Josh Berry soaks in first career NASCAR Cup win for Wood Brothers after intense Las Vegas battle

Josh Berry clinched his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory in an intense battle against Daniel Suarez after a final restart during Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The victory came in his fifth start in his tenure with Wood Brothers Racing. The intense battle against Joey Logano and Suarez for the lead saw Berry showcasing his skill and patience, ultimately taking the maiden Cup win.

In a post-race interview, the #21 Wood Brothers Ford driver expressed his emotions on his first career Cup win, admitting he may not have had the best car, but he had a solid car and his #21 Ford team remained competitive.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about his convincing Las Vegas victory, here’s what Berry said:

“Yeah, I’m just really trying to soak it all in, honestly. I found my, you know, we had a really solid day, a solid car. We were in contention all day. I don't know if we were the best car, but we were really solid… Me and Joey were battling so hard for the lead and I thought that it was going to be for the lead. It was honestly hoping it was going to be green, stay green. I was just trying to manage myself a little bit better.”

The strategy of saving fuel at the end of the race worked out in favor of Josh Berry. On a final restart, he raced side-by-side with Suarez on Lap 249, and his #21 WBR Ford team's strong execution put him in a position to compete against the #99 driver for the win.

“And we're going to have to save a little fuel, but you know, caught that caution and the pit crew executed and put us out on the front row. And, and that was a battle with Daniel, but we were able to get done.” Berry continued.

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Josh Berry creates history with first career Cup win for Wood Brothers

The Las Vegas win marked the first of Josh Berry's career, which came in his 52nd start in the series for famed Wood Brothers Racing. The win also marked the second for the organization in the last 17 Cup races and their 101st in the series. This historic victory marks Hendersonville, Tennessee, as the first driver to score his inaugural Cup win at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track.

There’s no doubt that Josh Berry had the strong car, but his team’s strategy and his skill made the difference. On Lap 252 of 267, he made a decisive move, clearing Suarez for the lead and then never looked back, holding off the charge of #99 driver to take the checkered flag.

The 34-year-old driver led the final 16 laps and crossed the finish line 1.35 seconds ahead of Suarez.