NASCAR fans got a pleasant surprise by the time the checkered flag waved last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Josh Berry, driver of the fan-favorite number 21 Wood Brothers Ford, took home his first career Monster Energy Cup Series win. The rest of the top five included Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece, William Byron and Ross Chastain.
This is back-to-back races in which Berry has proved to be one of the fastest cars on the track. He finished fourth at Phoenix Raceway the week before, and now the 21 team has found a rhythm. Berry put the win into perspective in an interview with NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick the day after Sunday’s race.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have the success I’ve had in racing and get to know so many of these guys that I’ve had so much respect for growing up,” he said. “To be able to race in the Cup Series is such a privilege, but to become a winner in it is a pretty amazing feeling.”
Many of the fastest drivers from NASCAR’s weekend at Vegas struggled with various problems. Ryan Blaney had a roller coaster of a day after starting in the back of the field, but he quickly cemented himself as one of the ones to beat. He swiftly made his way into the top 20 within the first 19 laps of the race, maintaining a steady pace until pit issues about 10 laps later trapped him a lap down. Then, just as he had driven himself back into contention, a multi-car collision sent him packing for good.
Other competitors that dealt with bad luck included the eight car of Kyle Busch, who sped on pit road and later lost a wheel on lap 113, an incident that would put him over 30 laps down after repairs. He finished 33rd. The 23 of Bubba Wallace was lurking in the top 10 for most of his day, but the same accident that sent Blaney home caught up to Wallace. He finished 28th.
Hendrick Motorsports had a very strong day. Each of their four drivers finished in the top 10, including Byron in fourth, Alex Bowman in seventh, Kyle Larson in ninth and Chase Elliott in 10th. Byron and Larson were considered the cars to beat on Sunday, and the two would finish first and second in stage two, with Larson taking the top spot. However, neither were able to catch Berry by the end of the day.
NASCAR will come to Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday, March 23. The green flag will fly at 3 p.m. The starting grid will be decided the preceding Saturday at 2:10 p.m. Larson is the favorite for the race and he’ll be looking to claim his first win of 2025.
