Josh Berry may sit 24th in the Cup Series standings, but he is not throwing his hands up in frustration. He sees strong performances from the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team despite some frustrating finishes.
This gives him hope as his tenure continues at the Ford Performance-affiliated organization.
"Obviously, we've definitely left some points on the table, but the biggest thing is just how you're running. We've been qualifying pretty well and racing well, leading laps," Berry told media members on Wednesday. "Each race that the finish got away from us is for different reasons, I feel like.
"I made a mistake and sped on pit road at Talladega. We were in a great spot there. Last week, we obviously saw what happened (at Texas). I mean, you look at Darlington, we were in the top five (before a crash).
"At Martinsville, we were leading the race and had an electrical issue, but the biggest thing is you judge yourself on how you're running and how fast you are."
Berry's stat sheet shows the highs and lows he has experienced this season. His average starting position is 13.1, a full seven spots higher than it was last season at Stewart-Haas Racing. He has started inside the top 10 in six races and on the front row in one.
The finishes paint a different picture. Berry has finished 25th or worse in seven of the 11 races, and he has failed to finish three. He only has two top-10 finishes, one of which is a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The finishes would have been better if not for some unexpected situations. Last week was a fitting example. Berry led 41 laps at the 1.5-mile track but suddenly spun from the lead after going over a bump in Turns 3 and 4. He ended the day in 32nd place.
Why do these finishes not fully frustrate Berry? The simple answer is that his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway put him in the playoffs. The more complex answer is that he has piled up stage points throughout the season.
Berry has 42 stage points after 11 races. This is fewer than William Byron (107), Kyle Larson (108), and Bubba Wallace (100), but it is more than several other drivers. This includes Ross Chastain (19), Chris Buescher (26), Chase Briscoe (16), and Kyle Busch (17).
These stage points show that the No. 21 team has brought a car capable of running inside the top 10 early in the race. This is a foundation the team can continue building on while trying to fine-tune the operation in pursuit of better finishes.
"I think that just continues to legitimize everything that we're doing to prepare and everything we're doing the week of these races and on race weekends that we're doing the right things and we're fast and we're competitive," Berry said.
"And just have to keep working on the execution side of things and learning. But I feel like we're in a really good spot."