CONCORD, N.C. — Wood Brothers Racing will celebrate its 75th anniversary in NASCAR racing in 2025 and it will do so with a new driver.
The team announced on Wednesday at the Ford Technical Center that Josh Berry will take over the reins of the famed No. 21 Ford from second-generation racer Harrison Burton at the end of this season.
Berry will move over from Stewart-Haas Racing, where he is in the midst of his rookie campaign in the NASCAR Cup Series. Berry, who has been one of the series’ most consistent performers in recent weeks, became available when SHR announced it would close at the end of the year and the Woods worked quickly in getting their man.
Len and Eddie Wood, the sons of team founders Leonard and Glen Wood, and third-generation Wood, Jon Wood, who is now president of Wood Brothers Racing, were on hand for the announcement.
“When he substituted for Hendrick (last season) that was pretty eye-opening,” said Jon Wood. “I mean, he can tell you, but I can’t. These cars are monsters and to have no experience in a Next Gen car or a Cup car and to hop in that thing and go like he did at different types of tracks, I mean, it gave every one of us pause and you don’t really know it at the time.
“It’s not something that you’re aware of. You’re not like, ‘Well, this might be our next driver,’ but you still remember it and it stood out.”
Wood Brothers Racing is affiliated with Team Penske but has struggled to find the performance the three-car Penske squad enjoys.
“We need to be better. There is no secret in that,” Jon Wood said. “This is a sport that is based on chemistry and results. Right now, we are not having those results. We’re not pointing fingers, we’re not here to say this one is at fault or that one is at fault. We are just not where we need to be, so finding that right chemistry and balance to have those results and performance is what we are looking for.”
While Eddie Wood remains CEO of Wood Brothers Racing and Len Wood is the chief operation officer, Jon Wood, a former Truck Series driver, was recently named team president.
“The way our family runs this business is we all just pull together and address whatever the task is that needs to be handled,” Wood said. “I never worried about titles, it never really mattered. Now, I feel like today’s NASCAR is a little different and it calls for those titles and names. On paper, that doesn’t really mean anything. We all do what needs to be done.”
Jon Wood said that nearly a decade ago, he had doubts the historic team would make it to next year’s 75th anniversary.
“Well, if you would have asked me 10 years ago would we be sitting here in this position I would have felt like I would have been watching it from home,” Wood acknowledged. “We’ve had so many close calls, so many opportunities that other teams did and would have failed, and somehow we made it through.
“Whether that’s making a right decision or whether that’s relationships, being good people. Them being good people (Eddie and Len). I’m questionable,” Jon Wood said with a laugh. “I don’t know what did it, but to make it 74 coming up on 75 years you had to have done something right.”
Berry, who confirmed he signed a multi-year contract with the team, is grateful to have an opportunity with NASCAR’s most historic team.
“Four years ago, I was racing late models, building late models, driving my truck and trailer to the race track racing with my buddies and winning all over the southeast,” Berry said. “Getting an opportunity to go drive in the Xfinity Series and now the Cup Series, I’m still really grateful to be here and have this opportunity.
“I enjoy doing this and I think back to who I was five years ago and to tell that person that I would be sitting here with Len and Eddie Wood and Jon and getting ready to go drive the 21 car I wouldn’t believe it, just like I wouldn’t have believed that I was replacing Kevin Harvick,” said Berry, who took over from Harvick at SHR. “At this point I feel like anything is possible and I feel like my résumé even outside the race car has helped me tremendously and in the race car as well, and I just feel like even through all this I felt like if we just went out and performed, everything would take care of itself.”
Wood Brothers Racing’s next victory will be its 100th in Cup Series competition.