Mar 16, 2025, 07:34 PM ET
LAS VEGAS — Josh Berry spent a lot of his occupation content material as a journeyman racer who most certainly would by no means make it past the native short-track scene.
When he were given a damage in NASCAR — Corridor of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has believed in Berry for years — he made probably the most of it by means of profitable 5 Xfinity Sequence races for JR Motorsports. That ended in a shot within the Cup Sequence, then a full-time process this previous 12 months with Stewart-Haas Racing.
But if SHR determined to shutter on the finish of this previous season, Berry was once dumped into the unfastened agent marketplace and right away grabbed by means of Picket Brothers Racing. In his 5th race together with his new workforce, Berry scored the primary Cup Sequence victory of his occupation by means of taking NASCAR’s oldest workforce to victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“I am simply grateful to be within the state of affairs I’m riding rapid race automobiles,” Berry mentioned. “With my enjoy at the quick tracks, you suppose that is the place you are going to win. But when I have discovered the rest on this recreation it’s that you simply by no means know when it will be your day.”
Josh Berry scored his first Cup Sequence victory in his 5th race with Picket Brothers Racing, the 53rd Cup race of his occupation. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Photographs
Berry, riding the famed No. 21, had the primary victory for a Ford workforce via 5 races this season. William Byron opened the 12 months with a Daytona 500 victory in a Chevrolet, and Christopher Bell in a Toyota gained the following 3 races.
Berry, in the meantime, needed to run down Daniel Suarez following a restart with 19 laps final to take regulate. Even supposing Harrison Burton gained at Daytona this previous summer time for the Picket Brothers, Berry’s victory is the primary now not at a superspeedway since Ryan Blaney gained for the workforce in 2017 at Pocono.
“This one was once legitimate,” workforce president Jon Picket mentioned. “You understand occasionally they will put an asterisk but even so a speedway race and say, ‘Neatly, it is speedway racing.’ However [Berry] ruled the ones final 20 laps.”
The Picket Brothers are celebrating their seventy fifth season in NASCAR.
“Everyone with Picket Brothers Racing gave me a really perfect automotive, and we simply battled and battled, and guy, it was once our day,” Berry mentioned. “I simply cannot imagine it. It was once this kind of struggle with Daniel there on the finish. Beating and banging at a mile-and-a-half [track] is loopy. However whoever was once going to get out entrance was once most certainly going to win.”
It was once the one hundred and first victory for the group, spanning 20 drivers.
Suarez, in a Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, completed 2nd.
“Certainly just a little disenchanted, however congratulations to the 21 workforce and Josh. They did a really perfect process,” Suarez mentioned. “They have been rapid in recent years. They have been in rivalry. So congratulations to them.”
Ryan Preece was once 3rd in a Ford for RFK Racing. Byron was once fourth for Hendrick Motorsports, adopted by means of Ross Chastain of Trackhouse, Austin Cindric of Crew Penske and Alex Bowman of Hendrick.
AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing was once 8th, and Hendrick drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott rounded out the highest 10. Seven Chevy drivers completed within the best 10.
Joey Logano had past due regulate of the race till Las Vegas local Noah Gragson hit the wall with 25 laps final to deliver out the 9th warning of the race. Berry was once in 2nd when the warning got here out and 2nd in the back of Suarez at the restart.
Berry gained in his 53rd Cup race and simply his 5th race with the Picket Brothers. The 34-year-old Tennessee driving force was once a 40-1 underdog to win Sunday, and his win put the Picket Brothers again into the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive season. The workforce has a decent alliance with Crew Penske, which has enter in who drives the No. 21.
Bell to the again
Bell got here to Las Vegas on a three-race profitable streak with a possibility to transform the primary driving force since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win 4 consecutive Cup races.
However his likelihood to increase his streak was once stymied when Joe Gibbs Racing needed to trade the throttle frame at the No. 20 Toyota after Bell certified thirteenth, and the penalty dropped him to the again of the sphere for the beginning of the race.
He by no means recovered in what was once an total subpar day for the four-driver JGR contingent.
Bell, who complained concerning the dealing with of his automotive many of the race, completed a team-high twelfth. Simplest 8 drivers have gained 4 instantly Cup races within the fashionable technology of NASCAR that started in 1972.
“I have no idea. It is effective. It was once a grind, needless to say,” Bell mentioned. “I do not in reality know the way I think but, however we no doubt did not do what we did the final couple of weeks and that was once simply have a pleasing blank race.”
Chase Briscoe was once seventeenth, and Ty Gibbs, who rolled a dash automotive Saturday evening on the dust song at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, completed twenty second. Denny Hamlin, winner of greater than $200,000 over two nights of enjoying slots in a Las Vegas on line casino, could not convert his success to the song and completed twenty fifth.
Up subsequent
The Cup Sequence races subsequent Sunday at Abode-Miami Speedway, a song that were within the playoff rotation the previous 3 years however has now been moved to a spring race. Tyler Reddick gained final October and Bell gained in 2023.
