Dale Jr.’s acclaimed NASCAR ace Josh Berry exposes his ‘frustration’ with Daniel Suarez

Josh Berry won last Sunday’s (March 16) Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Wood Brothers Racing icon started the race inside the top 10, but it’s his perseverance through the concluding laps that ultimately got him his career-first win, also his team’s 101st triumph in NASCAR’s premier series. Needless to say, several pundits of the sport, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., were impressed.

Berry started side-by-side with Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez on Lap 249 of 267. About 19 laps were left at the time and the only thing that Berry needed to do was to hold off the Mexican-American driver and grab the checkered flag. But Suarez didn’t give up the lead until Lap 252.

The “battle” was frustrating indeed. Reflecting on the same during the latest episode of Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast, Berry said (39:30 onwards),

“Lining up on the front row there and that battle with Daniel was intense there. I knew whoever would be able to get up front for a minute, I feel like you would have a great chance of winning the race.”

“Honestly, when Daniel got in front of me on the restart, I was a little frustrated thinking that it would be tough to pass him, but we were able to kind of take the fight back to him and get around after a few laps,” he added.

Berry then pulled away in clean air and crossed the finish line 1.358 seconds ahead of Suarez. His victory also ended what could have been a four-peat for Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell. Berry currently sits 13th in the driver standings with 119 points to his name.

Next up for the #21 driver is the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Scheduled for March 23, the 267-lap event will be televised on Fox Sports 1 with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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“They gave me a great car”- Josh Berry lauds his team following recent Las Vegas sweep

Wheeling the Next Gen machine has been a challenge for several drivers, including Josh Berry. However, that day at LVMS, Berry knew that his Mustang was one of the fastest cars in the field. Thanks to crew chief Miles Stanley and the entire No. 21 team; Berry got to enjoy the last laugh.

Berry didn’t forget to thank his team for their efforts. He said (as quoted by NASCAR),

“Just struggled in the Next Gen car here. But (crew chief) Miles (Stanley) and this whole 21 team, everybody at Wood Brothers Racing, they gave me a great car today. Just battled and battled and battled. Man, it was our day. I just can't believe it!”

It took Josh Berry 53 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series to capture his first series win. 2025 marks his first year with Wood Brothers Racing, and it's safe to say that there couldn’t have been a better way to kick off the season.

The victory automatically locked Berry in the playoffs. He is the first and as of now, the only driver from the Ford camp to make the coveted playoffs.