1.3 seconds; 101; and the very first. This is what the Wood Brothers Racing, their latest driver Josh Berry, and the legendary team’s fans will remember as they move ahead in the season with their win #101. But it’s hard to forget that WBR had become a mere afterthought for the fans with rare wins over the last few years. Hence, entering Las Vegas on Sunday, Berry had two things to prove– his resilience will pay off and WBR had more fuel in them. And when the checkered flag waved, Berry stood as the winner of his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Pennzoil 400. However, with the new driver’s feat, the ghosts of the past soon reappeared.

You see, the former No. 21 driver with WBR– Harrison Burton– could not be productive after his July 31, 2022-heroics at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he finished third. The 2023 season was the worst in the Burton-WBR era with back-to-back poor finishes plaguing the No. 21– Only two top-10 finishes through the season and a 31st final standing. But there’s always another chance.

Still, 2024 did not change much for Burton and ultimately, Berry was announced as his replacement a month before Harrison’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 win where he beat Kyle Busch by a mere 0.047 seconds. Even with the playoff spot clinched, he ended the season with a 16th final standing with his 25.7 average finish being his and 2024’s lowest. It was obvious that the new driver’s achievements will highlight how much more Burton could have done.

A NASCAR Reddit thread congratulated Josh Berry recently but also threw some shade on the current AM Racing’s No. 25. “In 5 starts, Josh Berry has managed to win on a mile and a half, get a fourth at Phoenix, lead multiple laps and get a stage win at Atlanta. In 108 starts in the same car, Harrison Burton has managed a fluke superspeedway win, a fluke top 5 at the Indy road course, two tenth places at superspeedways, and two top tens at normal tracks. The Wood Brothers car has now proven to be fast and that Harrison was the problem. Cheers to more wins for Berry.”

No doubt, Burton’s pains were heavily visible. During his Cup Series debut year in 2022, he only managed two top 10s in 36 races. This marked the least amount for WBR since it returned to full-time racing in 2016. For many years, people deemed the problem to lie with the Wood Brothers. But these stats further stress Burton’s lack of pace.

The Daytona win came unexpectedly, adding to its iconic nature. Kyle Busch was in the lead on the last lap and entering turn 3, Burton charged on his outside to take the lead. With a push from Parker Retzlaff, who was driving a Chevrolet, the same OEM as Kyle Busch, Burton got his win. Besides this, Burton’s time with WBR was rather uninspiring– Outside the top 25 in the standings for both the seasons when he did not manage a win. Even his playoff selection was out of the spotlight with his elimination after the Round of 16.

Now, Josh Berry took the same No. 21 Ford that was so unlucky for Harrison Burton and charged to Victory Lane. In fact, this win, that was the Virginia-based team’s first back-to-back win since Kyle Petty’s 1986-87 wins, too came as a surprise. With 24 laps and a caution crash by Noah Gragson, Berry entered a side-by-side battle with Daniel Suarez on the final restart. Ross Chastain’s push with 19 laps to go gave Suarez a short lead but Josh returned for another duel. Changing paints and going side-by-side, Berry finally prevailed over No. 99 with 14 laps to go and cleared the checkered flag by a 1.3 second difference over Suarez.

On the other hand, Harrison Burton is faring well in his new ride. Driving the No. 25 AM Racing Ford, he has already wheeled his Xfinity Series car to three top-ten finishes across 5 races. The four-time Xfinity race winner set his goals straight ahead of this season: “My expectations are we’re going to perform well, win races and make the playoffs. That’s my goal and the mindset we all have to have.”

While WBR’s overhaul also adds to Berry’s miracle in the win, that did not do much to cover up Harrison’s dips. So, the NASCAR community posted a flurry of mixed responses to the revealed stats.

NASCAR fans take a divided approach

NASCAR Hall of Famers Leonard Wood and the late Glen Wood introduced a racing legacy back in 1950. Legends like David Pearson, Cale Yarbrough, Kyle Petty, A. J. Foyt, and more have upheld the team’s name over 75 years. However, the team’s struggles began in the 21st century. Since 2000, only four drivers visited Victory Lane – and Harrison Burton was the latest among them with the 2024 Daytona win. But with the seasons changing and Harrison’s performances only getting worse and then the new driver winning his maiden Cup win brought various thoughts.

The current No. 25 Ford driver in the Xfinity Series could leave a heavy legacy in his Cup Series seat. He may have snapped a huge winless streak for Wood Brothers Racing in Daytona last year with 2017 being their last, but his stats remain damning. So one fan chimed in with the NASCAR Reddit post: “The wood brothers with Matty D were an outside playoff car. The wood brothers with Burton were sub 30th in points. The wood brothers with Berry won their 1st race at a real track since 2017. Harrison Burton was absolutely the issue.”

However, the question is still looming in the air– Was Harrison the problem? Or was he simply part of the problem?

Josh Berry’s entry into WBR was a big deal. The 21-time CARS Tour race winner and 2020 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts champion received a grand reception, as the team was revamped for Berry. So one fan optimistically said: “Josh Berry is just a better driver. The whole 21 team was essentially rebuilt this offseason. Think you’re going to see this speed often throughout the year.”

However, another faction of fans cut Harrison Burton some slack. Jeff Burton’s son is performing better in the No. 25 Xfinity car than its previous driver, Brett Moffitt. One fan pointed out that maybe the team dynamic did not fall in place for Burton in WBR. “I’m not even sure. Burton is outperforming the 25 team from last year and Berry is outperforming Burton from last year. I think this is a situation of a separation that is beneficial for both sides.”

Another chimed in with the sentiment that the Xfinity Series suits Burton more. After all, Burton did not have the same exposure as Josh Berry did. “Maybe Harrison is just better staying down in xfinity. He’s at least making the 25 as competitive as when Brett Moffitt was in it.”

Somebody else pinned the blame on neither the driver nor the team. Instead, the blame was put on the Next-Gen car. Introduced in 2022, NASCAR’s 7th-generation innovation was difficult to comprehend for even legendary drivers like Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin, who have openly admitted their struggles, as both are on 20+ race winless streaks. So the fan wrote, “The next Gen car isn’t a normal stock car either . Stick a decent (pre2021)cup driver in a v8 supercar and some will struggle.”

Harrison Burton’s stats provide a perspective on how better Josh Berry is performing. Yet other factors like team dynamics and car problems emerge as the NASCAR community pointed out. Which side are you on? Is Berry simply better than Burton? Or is Burton more suited to a Xfinity car in comparison to the Next-Gen car? Let us know in the comments!