Famed Wood Brothers Racing Is Back!

^{Mar 17, 2025 | Edition #151}

👋 Dear Motorheads,

We predicted it—2025 was going to be the year of the underdogs. And now, it’s happening! Glen Wood probably never imagined his team being called an underdog, and honestly, we wish that weren’t the case. But here we are.

The good news is that with Josh Berry Wood Brothers Racing is seemingly leading the charge. Especially with this win at Las Vegas, they’ve just notched their 101st victory!

 🏁 Sunday’s Race Report

The #21 Car (Finally) Finds Its True Heir

🏆 This was a long time coming for WBR, a well-deserved win. As Josh Berry took the checkered flag at Vegas, it marked the 34-year-old’s first win in the Cup Series. 

🤏 Daniel Suarez fought hard but could not catch a pacing Berry after lap 16, finishing 1.358 seconds behind.

🫤 It was a decent run for the Fords as Ryan Preece finished in P3.

📊 Other Notable stats from the weekend

• Josh Berry is the fourth straight Wood Brothers Racing driver to pick up his first Cup win in the #21 Ford

• Michael McDowell won his 7th career pole at Las Vegas

• Austin Cindric winning the first stage became the 9th different driver to win a stage this year. 

• Josh Berry became the 84th driver to pilot the #21 car

Now, what we saw in Sin City might be just as defining for WBR. After years of searching, this storied team may have finally found the driver who can restore their legacy and take the #21 car back to victory lane. This is the team that has seen some of NASCAR's most iconic finishes in the most iconic races. Remember the David Pearson vs. Richard Petty battle from the 1976 Daytona 500? With 730 yards to go, it felt like Petty would win the race spinning(quite literally). But Pearson won it in the most dramatic fashion. Take a look.

For years it felt like the team was out of luck. Surely, Harrison Burton has talent, but maybe the Cup Series just wasn’t the right fit. In three seasons, Burton could only manage a single win and two top-5 finishes. But to his credit, that win was something special. Holding off Kyle Busch to take the checkered flag at the Coke 400 is no small feat. And, without that, WBR wouldn’t have reached their historic 100th win.

For those who don’t know, Wood Brothers Racing is NASCAR’s longest-standing team. A legacy like theirs deserves more than just one-off wins—it deserves a driver who can bring them back to the forefront. And maybe, just maybe, Josh Berry is that guy.

He’s got the skill. He’s got the aggression. And at Las Vegas, he showed exactly why he belongs. This win is a statement. Watching Len and Eddie Wood leap into the grandstands, overcome with pure joy, one can feel the weight of the moment. Watch how the next generation of Woods celebrated.

We don’t know if Josh Berry will become the next David Pearson for the #21, but the team has shown confidence already and this win is special—a potential playoff berth if the winner’s list stays under 16. More than that, WBR is setting a gold standard for single-driver teams heading into 2025.

Additionally, for Berry, this could be the fresh start he needed after SHR’s exit. A P4 at Phoenix, now a checkered flag at Vegas. In just six races in, and he’s already matched his stats from last season. If he keeps this up, maybe, just maybe, we’ll see a WBR driver fighting for a championship again.

Continue Reading: Former Wood Brothers Racing Driver Gets Slammed for a Lackluster Performance After Josh Berry’s Victory Run

📈 Trending News

Denny and Kyle Busch Are Fed-Up of NASCAR

NASCAR is losing its edge—at least, that’s what Denny Hamlin and Busch believe. The sport’s recent decisions, like putting Katherine Legge in a Cup race, have left them frustrated. Sure, increasing female representation at the top is important, but experience matters just as much.

And it’s not just Legge. They’re also questioning NASCAR’s call to bring in Helio Castroneves, who ended his Daytona 500 run with a DNF. For them, Cup racing isn’t just about raw talent, it demands a deeper level of preparation. And right now, NASCAR’s decisions seem more about spectacle than substance. Kyle Busch isn’t mincing words…."It shouldn’t be suit and ties making the decisions always." 

Rowdy’s is not wrong to say that "the system is broken." Even Denny's joined in on the rant. This time he's called for a sticker selection process. "You shouldn’t be able to just come in whenever you want.." This is a bit too harsh. He even said incidents like this aren’t NASCAR-like. Listen to his sarcastic rant.

We understand that bringing Katherine Legge into the mix was a smart way to draw attention. Even, having an open-wheel legend like Helio Castroneves in NASCAR’s biggest race was a great selling point. But that’s just it—these moves aren’t helping the drivers.

NASCAR clearly set Legge up for failure. It wasn’t just risky for her—it put the regulars in jeopardy. Daniel Suárez paid the price, getting wrecked in the process. And, Denny and Kyle aren’t against crossover drivers. We are sure, they’d love to see more veterans from other motorsports, maybe even F1.

Legge was approved for an oval race based on her Indy 500 experience. And, let’s not forget the Next-Gen car is a different beast—one that even NASCAR’s own veterans are still figuring out. So, expecting a one-off driver to perform at a high level is somewhat realistic.

Maybe the solution is specialized practice sessions to truly get them up to speed. But there have to be some adjustments before the next big experiment.

