Five races. That’s all it took for Josh Berry to open his account with Wood Brothers Racing. The No. 21 Chevy driver finished 1.358 seconds ahead of runner-up Daniel Suarez at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, winning his team’s 101st Cup Series triumph. In a sport defined by fine margins, an element of luck is always involved in the overall result. However, the 34-year-old racer was dominant at the 1.5-mile oval and deservedly won his first race at NASCAR’s highest level.

Analyzing his performance, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte gave Berry credit where it was due. Even though the now TV personality recognizes that the result could have quickly gone the other way if a risky gamble by crew chief Miles Stanley hadn’t paid off.

Steve Letarte dissects Josh Berry’s Vegas triumph

It’s a result nobody would have predicted. However, Josh Berry was determined to cause an upset at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while the majority of attention was being received by Christopher Bell or Kyle Larson. Driving the No. 21 Ford, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver secured an impressive seventh place in qualifying at the 1.5-mile track and remained in the hunt for a potential victory by finishing eighth in Stages 1 and 2. After a fourth-place result at Phoenix, another top-five outcome would have been an acceptable outcome for the racer even though he had an ace up his sleeve.

Sharing his thoughts on Josh Berry’s race-winning strategy, the 2014 Daytona 500 winning crew chief, Steve Letarte, said, “We saw the first yellow late 180s, then we had a caution in the late 190s. You see the yellow P’s, that’s when they chose to come to the pit road. This isn’t THE reason they won, but this is A reason they won. That crew chief Miles Stanley decided to not pit on the second yellow right here, getting back some track position.” The 45-year-old went on to say, “But, it was not a fluke day, it was a dominant day. But it was a day that absolutely could have gone away right here.”

Despite Wood Brothers Racing having an underdog status, Berry surpassed expectations by remaining in the top ten for 82% of the race, winning a total of six stage points at the 1.5-mile oval. After a caution triggered by Ryan Blaney in Lap 197, Berry decided not to pit while sitting 17th in the race. This decision rocketed him up to 6th place on the restart. After this, Berry was engaged in a fierce battle with Daniel Suarez. He pitted when Noah Gragson drew the final caution of the race and maintained his position to go on and take the checkered flag. Ultimately, pitting at the right time gave him the edge. Letarte noted that it was a gamble, but a well-executed one.

However, things could have easily gone the other way. Plenty of drivers suffered issues in the pit stall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, such as Christopher Bell who pitted at his teammate, Chase Briscoe’s box to tighten a lug nut and was sent to the rear. Or Chase Briscoe himself, who had a loose tire on the track which put him down two laps. This fact didn’t go unnoticed by Letarte.

The veteran crew chief said, “How many times on pit road have we seen good days go away right here?” However, fate had other plans, as Josh Berry went on to secure a memorable triumph on his 53rd career Cup start, becoming the first driver since Matt DiBenedetto to get consecutive top-five results for Wood Brothers Racing.

Berry’s crew chief believes the future is bright for the No. 21 team

Wood Brothers Racing is becoming a force to be reckoned with. For those who truly understand the sport, Josh Berry’s triumph in the Cup Series was only a matter of time. The 34-year-old led 54 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway, second only to Joey Logano (83) before an overtime wreck ruined his chances at entering Victory Lane. His fourth-place result at Phoenix Raceway was not accidental either, as his average position of 9.10 was the sixth-best amongst the 37 starters.

With plenty of positives in recent weeks, crew chief Miles Stanley couldn’t be prouder. He said, “The potential’s real high for the 21 team. This group is really, really special. In the offseason, before we got started, there was a buzz in the shop with everyone we had put in place on this team, Josh included, and we all felt like we were going to have a really good season.” The sentiment was echoed by CEO and co-owner Eddie Wood as well, who said, “This feels like everything is clicking.”

Even though a playoff spot is already assured, Josh Berry won’t be taking his foot off the pedal anytime soon. After positive results in Phoenix and now in Las Vegas, the Wood Brothers Racing driver will be keen to carry on the momentum at the 2025 Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami. Could he get multiple race wins this year? Going by his performance at the Pennzoil 400, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!