“We get a complete upset winner”: NASCAR insider drops a hot take on Josh Berry’s ‘much deserved’ maiden Cup Series win

Josh Berry stunned the NASCAR world when he drove the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford to victory in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was Berry's first career Cup Series win in his fifth start with Wood Brothers Racing.

The Tennessee native's shocking win caught the attention of many, including NASCAR insider and co-host of "The Teardown" podcast Jordan Bianchi. In a recent episode of the show, Bianchi acknowledged that Berry's triumph was well-deserved, but it's not what anyone expected. He said:

"We get a complete upset winner in Josh Berry. Deserved. I don't want to detract from that at all. This was very much a deserved win. It needs to be said they finished top five at Phoenix last week as well. It's crazy. This is not where I thought brackets would be busted for projecting our playoff field, but we've got it." (2:10 onwards)

Berry passed Daniel Suarez with 16 laps to go in Sunday's race en route to victory. It was his first win in his 53rd career start. Berry's best finish prior to his win was a runner-up effort at Richmond in April 2023, when he was a fill-in driver for Chase Elliott at Hendrick Motorsports. The win now qualifies Berry for his first career NASCAR Cup Series playoffs appearance.

Berry is in his first full-time season with Wood Brothers Racing and his second full-time Cup Series campaign. Last year, Berry drove the #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the wake of Kevin Harvick's retirement at the end of the 2023 season. Berry scored four top 10s and two top fives last season and finished 27th in the points standings. He left SHR at the end of the year after the team ceased operations, thus opening the door for the opportunity to drive for Wood Brothers Racing.

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Josh Berry saluted the fans with Polish Victory Lap following first career win

Josh Berry shook up the NASCAR world by capturing his first career Cup victory on Sunday at Las Vegas. In homage to the late Alan Kulwicki, Berry saluted the fans in attendance with a Polish Victory Lap.

The celebration was made famous by Kulwicki, who would drive the wrong way on the racetrack to get a closer look at fans in the grandstands after his wins. Berry did the same following his victory at the Nevada track.

NASCAR on FOX posted a clip of the special celebration, penning a caption that read:

"There's nothing like that first win. Josh Berry salutes the fans and celebrates with Wood Brothers Racing in Vegas. #NASCAR"

Prior to moving up to the Cup Series, Berry raced in the Xfinity Series for Jr. Motorsports. He won five races with the organization across 2021 and 2022.