Josh Berry lets his emotions flow after sealing Wood Brothers Racing’s 101st NASCAR Cup Series win

It took Josh Berry 53 starts to win his first NASCAR Cup Series race and his team’s 101st. Needless to say, the Hendersonville, Tennessee native, got emotional while speaking with a reporter during a post-race interview.

2025 marks Berry’s debut season driving the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Mustang. Last year, the team had AM Racing’s Harrison Burton behind the wheel. Burton brought home the organization’s 100th win at Daytona International Speedway in August.

Reflecting on his triumph, Josh Berry said (via Speedway Digest),

"Oh, man, I don't even know what to think. Just awesome. I love this track. Las Vegas has been so good to me. So many great moments here. Just struggled in the Next Gen car here. But Miles (Stanley, crew chief) 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.

Sunday’s (March 16) race, the Pennzoil 400, was the fifth race of the season. With about 25 laps to go, Noah Gragson crashed out due to a flat tire, bringing out the day's final caution. The following restart witnessed Berry go head-to-head with Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 car for Trackhouse Racing.

“I can't say enough for Miles Stanley. He is so good at what he's doing. We have a great thing going on together. He really believes in me. Just kind of thank everyone at Motorcraft, Quick Lane, DEX Imaging, Ford. I know they're going to be excited about that one. I mean, we're just going to enjoy this moment,” Berry added.

The win locked Josh Berry in the playoffs alongside Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron and JGR’s Christopher Bell. Notably, he is also the first driver from the Ford camp to make the postseason this year.

Runner-up Daniel Suarez lauds Josh Berry and team following Las Vegas outing

On that last restart, Daniel Suarez was given four fresh tires. But that wasn’t enough to hold off Josh Berry, who restarted P2. Berry grabbed the lead in no time, didn’t let go, and pulled away for the win.

Suarez fell just 1.3 seconds short of beating Berry. However, he was impressed with Berry and the No. 21 team. Suarez lauded them, saying (via motorsport),

“A little disappointed. But first of all, congratulations to the 21 team and Josh. They did a great job. They’ve been fast lately. They’ve been in contention. So congratulations to them.”

Suarez then thanked his own team, saying that they had done a great job with the strategy and pit stops. Next up for the drivers is the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, scheduled for March 23. Fans can watch it on FS1 or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 3 pm ET.