Josh Berry's Journey Rewarded With NASCAR Cup Series Win

Five years ago, even Josh Berry was content to spend his career as a short-track racer, chasing marks set by all-time Late Model Stock greats. Now, he's a NASCAR Cup Series winner.

Berry claimed his first checkered flag in NASCAR's premier series in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, driving the famed Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas

Before an opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, Berry had carved out a spot as one of the best in Late Model Stock racing with the team.

Among the highlights were a win at the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in 2019, the 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Championship, and more wins than anyone else in the history of the zMAX CARS Tour's Late Model Stock Car division.

Before the 2020 season, Berry had made just seven starts in the Xfinity Series, including a pair of top-10 finishes at Richmond Raceway in 2015 and Iowa Speedway in 2016.

Despite those results, a bigger opportunity hadn't come along. Berry celebrated his 30th birthday in 2020, and in spite of his short track accomplishments, it appeared he was destined to spend his career on short tracks throughout the southeast.

"I’ve been very fortunate to have some amazing opportunities in my life," said Berry after Sunday's win. "I say it every time. Five years ago, I felt like I was going to be a career short track racer. I wanted to be Bubba Pollard. I wanted to be one of the greats on the short tracks."

However, the 2020 NASCAR Weekly Series national title opened a door for Berry to take the next step, competing part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports. It started as a 12-race agreement, piloting the team's No. 8 Chevrolet before turning over the seat to Sam Mayer in the second half of the season.

Then, Berry won an Xfinity Series event at Martinsville Speedway. It led to more opportunities, including another win at Las Vegas that fall while substituting for Michael Annett. That led to a full-time Xfinity Series campaign and a Championship 4 berth in 2022.

Another opportunity, as bizarre and unfortunate as the circumstances were, started at Las Vegas in 2023. Chase Elliott suffered a snowboarding injury ahead of that year's Pennzoil 400, and Berry was tabbed as his substitute driver.

That race did not go as hoped, as Berry finished 29th in the last-minute call. Berry wasn't sure he'd get another chance, but Hendrick Motorsports stuck with Berry during Elliott's recovery.

"I flew home that night thinking that my Cup career was over because of how I ran that day," said Berry about the 2023 Las Vegas race. "It was a last-second, thrown in the car. I had no preparation. Even thinking back to that day, they believed in me and they gave me another week."

Berry rewarded that belief with a top-10 finish the following race at Phoenix Raceway. He'd also score a runner-up finish at Richmond later in the season. Then, his substitute efforts were refocused towards Hendrick's No. 48 entry, as Elliott returned but Alex Bowman suffered an injury in a sprint car accident.

This all led to Berry competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024 with Stewart-Haas Racing. When that door closed following the 2024 season, another door opened with the Wood Brothers, and now Berry is a NASCAR Cup Series winner.

"The Wood Brothers have been around for 75 years," said Berry. "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. Just thankful for the opportunity more than anything to be behind the wheel in the Cup Series. It’s an honor and a privilege. To be driving fast race cars like this, have this opportunity, is really special."

Even as a winner at the highest level of the sport, though, Berry still remembers his roots. That reflected in his post-race celebration, as he turned his car around on the frontstretch to salute the fans, eschewing the standard burnouts and donuts.

"I think back to Saturday night short-track racing, we wouldn’t do that type of celebration, because you couldn’t blow the quarter panels up, blow the motor, tear the car to hell after the race," said Berry. "That’s just wanted to do. Kind of who I am. I did a little bit of one there at the end there, just kind of spun around a couple times. That’s just who I am as a person.

"I’ve spent my whole life working on my own race cars, building race cars, got my ass chewed a couple times for doing burnouts when I shouldn’t and tore stuff up. I just wanted to soak in the moment."

It's been a long journey for Berry to NASCAR Cup Series victory lane. Still, he wouldn't change one second of it.

"Those grassroots are important to NASCAR," he explained. "There’s a lot of amazing drivers at that level. I’m just thankful. I wouldn’t change anything about how I got here. I look back now and I miss those days tremendously with driving with my buddies to all these racetracks, working on my own car. Those people made me who I am, the way I think, the way I approach racing. I wouldn’t change anything about it."

Berry's next chance at a win comes on Sunday, March 23 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Straight Talk Wireless 400. Coverage will be on Fox Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Danny Hansen, NKP for Ford Performance