Another domino has fallen ahead of NASCAR’s free agency cycle this offseason.
Josh Berry announced Wednesday, June 10 that he will not remain with his Cup Series team, the Wood Brothers, in 2027. The 35-year-old driver broke the news during a conference call with reporters hosted by Ford.
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“Just go ahead and put it out there, I will not be back in the 21 car next year. Obviously disappointed about that. (Wood Brothers) has been amazing to work with, amazing people and it’s been such a great opportunity,” Berry said. “Working hard to try and find out what’s out there, and certainly open and optimistic about any opportunities that come my way, but first and foremost we’re going to do our best to finish this season strong and leave in a good place.”
Wood Brothers confirmed in a statement that they were not exercising Berry’s option for the 2027 season and said it would announce his replacement soon.
Berry said he found out that he would not be retained by Wood Brothers less than 24 hours before the call on Wednesday, but said it wasn’t a decision that surprised him.
“I still feel like I’m the same guy that won Las Vegas, the same guy that nearly won at New Hampshire in the playoffs. It’s been a tough year, but we’ll work through it,” Berry said. “It’s been a tough year — that’s the reality of it… If we had ran better, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation, but we didn’t.”
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Berry competed in 12 Cup Series races between 2021 and 2023 for Hendrick, Legacy Motor Club and Spire Motorsports. He finished second at Richmond in the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick in 2023 and also had two other top-10 finishes that year. He got his first full-time Cup Series ride in 2024 with Stewart-Haas and has been with Wood Brothers for the past two seasons.
Last year, Berry won the first race of his Cup Series career at Las Vegas and had seven other top-10 finishes. Under the old postseason format, that one victory earned him a spot in the playoff field.
This season, under the new Chase format, Berry is a longshot to make the playoffs. He ranks 30th in the point standings and has four DNFs in 15 races.
More: Denny Hamlin hints at NASCAR retirement plans after Michigan win
A native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Berry broke into racing by running late models in the CARS Tour, winning 22 races. In the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Berry won five races for JR Motorsports — the NASCAR team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley.
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The Wood Brothers are the oldest active team in NASCAR’s Cup Series, having fielded cars in the top level of stockcar racing since 1950. NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and Cale Yarborough all raced in Wood Brothers’ machines, as did other greats of the sport like Kyle Petty, Neil Bonnett, Michael Waltrip and AJ Foyt.
In the modern era of NASCAR, the team has struggled in recent years as the Cup Series has largely been dominated by bigger teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske — the latter of which Wood Brothers has an alliance with. Since 2011, Wood Brothers has just three Cup Series wins: Ryan Blaney at Pocono in 2017, Harrison Burton at Daytona in 2024 and Berry in Las Vegas last season.
Wood Brothers has one of NASCAR’s coveted charters, guaranteeing the team a spot in every Cup Series race regardless of qualifying, which generates a stable stream of revenue.
Who fills Berry’s seat in the No. 21 Ford remains to be seen, but it’s the latest move in NASCAR’s silly season ahead of the 2027 campaign. The only other confirmed move so far is that Corey Heim will be driving the No. 35 Toyota for 23XI Racing next season. Richard Childress Racing also has a seat to fill following the shocking death of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Berry won’t return to Wood Brothers as 2027 NASCAR free agency heats up
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