at those tracks and apply it to Phoenix. It should be a great race for us.”Berry and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have delivered a string of competitive performances over the past two months, positioning themselves to continue pursuing top-five and top-10 finishes as the season winds down. Berry believes that consistency is key to putting the No. 21 team in contention for another trip to Victory Lane.“Hopefully we can keep knocking out those top-fives and top-10s, and when you consistently put yourselves in those positions, you get the opportunity to go for a win,” he said. “We are in a position where we can certainly go do that.”With a proven track record at Phoenix and encouraging results on comparable circuits, Berry and the Wood Brothers will look to capitalize on one of their stronger opportunities to contend near the front of the field during the closing weeks of the season.Practice for the Freeway Insurance 500 is scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 5:35 p.m. ET. Both sessions will be televised on truTV.Sunday’s 312-mile race is scheduled to take the green flag shortly after 3 p.m. ET, with television coverage on USA Sports.Stage breaks are scheduled for Laps 60 and 185. |
Josh BerryAge: 35 (Oct. 22, 1990)Hometown: Hendersonville, TennesseeCrew Chief: Miles StanleyIG: @joshberry88X: @joshberry