"This is not what we need": Josh Berry minces no words despite "kind of fun" NASCAR Cup Series outing at Bristol Motor Speedway

Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Josh Berry was as clear as they get when expressing his feelings about the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 race in Bristol.

Stewart-Haas Racing's latest acquisition and Kevin Harvick's replacement Josh Berry hasn't had the best of starts to his Cup Series career. The 33-year-old driver has failed to secure a single top-10 finish and has one DNF to his name after five races in the season.

The recent race in Bristol, however, seemed like Berry's opportunity to rise to the occasion and deliver a statement performance. The Tennessee native started the race from second position, sharing the front row with Ryan Blaney. Berry would lead the race on two occasions for a total of 25 laps and he spent nearly the entire race inside the top 10 before ultimately settling for a 12th-place finish.

However, speaking about his experience at Bristol Motor Speedway and the tire wear that affected the outings of numerous drivers, Berry acknowledged the entertainment value and admitted to enjoying the experience, expressing reservations about its implications for the sport's future. Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, he said:

"It was probably entertaining. And I’m not going to lie, it was kind of fun. But obviously this is not what we need going forward."

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Josh Berry's crew chief Rodney Childers pleased with the driver's performance in Bristol

Starting from second position, Berry looked impressive in the first stage, even overtaking Ryan Blaney and leading multiple laps.

However, as was the case for most drivers on the afternoon, Berry lost a right-rear tire and brought out a caution with a spin. While the Stewart-Haas driver still managed to maintain his fourth place in the final laps of the race, tire degradation ultimately relegated him to a 12th-place finish.

However, given the race's chaotic nature, Josh Berry's crew chief Rodney Childers was more than happy with the result. Childers praised Berry's efforts throughout the weekend, stating after the Cup race (via Frontstretch):

"Josh did a good job all weekend. We just had one run that we got too loose. We lost that right-rear and that got us back in traffic. We were trying to push hard to get back up there and ended up losing the right-front that next run. Had to pit under green.

"It came close to working out. We were fourth forever and just ran out of tire in the end."