Josh Berry Scores First Career NASCAR Cup Series Victory at Las Vegas

Josh Berry joined the list of winners in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday, outdueling Daniel Suarez for the victory in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Berry lined up alongside Suarez on the front row on a lap 248 restart after an incident involving Noah Gragson. After an extensive side-by-side battle, Berry pulled ahead on lap 252 and led the final 16 laps for the 101st win in team history for Wood Brothers Racing.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas

While the Hendersonville, Tennessee driver established himself as a star on the short tracks before ascending to NASCAR's National Series, the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been home to some of his best runs. Berry won twice at Las Vegas while competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports.

"Oh, man, I don’t even know what to think," said Berry. "Just awesome. I love this track. Las Vegas has been so good to me. So many great moments here.

"Just struggled in the Next Gen car here. But Miles [Stanley, crew chief] and this whole 21 team, everybody at Wood Brothers Racing, they gave me a great car today. Just battled and battled and battled. Man, it was our day. I just can’t believe it."

With both drivers battling for the win, Suarez and Berry traded paint over the closing laps. In the end, Berry pulled ahead, while Suarez settled for a second-place finish.

"Such a battle with Daniel there at the end, beating and banging on a mile-and-a-half, crazy," said Berry. "Whoever was going to get out front was probably going to win. We were able to get in front."

Now, Berry is a NASCAR Cup Series winner, coming in just his fifth start with the Wood Brothers.

"It’s just been incredible," said Berry. "They’ve been so good to me. It’s just been a great relationship. Obviously thank everybody the Wood Brothers Racing, but Team Penske as well. They’ve welcomed me with open arms and tried to help me and accelerate this learning process as much as I can.

"I can’t say enough for Miles Stanley. He is so good at what he’s doing. We have a great thing going on together. He really believes in me. Just kind of thank everyone at Motorcraft, Quick Lane, DEX Imaging, Ford. I know they’re going to be excited about that one. I mean, we’re just going to enjoy this moment."

While Berry enjoyed the moment of his first Cup Series win, Daniel Suarez was left wondering what could have gone differently for him to put the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet one spot better.

"First of all, congratulations to the 21 team and Josh," said Suarez. "They did a great job. They’ve been fast lately. They’ve been in contention. So congratulations to them.

"We did everything right, you know? The team did an amazing job on the strategy, pit stops. We did everything right. Our car was fast. We just struggle a little bit in the short run. I mention to my crew chief just a little bit ago, before the last run, I told him, Hey, we want to be up front, I need a little bit better short run. I am having too much contact in one and two.

"Unfortunately I feel like that’s why we lost the race, just a little bit too much contact. I mean, I almost wrecked in one and two."

Ryan Preece finished third, followed by William Byron and Ross Chastain. Preece was another driver seeking his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory, and matched his career-best finish in the premier series with the third-place result.

Byron leads the NASCAR Cup Series points standings following Sunday's race. Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman round out the top five through the first five races of the season.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, March 23. The race begins at 3:00 PM ET, with coverage on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

-Photo credit: Daniel Overbey, NKP for Ford Performance