Josh Berry has been getting a huge amount of attention since winning last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas. It was his maiden victory in the premier tier, and the feeling was that it would set things rolling for a glorious season for him. The hype that has built around Berry is not just confined to racing though. Enter Taylor Swift.
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Berry had gone to the same high school as Swift. He told NASCAR Daily earlier this week that Swift was a grade above him at the Hendersonville High School in Sumner County, Tennessee. IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden was a part of the same crop, too.
Needless to say, there isn’t an interview or an interaction where Berry has to answer that one (at times even more) question about the superstar musician. The Wood Brothers Racing driver admitted to Fox Sports in a recent interview that all the talk about him and Swift has started to wear him a bit thin.
“It’s sort of a thing that you mention one time, and you don’t realize how big of a deal it’s going to be. ‘Hey, tell us something about yourself’! You mention it and it turns into a way bigger deal than you expect,” said Berry, who remembers being awed by Swift after one of her performances in school.
Josh Berry on life a few days after his inaugural Cup victory, the questions about going to the same high school as Taylor Swift, if he has heard from anyone at the bank he has worked at and getting ready for Homestead. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/P3IyV0juoE
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 20, 2025
“We were like, ‘Dang, she’s alright! You know how talent shows are; they’re hit or miss. But it was like, ‘Damn, that was pretty good’,” Berry told Jeff Gluck in an interview. He did not get to know Swift personally, though.
The former bank teller’s journey up the racing ranks has been remarkable in its own way. And yes, many of his colleagues from the bank had also messaged him after Sunday’s win.
What’s next for Berry after winning in Las Vegas?
Berry’s win in Vegas did not seem like a one-time fluke. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest team in NASCAR right now, and it appears set on a path to regain its lost glory. The victory last Sunday marked the first time the team finished on top at a non-drafting track since 2017.
It was also the first time the team won a race in back-to-back seasons since 1986-1987. Harrison Burton had won in Daytona last year. Berry’s victory has renewed the belief in the team that they back as serious contenders.
“I think Josh fits us. Miles [Stanley, crew chief] fits us. Everything just fits. I used to make fun of people years ago when they would talk about chemistry. Football teams, baseball, all that. Then it kind of bled over into racing. This goes back a few years,” Eddie Wood, a co-owner of the team, said on Sunday.
Wood has understood now that things just click when they do. It is apparent that the No. 21 team is going through a resurgence.
Berry is undeniably a championship-caliber driver and is bound to take his car to victory lane more often this year. As of now, his eyes are on the ball for the next race at Homestead-Miami
