“It Hurts a Little Bit”: Jon Wood Slams Josh Berry Win Being Discredited Amid Penske Contribution Claim

Josh Berry won his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas driving the #21 Ford Mustang for the Wood Brothers Racing team, by overtaking Daniel Suarez with less than 15 laps to go. But given the fact that the Wood Brothers Racing team currently holds a technical alliance with Team Penske, when Jon Wood was asked if the alliance is behind the team running better, he was not very pleased and gave a befitting reply.

In a post-race media interaction, a journalist suggested crediting Penske for Berry’s success in Las Vegas, Jon Wood delivered a sharp retort laced with irony, “When we suck, it’s our fault. But when we do good, we had nothing to do with it. It’s 100% Penske or something.”

However, Wood clarified his genuine sentiments with marked clarity, expressing, “I think that’s a frustrating part. These are our guys that are doing this. We sat in a room and debated who our next driver would be for 2025. It’s Josh Berry. Those are decisions that we made collectively. It’s our race team and our decision. It gets a little frustrating.”

He further explained that his sensitivity to such comments stems from his deep involvement with the team, not merely as an administrator. Wood shared that “It hurts a little bit when I see that stuff,” or when he comes across such remarks given he is not just managing social media and collecting a paycheck — rather, he is emotionally invested in this team.

Wood emphasized that the outcomes on the track vindicate their choices. He observed that he didn’t even need to vigorously defend his team on social media lately because Josh Berry’s performances have been speaking for them.

Last year, on July 3, 2024, Josh Berry inked a multi-year agreement with Wood Brothers Racing to pilot the #21 car, taking over from Harrison Burton following the closure of his previous team, Stewart-Haas Racing.

Since then, Berry’s performance in the series has shown a marked progression, with finishes of P37 at Daytona, P25 at Atlanta, P26 at COTA, P4 at Phoenix, and a victory at Las Vegas.

Berry will next compete at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track where he has previously shown strong potential. In his sole start there, Berry began the race in the 12th position and crossed the finish line in 11th, boasting an average finish of 11.0.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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