By Reid Spencer | NASCAR | March 17, 2025
LAS VEGAS — It’s time to take the Wood Brothers seriously.
Josh Berry’s victory in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway wasn’t a bolt from the blue like Trevor Bayne’s win in the 2011 Daytona 500.
It wasn’t a parting shot like Harrison Burton’s superspeedway victory in last summer’s Daytona race.
And it wasn’t the occasional bone thrown by the racing gods to NASCAR’s most venerable organization during its 75th anniversary celebration.
Those who were paying attention could see Berry’s victory coming. In his second start for the Wood Brothers on Feb. 23, Berry led 56 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway—second only to Joey Logano’s 83—before an overtime wreck on Lap 265 swept away his chance at a win.
Two weeks later at Phoenix Raceway, in the NASCAR Cup Series’ first foray of the season onto a traditional oval, Berry finished fourth. That was no accident. NASCAR’s loop data pegged him with an average running position of 9.10, sixth best among 37 starters.
In the race at Las Vegas, Berry’s average running position was 7.88, behind only William Byron (7.51) and Kyle Larson (7.57). Berry achieved that number despite an unplanned trip down pit road to secure a loose wheel—a problem that was epidemic throughout the field on Sunday.
And when a spate of cautions in the final stage left Larson, Byron and Ross Chastain on the wrong side of a pit stop cycle and took them out of the mix for the win, Berry was left to battle with Daniel Suarez and took full advantage of the opportunity.
The victory was the 101st for Wood Brothers Racing but only the fifth in the 21st century. For those who favor numerology, Las Vegas is an appropriate place for the No. 21 Ford to occupy Victory Lane. The number “21,” of course, represents a winning hand in Sin City’s most prolific card game.
For those who favor nicknames, “Blackjack” Josh Berry might be worth considering, if it wouldn’t infringe on the moniker of “Blackjack” Brian Brown, who drove the No. 21 winged sprint car in Saturday’s High Limit Racing season opener a stone’s throw away from the 1.5-mile paved speedway at LVMS.
Where the Wood Brothers are concerned, however, a far more significant number is 1981, the last year the organization won more than one race in a single season, courtesy of the late Neil Bonnett, who claimed three victories that year.
Given Berry’s promising start with the team—after his struggles last year with moribund Stewart-Haas Racing—there’s a sense that the pieces are in place to bring that 44-year streak to an end.
With Berry behind the wheel and Miles Stanley as his crew chief—both of whom won a Cup race for the first time on Sunday—the Wood Brothers are positioned to take full advantage of their close affiliation with Team Penske and their unbroken association with Ford Motor Company.
“We ran really well all year so far, early in the season,” said team CEO and co-owner Eddie Wood. “Things felt right. They just feel right.
“I think Josh fits us. Miles fits us. Everything just fits. I used to make fun of people years ago when they would talk about chemistry. Football teams, baseball, all that. Then it kind of bled over into racing. This goes back a few years.
“When things click, they click. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. I was there when (driver) David Pearson and Leonard Wood, my uncle, hooked up. That clicked instantly, like right off the bat.
“This feels like everything is clicking.”
Stanley couldn’t agree more, and his confidence in his 34-year-old former NASCAR Weekly Series champion driver couldn’t be higher.
“The potential’s real high for the 21 team,” he said. “This group is really, really special. In the offseason, before we got started, there was a buzz in the shop with everyone we had put in place on this team, Josh included, and we all felt like we were going to have a really good season.
“And now I think that buzz is going to be heard outside of just our organization, and our little team. Josh is really awesome. He’s only in his second year in the Cup Series, but he’s a veteran racer, and he’s a really big part of this team and a really big part of how we approach the race weekends and how he approaches every single run.”
With a victory in hand and Playoff berth all but certain, Berry can use the win at Las Vegas as a springboard to future successes.
If you’re paying attention, you won’t be surprised when he wins another race or two.
Reid Spencer | NASCAR | Photo: NASCAR
