NASCAR Pennzoil 400 takeaways: Eventful Las Vegas race produces first-time Cup Series winner

Here are five takeaways from the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas:

Berry's win a feel-good story for driver and team

After a disappointing rookie season that only produced two top fives, four top 10s and 10 DNFs, Berry made the transition to Wood Brothers Racing. With a pass for the lead over Daniel Suarez with 14 laps to go, Berry pulled away for career win No. 1.

Sunday was Berry's second straight top five, but the speed has been evident so far. Berry led a career-high 56 laps at Atlanta and appears to be putting things together in the early going with his new team. With powerhouse organizations Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing already finding victory lane, Sunday was a feel-good story for Berry and the famed Wood Brothers, who achieved their 101st win as an organization.

No four of a kind in Sin City for Christopher Bell

With a 12th-place finish, Bell was unable to join NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott as the only drivers in Cup Series history to win four of the first five races in a season on Sunday.

While he qualified 13th, the JGR driver began the day at the tail of the field after his team changed the throttle body. Even though he only scored one stage point in the race and was seldom toward the front throughout the race, Bell looks poised to be a championship contender all season and Sunday was likely more of an outlier as the season progresses.

Dominant efforts derailed by late caution

Following a caution with 73 laps remaining, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron had the two dominant cars in the race. After electing to pit to eliminate any fuel concerns, Byron rallied to fourth while Larson could only recover to ninth.

The speed between the two was clear and it looked as if one of them was going to be standing in victory lane by race's end. That was not the case, leaving both empty-handed, and in Larson's case, still in search of that first win of 2025.

Loose wheels cause problems for multiple drivers

It did not take long for loose wheels to become an issue on Sunday. Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe lost a wheel on Lap 34 following his green flag pit stop. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch experienced the same issues when he spun at the exit of Turn 2 as his loose right rear wheel went rolling down the backstretch.

While Briscoe at least rallied for a top 20 finish in 17th, Busch (33rd) was not as fortunate. To make matters worse, both drivers will lose two crew members for the next two races as a result of the wheels coming off, compounding a frustrating day in Sin City.

Las Vegas produces good finishes for drivers in need

Although Berry was the one in victory lane, three notable drivers finally put together solid finishes after a difficult start to the season. With a runner-up finish and 12 laps led, Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez picked up his first top 10 of the season after having a best finish of 13th (Daytona 500) coming into the weekend.

Just behind him, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Ryan Preece (third) and Kaulig Racing's AJ Allmendinger (eighth) recorded their first top-10s of the season as well. While victory eluded each of them, Sunday was a much-needed step in the right direction and something to build off of.