On the one hand, the 2025 season was a success for Josh Berryin that it produced his first Cup Series victory and for the Wood Brothers no less. On the other hand, there were also times when a lot was left on the table and left them wondering what could have happened.
Specifically, the iconic number 21 was among the fastest in the entire field in the first round of the playoffs, but Berry also suffered through three consecutive last-place finishes en route to a brutal elimination.
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Berry started third in the Southern 500, but bottomed out on the first lap and headed toward the wall. The following week at Gateway, he was shadowed by Chase Elliott running near the front of the field, then caught fire due to rubber buildup in the tires during the Bristol Night Race.
But again, they won a race in their first season together and showed the potential of what could be a successful combination in the years to come.
“I’m excited about it,” Berry said Wednesday during a press briefing Wednesday. “I agree there were a lot of positives in our performance last year. There were a lot of races where the finish didn’t indicate the type of day we had, so our goal is to look at some of those things and try to figure out what we could do better and put ourselves in better positions to get the finishes we deserve. …
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“It’s really the first year since I’ve been in Cup or
Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford
With the pace and performance there, not to mention the cars coming out of the Team Penske shop, Berry sees 2026 more about execution than chasing speed. After all, that’s what derailed their championship run, but also cost them the chance at a few more wins.
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“I think we sat down at the beginning of the offseason and kind of analyzed every race,” Berry said. “There’s a number of things. It’s issues on pit road. There’s been a few speeding penalties over the course of the year. Obviously, those are things you have to clean up. Issues on pit road with penalties. Mechanical issues. We’ve had a few of those along the way.”
“I think maybe the most important thing is to make decisions before you go into these races. I think it’s better to place in the top 10 rather than put yourself in a bad position that might result, but, honestly, the key to that is not something that I think any of us really know. Obviously, you have to race hard and fight for every place, and just learn with experience and try to make sure we get the finishes that we deserve. The thing, I think, is just to limit your mistakes like I said, we’ve had a handful over the year and hopefully we can clean them up and get the finishes that we should.
Consistency will need to be there, because unlike winning and in the championship format, simply winning a race will not be enough to finish in the top 16. The championship race will require finishing among the top 16 in points by the end of the regular season.
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“I think it’s obviously a different format, but first winners and first victories in this sport have always been something that’s very popular and creates great stories,” Berry said. “There’s no reason why the change in playoff format should change the feeling you get when you have a first-time winner or an underdog story – much like we were last year. Now, that doesn’t include an automatic playoff berth or the Chase, but it’s still a great story. There will be a lot of storylines that evolve throughout the season and as that changes, relying a little more on consistency is probably going to put the best guys in the mix. Chase at the end of the season, we feel a little more pressure as a team knowing we have to execute week in and week out and, to me, that’s not a bad thing.
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