2025 Cup Series Team Preview: Wood Brothers Racing

Josh Berry will wheel the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford this year in the NASCAR Cup Series. (John Harrelson/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Tale of the Tape:

Driver: Josh Berry

Age: 34

Experience: Enters second full-time Cup Series season

Crew Chief: Miles Stanley

2024 season: 27th in Cup Series standings; two top fives and four top 10s

MOORESVILLE, N.C. and STUART, Va. – This year marks the start of a hopeful time, where Wood Brothers Racing can have a new driver come in and potentially become the team’s next franchise driver.

That driver is second-year NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry, who takes over the iconic No. 21 Ford from the departed Harrison Burton.

Both Berry and the Wood Brothers had up-and-down 2024 seasons. At times, Berry was the rookie-of-the-year favorite and arguably the highest riser in the sport, with a stretch that showcased third-place results at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and Iowa Speedway.

However, as the season played out, Berry eventually went cold. On the other side, the recent struggles for the famed No. 21 continued as well.

On the plus side, the organization did clinch its long-awaited 100th team win with Burton’s clutch triumph at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway last August.

Now, the two sides have joined forces. Both the Hendersonville, Tenn., native and the Wood Brothers have shown glimpses of potential. In 2025, it becomes about stringing together consistency and possibly cracking the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

With the stress of Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure in the past and Burton returning to the Xfinity Series, both sides are able to capitalize on a reset. Expect Berry – with the tools from WBR and Ford around him – to succeed, especially with a continued technical alliance from Team Penske.

Potential Tracks of Contention: 

• Iowa Speedway: (Led 32 laps and finished third in the June race)
• New Hampshire Motor Speedway: (Finished third last season in the June race)
• Richmond Raceway: (Hasn’t finished worse than 14th there in three Cup starts; was second in relief of Chase Elliott in 2023)

The talent and tenacity of Berry is what made him a hot commodity as a free agent. Those sentiments were once preached by his former team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who discovered Berry’s talent on iRacing and later gave him opportunities with JRM in late models and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

An argument could be made that Berry is in a better situation currently than he was while trying to fill the shoes of Kevin Harvick. In its final year, Stewart-Haas Racing struggled with fielding competitive cars for each of its four entries.

Now, the 34-year-old finds himself with a team hungry for more success, after tasting their first win since Ryan Blaney’s Pocono victory in 2017 last season.

An organization that has found a veteran driver with the capability of winning races sets the partnership up for potentially major success. It’ll be up to the Wood Brothers to bring consistently competitive cars each weekend and for Berry to avoid a dreaded sophomore slump.

The 2025 Cup Series season begins with the non-points Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Feb. 2, followed by the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 16.

Coverage of both races will air on FOX, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.