Josh Berry earns the Wood Brothers their best ever finish at Phoenix

Josh Berry entered Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix in need of a good points day, and he got exactly that. 

Despite a strong performance at Atlanta in which he led 56 laps, Berry came into Phoenix 32nd in the Cup Series points standings. On Sunday, Berry delivered his best performance with the Wood Brothers and one the best races of his young Cup Series career. 

Berry's qualifying lap on Saturday put him fourth on the grid, and he managed to stay inside the top-10 in the first two stages, earning a total of six stage points. 

Even as cautions kept falling and tire strategy overwhelmed the field in Stage 3, Berry and the No. 21 team kept their composure. With a fast car underneath him, Berry stayed within striking distance of the leaders and avoided being swept up in any incidents. 

While Berry wasn't able to sniff the lead on the final restart, he brought his No. 21 Ford home fourth on a much-needed good day for a Wood Brothers team looking to reassert itself as a weekly contender. 

Berry's fourth-place run is the best ever finish for a Wood Brothers car at the one-mile oval, eclipsing Morgan Shepherd's seventh-place finish at Phoenix in 1995. 

Las Vegas on Sunday will be another test of how much speed Berry and the Wood Brothers have early in the 2025 season. If they can string together two good runs in a row, Berry may be a dark horse to make a run to the playoffs.