Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson congratulated Josh Berry following his first win in the Cup Series at Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Driving for Wood Brothers Racing, Berry passed Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suárez in the final laps to secure the team’s 101st Cup win. This was the team's first after Harrison Burton claimed his first career victory at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 21 Ford last season.
Jimmie Johnson celebrated Berry and his team's big win on X( formerly Twitter) and wrote:
"What a memorable day for the sport of [NASCAR] and our fans. We witnessed a racer, live the dream and collect his first W in the big show. Well done [Josh Berry]! Couple that with the history of the [Wood Brothers Racing], while celebrating their 75th year in the sport. There's only one thing left to do. Let's raise a glass! 🍻"
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The racetrack witnessed an intense performance, with a massive seven-car crash on Lap 195. Another caution came with 24 laps to go when Noah Gragson crashed and Suárez took the lead. Penske's Joey Logano's slow stop helped Berry to take the win 1.3 seconds ahead of Suarez at the 1.5-mile asphalt intermediate speedway in Vegas.
Josh Berry secured a spot in the playoffs and Wood Brothers Racing is already attracting new sponsors for the team.
"The Wood Brothers have been around for 75 years. It’s just tremendous the legacy they have in this sport. It really is an honor just to get to drive the car, but let alone win a race and run like we have, like I said, it's far exceeded my expectations. This is a special day for all of us to win at an intermediate track like we did. It’s really cool," Josh Berry said (via Speedway Digest).
Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson's team Legacy Motor Club failed to make a top-10 finish at the Pennzoil 400.
Where did Jimmie Johnson's Legacy Motor Club finish in Las Vegas?
Jimmie Johnson took over majority ownership of Legacy Motor Club earlier this year after joining the team in 2023 as co-owner with Maury Gallagher. The team currently fields two full-time cars in the NASCAR Cup Series for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
Nemechek, who drove the Backstreet Boys-sponsored No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE started Sunday's race in 30th position and worked his way up to finish 20th. With less than 25 laps to go, a caution gave his team a chance to fix the car and change tires. Nemechek restarted 24th and used his fresh tires to gain spots for the finish. Jones started in 5th place but dropped to 27th after struggling with his car and mid-race damage.
Jones and Nemechek are currently ranked 25th and 15th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. The series will move to the 1.5-mile oval track at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, March 23.