Continue Reading: Joe Gibbs Pulls Up His Socks With Another $166.3 Billion Sponsor Potentially Entering His Team

🏁 Lucky Dog’s Quick Poll 🏁

🗣️ Talk of the NASCAR Town

Ty Gibbs’ Mom Is Not Impressed

Folks, in the last edition, we wondered if Coach Gibbs would make the tough call on Ty. Maybe not. Could his mom, Heather Gibbs, step in? Unlikely—though it looks like she’s disappointed.

The reason is the way Ty’s 2025 season is unfolding. And, he’s definitely not strong. Another race, another finish outside the top 20. He finished P22 at Vegas. At this point, Grandpa Gibbs is probably just relieved the car made it to the checkered flag.

Six races in, and it’s not a good look. He missed the Clash and has two DNFs. Meanwhile, his teammates are doing good. Briscoe has settled in well with the #19, Hamlin is doing Hamlin things, and Bell is having the time of his life.

And while ‘the Gibbs’ aren't giving a straight answer, Ty's mother, who is also the co-owner, has now listed her opinion. And, she’s “concerned.” Heather is worried about the sponsors and blames NASCAR for it, while she’s hopeful her son’s gonna get the confidence back! But the mother did sound concerned. Here’s what she said about Ty’s mental challenges!

Maybe we need to cut Ty some slack. He’s only 22, and he has shown progress each year. Last season also it looked like he was on track to make the playoffs. But then came Harrison Burton’s surprise win and Chase Briscoe’s last-minute triumph, shutting Gibbs out.

Naturally, we expected him to step it up this season. But there’s a lot of competition within the team. And, JGR is adjusting to several big changes—new personnel, a new crew chief for the #54, and Chris Gebhardt stepping in as competition director. It’s going to take time for everything to fall into place.

So, let’s not forget Ty is the 2022 Xfinity Series champion. And with Heather’s confidence in him as both a mother and a co-owner, maybe now is the time for him to push harder than ever for that much-needed comeback. Here’s hoping he finds his rhythm soon.

Continue Reading: Christopher Bell Jumps to Ty Gibbs’ Rescue Joe Gibbs’ “Generational Bust” Gets on Hot Seat

🫡 Sunday's Top Highlight

“Stop it, somebody, STOP” —the panic was real in Las Vegas.

As Christopher Bell pulled out of his pit box, chaos unfolded. A crew member went down, a loose wheel rolled away, and in that split second, Bell’s race took a turn for the worse.

🗝️ From the Vault

This Has To Be NASCAR’s Greatest Comeback Story

When we talk about the greatest comebacks in NASCAR history, one name stands above the rest—Ernie Irvan. Let’s rewind to 1994. Midway through the season, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was leading the points, but Irvan was right there, just 20 points back. He was a real contender for the title, trading blows with Rusty Wallace, each of them racking up multiple wins. The battle for the championship was shaping up to be legendary.

Then came Michigan. The second race of the year at the track, and Irvan never made it to race day. In practice, just ten laps in, a blown right front tire sent him headfirst into the wall at terrifying speed. From that moment, everything changed. And, what exactly happened, according to Larry McReynolds was not at all good when he went to see the car.

For the next 21 days, Ernie Irvan was lost in a coma. He has no memory of the crash, no recollection of those agonizing weeks. But those who witnessed it knew how grim the situation was. It was bad—collapsed lungs, severe head trauma, a fractured skull. So bad, in fact, that track physician Dr. John Maino had to perform an emergency tracheotomy with a pocket knife. Larry gave the smallest of the details of that horrific day. Watch for yourself.

Doctors gave him just a 10% chance to survive. But if there was one thing about Ernie Irvan, it was his will to live and race. And that 10% was more than enough for him. After more than two weeks in a coma, he woke up to a new reality—his vision was blurred, his speech was slurred, and even standing was a challenge.

Most would have been consumed by the trauma of it all. Just watching a race again would have been overwhelming. But Irvan was wired differently. Racing never went out of his mind.

And just seven months later, against all odds, he climbed back into a car for a private test at Darlington. The same man who had once been at death’s door was now back behind the wheel, gripping it like he had never left. Irvan wasn’t just surviving, he was proving that some warriors are meant to race.

ESPN did a full episode on his comeback. Here’s the video...you can literally feel Irvan's unwavering determination. With his one eye, he returned to a full season in 1996. Even won 2 races that season finishing 10th! Followed by which he went on to run three more seasons.

But in a Busch race (now the Xfinity Series), he crashed again. And to a bizarre coincidence, in a practice session and that too in Michigan. This was enough of a sign for him to call it! “I came back from a 10% chance to live to win again. But I know in my heart this is the time to step away.”

And with just 15 Cup wins, Ernie Irvan will always remain in the hearts of NASCAR fans as one of the greatest. 

📰 Lucky Dog’s Recommended Reads

1. Dale Jr. Stunned as $2.10 Trillion Giant Revives His Father’s Iconic Legacy- Full Story

2. Kyle Larson’s Brother-in-Law Sounds Off on Joe Gibbs’ Grandson’s Brutal Sprint Car Crash - Full Story

3. Richard Childress & Co. Go Berserk on NASCAR Officials Amid Kyle Busch’s Vegas Frustration - Full Story

4. Toni Breidinger Following Failed NASCAR Star’s Blueprint - Full Story

5. Joey Logano, in a Moment of Rarity, Joins Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin to Gang Up on NASCAR With Damning Verdict - Full Story

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