Berry hunting for more with Wood Brothers after early success

Josh Berry is living proof that two things can be true at once.

He’s pleased with how his Wood Brothers Racing team has performed in the first few months of the NASCAR Cup Series season. The organization returned to victory lane in March when Berry triumphed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He led laps in six of 11 races, and the speed the No. 21 Ford shows legitimizes the work everyone put in.

However, he also admitted to some frustration at the points and results left on the table. Since his victory, Berry hasn’t finished inside the top 10.

An electrical issue derailed his day at Martinsville Speedway after he led 40 laps. He crashed from inside the top 10 in the final stage at Darlington Raceway. There was a speeding penalty at Talladega Superspeedway after leading laps, and last weekend Berry was leading at Texas Motor Speedway when he crashed after hitting a bump in Turn 4.

So, yes, two things can be true at once. But for a driver and team who are both out to prove themselves this year, the ability to consistently run toward the front is an accomplishment.

“It’s been really exciting, honestly,” Berry said ahead of Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1). “It’s just built up everybody’s confidence and we’re having a lot of fun. For me, it’s interesting because after you win a race, people are like, ‘Oh, do you have pressure off of you now that you’ve won a race, and do you feel that much different?’ If anything, I feel more motivated and more excited waking up every day than I ever have, knowing that all this work we’ve put in — it really started the Tuesday after Phoenix. We were in the simulator right after Phoenix, working with these guys.”

Berry joined Wood Brothers Racing from Stewart-Haas Racing. The announcement was made in July. Before the season ended, Berry was already fitted for his driver suit and was getting familiar with his new team.

Miles Stanley was named the team’s crew chief in October. Stanley is a former engineer from Team Penske who has championships on his resume.

“We obviously spent a lot of time with them during the offseason, and getting to know Miles and working with him just legitimizes all that work that you put in, which is the biggest thing,” Berry continued. “You feel like you’re doing the right things and working in the right areas, and it just makes you want to continue to expand off that and prepare yourself even more and set yourself up for more and more of those opportunities. It’s been a lot of fun.

“I left the situation last year kind of questioning if I could race at this level, and now you’re looking at a six-month difference of leading laps in multiple races, and I’ve won a race, a lot of excitement. It’s been quite a change, but it’s been a lot of fun to get to work with Miles. He’s done a really good job. Everybody on the team really has, and they’re behind me a lot, even Sunday right there (after the crash). ‘We don’t want you to change too much. We want you to keep hammering down and leading laps in these races and giving us opportunities.’ I’m excited to keep working off that.”

Now it’s safe to say Berry will have a career season. He’s already led more laps than he did a year ago and tied the top-five finishes he earned. He’ll most certainly surpass the four top-10 finishes he earned in all of 2024.

Wood Brothers Racing is also set for one of its best seasons in recent years. The organization finished 16th in the championship last year after Harrison Burton put them in the postseason with a win at Daytona. The expectations are higher with Berry, who also led more laps through 11 races than the team has in the last seven years.

The confidence keeps growing the more Berry runs and learns about being up front. As such, the results won’t be able to keep slipping through their fingers.

“I feel like one thing with this car is it’s so different than what the majority of us have all grown up racing — just how it reacts,” he said. “I’ve learned and feel like I have a good understanding of the Next Gen car and how it wants to be driven, and what I need from the car coming to these racetracks. That’s kind of lining up with how Miles feels and how we’re able to prepare for these races, whether that’s decisions we make with the car or our prep at the simulator. I think it just builds a lot of confidence to know that you’re working in the right areas and doing the right things and then seeing it come to fruition.

“All in all, a lot of it boils down to just unloading really well and building that confidence early in practice, getting a good feel for your car that sets you up for a good qualifying session, and then obviously having good track position to start the race makes your life a lot easier. I think learning all of that stuff and building off of it is the biggest help.”