NASCAR
Josh Berry Delivers Wood Brothers Maiden Triumph at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – On Selection Sunday the NASCAR Cup Series saw more than a few Cinderella runs play out in Las Vegas. The final run to the checkers saw the late model ace Josh Berry battle his way to the front and protect his lead. Wood Brothers Racing is Playoff-bound for a second straight season, amidst the storied team’s 75th anniversary.
Stage 1 would go to Austin Cindric, flexing Penske muscles early chasing a second-consecutive Vegas victory. Once Kyle Larson found the lead in Stage 2 though, the 5 asserted himself as fastest in Sin City. The 5 was set back in the closing laps of this stage, but still found the top spot in quick time.
Larson appeared to set sail to another dominant desert win early in Stage 3. An immediate caution after a restart inside of the final 75 laps set up diverging strategy plays though. Larson and a few other front runners opted to pit here. These teams were all hoping for less time on pit road for their final stop, but knew they would be buried in the pack for the short-term.
Larson’s daring gamble gave the lead to Tyler Reddick, who soon lost the top spot to Daniel Suarez. The No. 99 would maintain his lead through another caution flag pit cycle. However, Suarez had the 21 of Josh Berry lined up to his outside with 19 laps left.
Berry methodically stalked Suarez down and took the lead away with 15 laps to go. Larson getting tight after the restart also put an abrupt end to the 5’s march back through the field. This allowed Berry to run away to an uncontested maiden Cup triumph. The past CARS Tour and NASCAR Weekly Series champion earned the biggest win of his life at Las Vegas.
“Oh man, I don’t even know what to think, just awesome,” Berry said. “I love this track, Las Vegas has been so good to me. I’ve had so many great moments here. Just struggled in the Next Gen Car here. But man, Miles (Stanley, crew chief) and this whole 21 team, everybody at Wood Brothers Racing gave me a great car today. We just battled and battled and battled and man it was our day.”
“Such a battle with Daniel (Suarez) there at the end, beating and banging at a mile-and-a-half is crazy. Whoever was going to get out front was probably going to win and we were able to get it from him.”
“It’s just incredible. (Wood Brothers Racing) has been so good to me, it’s been a great relationship. Obviously thank everybody at Wood Brothers Racing and Team Penske as well. They welcomed me with open arms, trying to help me and accelerate this learning process as much as they can. I really can’t say enough about Miles Stanley, man. He is so good at what he’s doing, and we have a great thing going on together. He really believes in me and I just got to thank everybody at Motorcraft, Quick Lane, DEX Imaging, Eero, Ford. I know they are going to be excited about that one. Man we’re just going to enjoy this moment.”
Behind Berry and Suarez, Ryan Preece made a late pass for third over William Byron and Ross Chastain. The rest of the top-10 were: Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman, AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott.
Berry now adds a first Cup trophy alongside two past Xfinity Series Las Vegas wins. His 2022 win here put him into the Championship 4, and was his last Xfinity triumph. Berry is likewise the third driver to lock up a coveted 2025 Playoff berth through five weeks. This also marks the 101st win for the Wood Brothers, eighth most all-time. A week after a banner run for the 21 at Phoenix, Josh Berry is victorious in his 53rd career start.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next week from Homestead-Miami Speedway. Can the site of last year’s electric Playoff finish live up to its hype again? A hungry Kyle Larson will be heavily favored at Homestead. The Straight Talk Wireless 400 goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
