History was made at Phoenix Raceway. After a difficult few years, NASCAR’s oldest team is back to the forefront, qualifying and finishing inside the top five for the first time in four years. From financial difficulties and limited resources and personnel to struggling with adapting to different eras, it seems like Wood Brothers Racing has been through it all. Somewhere along the line, the team has lost its way, while others have risen to make their mark in the Cup Series.

That was until now. It seems like with Josh Berry behind the wheel, the team is finally moving out of obscurity again. The 34-year-old turned up the heat at ‘The Desert Oddball,’ earning praises from none other than veteran crew chief Rodney Childers.

Josh Berry gives credit where it’s due

Josh Berry can pat himself on the back. After a tumultuous season with Stewart-Haas Racing last year, the Tennessee native was forced to switch allegiances after the team ceased operations. When Wood Brothers Racing came calling, the racer knew he would have his work cut out for him. The team had developed a notorious reputation for underperforming at the highest level, despite Harrison Burton securing a shock victory at Daytona International Speedway in 2024.

However, after a poor start to the Cup Series season, Josh Berry appears to have finally turned a corner. Reflecting on his fourth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway, the No. 21 Ford driver said, “Yeah, I felt like myself again, honestly. We’ve been grinding for the last year or so. This group has been great for me, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to work with these guys and having some great teammates out there, like Joey (Logano) and Ryan (Blaney) to learn off and learn from. And I feel like this is the first of many.”

Berry was not the only one ecstatic by the result at Phoenix. His former crew chief Rodney Childers couldn’t help but say, “So proud of this dude. Definitely the first of many..” In just four weeks, the Tennessee native, along with his No. 21 crew, has made tremendous progress. The start of the season left much to be desired, as the team didn’t finish higher than 25th in the opening three fixtures. However, under the guidance of crew chief Miles Stanley, the racer seems to have finally turned a corner.

At Phoenix, Josh Berry showed an impressive leap in performance, going from 34th in practice to qualifying in fourth place ahead of the Shriners Children’s 500. In the race, he finished sixth in the first stage and tenth in the second, accumulating some valuable points as a result. Ultimately, the driver managed to achieve an average running position of 9.1 at the 1-mile track and ended the race with a fourth top-five finish of his career.

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Berry sheds light on the importance of strategy at Phoenix

The race in Phoenix was somewhat of a chess game. Each team had two sets of option tires available, in addition to the six new sets and one scrubbed set of prime tires. Going into the weekend, there was a lot of talk about the tire strategy that teams will employ to give them an advantage on the track. Many felt that using the option tire at the right time would be key in doing well at ‘The Desert Oddball,’ and that’s exactly what happened with Josh Berry.

Sharing his thoughts about the importance of strategy, Berry candidly said, “I mean it just opens up the strategy a lot, right? Everybody has been so hard on this track, and we saw three amazing finishes this weekend and it just goes to show you that it’s not always the track. Sometimes you just got to work and figure out the combination that puts on a good show. From my driver’s seat that was a really good race. I hope the fans felt the same.”

While the option tires gave more grip, they also degraded faster, forcing drivers to come into the pits. Meanwhile, the prime tires offered less grip but lasted longer for drivers whose aim was to gain track positions by outlasting their rivals. Ultimately, finishing fourth at Phoenix Raceway helped Josh Berry climb 12 spots in the drivers’ standing, as he currently occupies 21st place, with 73 points to his name.