Josh Berry Looks to Build on Breakthrough 2025 Season

The Wood Brothers Racing driver will have the same crew chief in 2026, providing rare continuity in his NASCAR Cup career.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 4:55pm

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For the first time in Josh Berry's young NASCAR Cup career, the Wood Brothers Racing driver will enter the 2026 season with the same crew chief he worked with the previous year. The return of crew chief Miles Stanley has created a more refreshing offseason for Berry, who is looking to build on his breakthrough 2025 season that included his first career Cup victory.

Why it matters

Maintaining the same crew chief and team is rare in NASCAR, where driver and crew chief pairings often change frequently. Berry and the Wood Brothers are hoping this continuity will help them improve on their 2025 performance and become more consistent race-winning contenders.

The details

Last year, in Stanley's first year as a crew chief and Berry's inaugural season with the Wood Brothers, the duo acquired the team's 101st and Berry's first career Cup victory at Las Vegas. Overall, they recorded three top-five and eight top-10 finishes, but they know those statistics need improvement. Berry and Stanley have already sat down in the offseason to analyze their 2025 season and identify areas for improvement, such as issues on pit road and mechanical problems.

  • The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season begins in February.
  • Berry and the Wood Brothers won their first race together at Las Vegas in 2025.

The players

Josh Berry

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who races for the Wood Brothers Racing team.

Miles Stanley

The crew chief for Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team.

Wood Brothers Racing

A NASCAR Cup Series team that has been in operation since 1950 and is one of the oldest active teams in the sport.

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What they’re saying

“The last couple of years in the Cup Series I have been with two different organizations. Now, going back to this (Wood Brothers) and having the same group, same crew chief, same engineers, really, same everybody, it just kind of feels more fluid. It doesn't feel like you're starting over and learning each other as much. It's made the off-season feel a little bit longer... because you're just not doing as much random kind of things that you've got to check off.”

— Josh Berry

What’s next

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season will begin in February, with the new engine package debuting at tracks less than 1.5 miles in length and at road courses. Berry and the Wood Brothers are hoping the increased horsepower will play to their strengths on shorter tracks, where they were strong in 2025.

The takeaway

Maintaining crew chief and team continuity is a rarity in NASCAR, but it has provided Josh Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team a more refreshing offseason as they look to build on their breakthrough 2025 season and become more consistent race-winning contenders in 2026.