MARTINSVILLE, VA — The ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway has attracted many of the greatest Late Model drivers during its long history, most of which have found a way to victory lane and taken home a prestigious grandfather clock. Philip Morris is the only driver in the event’s history who has won three times, while drivers such as Tommy Lemons Jr., Lee Pulliam and Timothy Peters have won the race twice.
One notable name that has often encountered struggles at Martinsville as opposed to the rest of his competition is Josh Berry, who has only picked up a best finish of 13th twice in his seven attempts in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Berry has always had Martinsville circled on his calendar since he began competing in Late Models earlier this decade, and is hoping to join the like of Morris, Pulliam and Peters as Martinsville winners.
“It’s a really big race, and you always want to win,” Berry said. “It gets a lot of cars, and that part definitely adds to it, plus the fact that it’s a Cup track and all of the history there adds meaning as well. For the Late Model racers, this is the track that you want to win at, but it’s also the hardest to win at. It’s a race that all of us want to check off.”
Berry quickly became a household name in Late Model racing on the East Coast after he signed a development deal with JR Motorsports to drive the #88 Speedco Late Model on a regular basis. It would not take long for Berry to find success with the team, as he knocked off several victories at Motor Mile Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway, where he also managed to pick up track championships at both facilities.
Berry’s success would carry over into the CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour when it was formed in 2015, as he is currently leads the all-time win list in the series with 14 victories, and currently has one series championship that he picked up in 2017. Berry’s crowning achievement behind the wheel of a Late Model would come only a month after picking up his first CARS Tour championship, as he would take the checkered flag first in the Myrtle Beach 400.
While Berry is no stranger to success against many of the best Late Model drivers in the country, he has not been able to duplicate it when he has visited Martinsville. In his first year driving for JR Motorsports in the 2012 ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Berry finished 33rd after encountering issues on Lap 89, but would face worse luck in 2013 when he was one of over 40 drivers who missed the event.
Berry would qualify 16th the following year and had a Top 10 run going, but a last lap accident involving himself, Peyton Sellers and Anthony Anders relegated him to a 13th place finish. Berry would finally complete every single lap in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 in 2015 where he also placed 13th, but has not been able to improve upon that strong run, as he has finished outside the Top 20 in both 2016 and 2017.
Despite his struggles in past events, Berry enters each ValleyStar Credit Union 300 with confidence on his side, and he believes that his team is getting closer to finding victory lane at Martinsville with every passing year. Berry has not been competing in any touring series full-time in 2018, which he believes has allowed him and his team to put more focus into the race and carefully study all of their past shortcomings.
“I’ve been thinking about all of the situations that I’ve been put in here,” Berry said. “I think we have lacked speed here, as we’ve been up front, but we’ve just been a little bit off to where we’ve just kind of been stuck in the middle of the pack. My track record for finishing the race has been poor, which is very unusual for me. This race has been tough on me, but every year is a new year, and this year we’ve put a lot of effort into it, so I think we’re in a good position to capitalize on the momentum we have.”
Berry is currently in the middle of another successful racing season that includes two CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour victories, as well as a Top 5 finish in his ARCA Racing Series debut, and is looking forward to continue his success this weekend. With Berry already having many accomplishments in Late Model racing at only 27 years old, he hopes to finally add a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 win to his resume and join his boss Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a winner at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks.
“With what we do as a company, this is the last race I have to win,” Berry said. “We don’t race for national championships and we don’t run a lot of the other shows out there, but every year we have cars here, and I feel like it’ll stay that way for a long time. Winning this race is all I have left to do, and it would really mean a whole lot to finally be able to do that.”
Berry will encounter a handful of familiar competitors from the CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour this weekend that will include current series points leader Bobby McCarty, who is also looking for his first Martinsville victory. However, Berry and the rest of his competition will have to find a way to stay in front of five-time Whelen All-American Series champion Philip Morris, who is looking to become the first driver to win the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 four times.
