Josh Berry shares his thoughts on every drivers mindset for NASCAR’s $1,000,000 In-Season Challenge

NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry recently weighed in on NASCAR's newest addition to the Cup Series schedule, the inaugural In-Season Challenge. This mid-season competition will feature 32 Cup Series drivers, with the winner taking home a million dollars.

The In-season challenge will follow a tournament-style elimination format spread across five races, starting with Atlanta. The top 32 drivers after the Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway will set the field, and the brackets will be set after three seeding rounds. The final showdown will be between the two remaining drivers at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ahead of the Cracker Barrel 400, Wood Brothers Racing's new driver, Josh Berry, was asked whether the million-dollar prize has the potential to distract drivers from the larger goal of keeping on winning week after week.

“I think we all pay pretty close attention to it once it gets rolling. I think it is going to be exciting to follow and watch. I am sure we will go into the weekends knowing who we are paired against. Obviously, there is a lot of money on the line and potentially a lot of money on the line for a fan if they have a perfect bracket. I think it will be cool to follow. It should be fun.” Berry responded

Josh Berry replaced Harrison Burton in the #21 WBR Ford for the 2025 Cup Series season and has since made waves in the Cup Series. The former SHR driver secured his maiden Cup Series victory this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and has finished twice in the top five this season. He is currently ranked P17 in the driver standings, a mere 5 points behind RFK Racing's Chris Buescher.

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Josh Berry believes ‘perception has changed’ about him since moving to Wood Brothers Racing this season

Josh Berry was left without a seat in the Cup Series last season after Stewart-Haas Racing announced its exit from the sport. Eventually, the Wood Brothers approached him to drive for them next season at Harrison Burton's expense.

While Burton was set to leave the team, he secured a monumental victory in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, setting the stage for Berry to follow suit. Since his move to WBR, the new #21 Ford pilot shared that there has been a shift in how he is perceived by his peers and the NASCAR community overall.

“I think last year a lot of people looked at us as underperforming and now we’re over performing,” Berry said. “It changes just like that. The perception has changed completely.” Berry told NBC Sports

The Cracker Barrel 400 is scheduled to run at 7 PM Eastern time on Sunday, June 1. Besides being a Superspeedway race, it will also set the field for the In-Season Challenge. Catch the action live on Amazon Prime Video.