Wood Brothers Racing
Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team showed flashes of the speed they’ve carried in recent races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the breaks never went their way in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 and they came away with a 31st-place finish.
Berry, the defending winner of the race, started 32nd and worked his way into the top 25 for the first time on Lap 45. He continued to run inside the top 25 through the remainder of the opening Stage, but with no caution flags in the 80-lap segment he fell off the lead lap with six circuits remaining. He finished the Stage in 23rd place, one lap down.
In the second Stage, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team’s challenges were compounded when Berry was penalized for speeding on pit road. Prior to the penalty he had been battling Kyle Busch for the free pass position, but after serving the penalty he dropped to 31st place, two laps down. He went on to finish Stage Two in 35th place.
When the race’s first caution for an on-track incident flew on Lap 212 of 267, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team elected to take the wave around to move into the group just one lap behind the leaders. Berry initially climbed to 26th place, but the strategy ultimately didn’t play out as hoped when the caution needed to complete the cycle never materialized. That forced Berry to pit under green for fuel and tires, dropping him to 33rd place, three laps down. He gained two spots in the closing laps to finish 31st.
Berry and the Wood Brothers now turn their attention to the historic Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s Goodyear 400.
