Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was one for the books, as Josh Berry secured his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory after an intense late-race showdown with Daniel Suárez.
Berry, driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, pulled off an impressive final push, leaving Suárez behind in the closing laps.
The win marked a special moment for Berry, who had already tasted success at Las Vegas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but had yet to conquer the Cup level. With this victory, he became the fourth consecutive driver to earn their first Cup win in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford.
As soon as Berry climbed out of his car, the emotions were clear.
“Oh, man, I don’t even know what to think,” Berry said, soaking in the moment on the front stretch. “This track has been amazing for me—so many great memories here. But I’ve struggled in the Next Gen car. Thankfully, Miles (Stanley, crew chief) and the whole Wood Brothers Racing team gave me a car that could battle all day. It was just our day.”
The final battle with Suárez was as intense as it gets. The two drivers went head-to-head after a restart with 19 laps to go, trading paint as they fought for the lead.
“That was crazy—beating and banging at a mile-and-a-half track,” Berry said. “Whoever got out front was going to take it, and luckily, that was us.”
The race’s defining moment came after the Lap 249 restart, with Berry and Suárez side by side. Suárez held the lead until Lap 252, but Berry edged ahead at the start/finish line. By Lap 254, Berry’s No. 21 Mustang had fully cleared Suárez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, taking control for good.
Suárez, while disappointed, acknowledged the small details that made the difference.
“We did everything right—the strategy, the pit stops, the adjustments,” Suárez said. “But I struggled on the short run, especially in Turns 1 and 2. That’s where I lost it. Just a little too much contact with the bumps, and I almost wrecked.”
The Pennzoil 400 wasn’t just about Berry and Suárez—it was a race full of twists and turns.
A massive seven-car wreck on Lap 195 shook up the field, bringing out a caution during a round of green-flag pit stops.
Kyle Larson, who had been dominant with 61 laps led, saw his strategy fall apart when the caution dropped. After restarting 18th, he could only recover to finish ninth.
Noah Gragson’s crash on Lap 243 brought out another caution, taking fuel strategy out of the equation.
Suárez took the lead again after a quick four-tire stop, but Joey Logano’s slow pit stop dropped him 19 spots, giving Berry the perfect opportunity to capitalize.
Once Berry cleared Suárez, he pulled away in clean air, securing the 101st victory for Wood Brothers Racing—their first since Harrison Burton’s win last year.
Ryan Preece had an impressive run, finishing third, while William Byron led a strong Hendrick Motorsports showing, taking fourth and leading a group of four Hendrick drivers in the top 10.
Ross Chastain used a smart tire strategy to grab fifth place.
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