No one imagined Josh Berry to win his way into the playoffs in the early goings of the 2025 season. After a tough rookie year with Stewart-Haas Racing, he was scrambling to find a new seat. And now he finds himself planning and plotting how to compete in the playoffs. His win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was anything but lucky; he battled hard against Daniel Suarez on the restart at Lap 249 of 267, and eventually got past him by Lap 252.
This big result came after a streak of poor results on superspeedway, but then he got back on track in Phoenix, leading to his win in Vegas. We’ve seen the likes of Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton do this last year, and for many, they weren’t worthy to compete in the playoffs. Now that Berry has that one win, the same people who are now praising him might turn on him in case their favorite driver fails to advance to the knockout stages. But, going by Berry’s words, his team isn’t content with a single win and is hungry for more.
Josh Berry is here to win and compete
“Being competitive is the biggest thing. And it’s the hardest thing to figure out to be fast and lead these races and get yourself in contention, and we’ve done that a lot. It’s really frustrating to make mistakes, and those mistakes fall on me. But all we can do is just continue to put me in that position, keep working on those things and get better, and the finishes will come.” Josh Berry said this ahead of the All-Star race.
In his last three starts, the Wood Brothers Racing driver has only one top 10, but that doesn’t paint the real picture. In Texas, he was on the cusp of another win at a mile-and-a-half track. But the infamous bump on the exit of Turn 4 got him, and he crashed into the wall while leading the race on Lap 126. This was just the recent one. During the Atlanta race, he showed similar speeds and led 56 laps, he even bagged a stage win. However, he ended the race after being caught in the big one, and there’s little he could’ve done from that point onwards. Even back then, Berry knew his team was headed in the right direction.
“We were able to stay aggressive, stay on the offense, stay up front. I feel that I am in a situation now where I can succeed.” And he did finish the job in Vegas. While the team has worked on the speed and performance part, the driver is now looking to cut down the mistakes on the racetrack.
Josh Berry has made some mistakes that have cost him solid finishes. He believes that is still part of his learning process as he drives for the Wood Brothers, a Penske affiliate. He’s in the all-star race today thanks to his Vegas win earlier this year. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/N7jVM6ofXY
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 18, 2025
“Obviously, last week had a great car. I mean, last week stings more because I think we had a chance at that one if I didn’t speed on Pit Road. So that one stung a little bit more, but all in all, our whole team’s doing a great job and our cars are fast, and we just got to do the little things a little bit better.” He added. And truth be told, if he had a better starting position at Kansas, it could’ve been him against Larson.
Berry started the race from 38th spot and finished the race sixth. This was despite the pit road speeding penalty that sent him back to the field for the second time. So, he was able to make major gains from the tail end of the field to contend up top. Given the progress Berry has made in his second full-time opportunity, it is tough to say he is just a fluke winner. With 6 playoff points and momentum behind him, he is hungry for more race wins, and if he does manage to do that, it shouldn’t be a surprise.
Josh Berry reflects on ARCA vs CARS Tour experience
Apart from mainstream NASCAR races, Berry has also been involved in a few select starts in the ARCA Menards Series, making his debut at Salem Speedway in 2018. These races were part of his broader journey through various racing series, including the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, where he became the all-time winningest driver, and later also participated in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing 5 wins.
But recently, Berry expressed his preference for the CARS Tour over ARCA races. “I’ll be honest,” continued Berry. “I watch ARCA races, and they’re horrible. CARS Tour puts a way better product on to be on TV and they deserve a spot like that. I think hopefully tonight they do that. Hopefully, they don’t get too crazy – everybody getting wild on television. Hopefully, we can get the races started and stay on time, but I’m excited to see how it does. I think it’s a great product. The series is obviously really competitive. It’s more competitive than ever and way more competitive than even when I was a part of it, so it’s a lot of positives for that deal. Hopefully, they knock it out of the ball park.”
Berry has won the 2017 CARS Late Model Stock car championships, so he was going to bat out for his home base. But, needless to say, the series is now making massive strides and even got primetime treatment on Friday night. The CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway was broadcast on FS1, the first of its kind deal with FOX. Clearly, Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick are taking all the right steps to move the CARS Tour in the right direction, and Berry is a fan of it.
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