Josh Berry to join NASCAR Xfinity Series fulltime in 2022

JR Motorsports announced on Monday that Berry, 30, will compete fulltime in the Xfinity Series in 2022, driving the organization’s No. 8 Chevrolet.

Berry has a long history with JRM, having competed for its Late Model program for 11 years, earning 89 wins and several championships along the way, including the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship in 2020, a CARS LMSC driver title in 2017, the CARS owner title in 2016 and the track championships at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Motor Mile (Radford, Va.) Speedway.

Berry has been running a partial Xfinity schedule this season, primarily with JRM, earning his first win in April at Martinsville, Va. He has four top-five and top-10 finishes in 16 starts this year.

“It’s difficult to put into words what this means,” said Berry, a native of Hendersonville, Tenn. “I’m just a local short track racer, so saying this is a dream come true seems like an understatement.

“I’m so grateful to Dale, Kelley, L.W. (Miller) and everyone at JR Motorsports. They have always believed in me. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m ready and focused on 2022.”

Said team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “This moment is something we’ve been working toward for a long time. Josh took full advantage of the opportunity he had this year in the No. 8 car. He went out, raced hard, and earned every bit of this.

“With all he’s accomplished on a limited schedule, I can’t wait to see what he can do in this series full time.”