Josh Berry races to 1st Cup Series victory, gives Wood Brothers 101st win with Las Vegas score

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Berry spent much of his career content as a journeyman racer who probably would never make it beyond the local short-track scene.

When he got a break in NASCAR — Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has believed in Berry for years — he made the most of it by winning five Xfinity Series races for JR Motorsports. That led to a shot in the Cup Series, then a full-time job last year with Stewart-Haas Racing.

But when SHR decided to shutter at the end of last season, Berry was dumped into the free agent market and immediately grabbed by Wood Brothers Racing. In his fifth race with his new team, Berry scored the first Cup Series victory of his career by taking NASCAR's oldest team to victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I'm just thankful to be in the situation I am driving fast race cars,” Berry said. “With my experience on the short tracks, you think that's where you're going to win. But if I've learned anything in this sport it is that you never know when it's going to be your day.”

Berry, driving the famed No. 21, had the first victory for a Ford team through five races this season. William Byron opened the year with a Daytona 500 victory in a Chevrolet and Christopher Bell in a Toyota won the next three races.

Berry, meanwhile, had to run down Daniel Suarez following a restart with 19 laps remaining to take control. Although Harrison Burton won at Daytona last summer for the Wood Brothers, Berry's victory is the first not at a superspeedway since Ryan Blaney won for the team in 2017 at Pocono.

“This one was legit,” team president Jon Wood said. “You know sometimes they'll put an asterisk besides a speedway race and say ‘Well, it’s speedway racing.' But (Berry) dominated those last 20 laps."

The Wood Brothers are celebrating their 75th season in NASCAR.

“Everybody with Wood Brothers Racing gave me a great car and we just battled and battled, and man, it was our day,” Berry said. “I just can't believe it. It was such a battle with Daniel there at the end. Beating and banging at a mile-and-a-half (track) is crazy. But whoever was going to get out front was probably going to win.”

It was the 101st victory for the organization spanning 20 drivers.

Suarez in a Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing finished second.

“Definitely a little disappointed, but congratulations to the 21 team and Josh. They did a great job,” said Suarez. “They’ve been fast lately. They’ve been in contention. So congratulations to them.”

Ryan Preece was third in a Ford for RFK Racing. Byron was fourth for Hendrick Motorsports, followed by Ross Chastain of Trackhouse, Austin Cindric of Team Penske and Alex Bowman of Hendrick.

AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing was eighth and Hendrick drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10. Seven Chevy drivers finished in the top 10.

Joey Logano had late control of the race until Las Vegas native Noah Gragson hit the wall with 25 laps remaining to bring out the ninth caution of the race. Berry was in second when the caution came out and second behind Suarez on the restart.

Berry won in his 53rd Cup race and just his fifth race with the Wood Brothers. The 34-year-old Tennessee driver was a 40-1 underdog to win Sunday and his win put the Wood Brothers back into the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The team has a tight alliance with Team Penske, which has input in who drives the No. 21.

Bell came to Las Vegas on a three-race winning streak with an opportunity to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive Cup races.

But his chance to extend his streak was stymied when Joe Gibbs Racing had to change the throttle body on the No. 20 Toyota after Bell qualified 13th and the penalty dropped him to the back of the field for the start of the race.

He never recovered in what was an overall subpar day for the four-driver JGR contingent.

Bell, who complained about the handling of his car most of the race, finished a team-high 12th. Only eight drivers have won four straight Cup races in the modern era of NASCAR that began in 1972.

“I don’t know. It’s fine. It was a grind, for sure," Bell said. “I don’t really know how I feel yet, but we certainly didn’t do what we did the last couple of weeks and that was just have a nice clean race.”

Chase Briscoe was 17th and Ty Gibbs, who rolled a sprint car Saturday night at the dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finished 22nd. Denny Hamlin, winner of more than $200,000 over two nights of playing slots in a Las Vegas casino, couldn't convert his luck to the track and finished 25th.

The Cup Series races next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track that had been in the playoff rotation the last three years but has now been moved to a spring race. Tyler Reddick won last October and Bell won in 2023.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Daniel Suarez drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Drivers restart racing after a yellow flag during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Josh Berry celebrates while sitting on his car after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Josh Berry drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Josh Berry celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Drivers restart racing after a yellow flag during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Kyle Larson drives during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Josh Berry celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Christopher Bell speaks after his win in a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links. It was a dramatic escalation in an ongoing government crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and some 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu's close aid, Murat Ongun.

Authorities also closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest.

Critics say the crackdown follows significant losses by Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections in March amid growing calls for early national elections. Government officials insist that the courts operate independently and reject claims that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated.

The arrest came during a search of Imamoglu's home, but it was not immediately clear if police confiscated anything at the site.

The mayor's wife, Dilek Imamoglu, told the private Now television station that police arrived at their residence before dawn and that the mayor was taken at around 7:30 a.m.

A day earlier, a university invalidated Imamoglu's diploma, effectively disqualifying the popular opposition figure from running in the next presidential race. Having a university degree is a requisite for running in elections under Turkish law.

The mayor’s party — the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP — was to hold a primary on Sunday where Imamoglu was expected to be chosen for its candidate in future presidential elections. Turkey’s next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely.

With all the arrests on Wednesday, it was unlikely that vote would be held.

“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged,” Imamoglu said earlier in he day in a video message posted on social media. He accused the government of “usurping the will” of the people.

CHP's chairman, Ozgur Ozel, denounced Imamoglu's detention as a “coup.”

“Currently, there is a power in place to prevent the nation from determining the next president,” he said. "We are facing an attempted coup against our next president.”

As he was being arrested, Ongun, Imamoglu's aide, posted on X about his detention, though he at the time did not appear to know that the mayor was also being taken into custody.

“They think they can silence us and prevent us from defending and supporting Ekrem Imamoglu,” Ongun said. “I entrust Ekrem Imamoglu to the Turkish nation. Protect, watch over and support him. They cannot be defeat the nation.”

Separately, police also detained a prominent investigative journalist, Ismail Saymaz, for questioning, the opposition-aligned Halk TV reported.

Meanwhile, internet-access advocacy group netblocks.org reported on Wednesday that access has been restricted in Turkey to popular social media platforms.

In nullifying Imamoglu’s diploma, Istanbul University cited alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to its Faculty of Business Administration. Imamoglu said he would challenge the decision.

The opposition leader faces multiple lawsuits, including allegations of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities. The cases could result in prison sentences and a political ban.

Imamoglu is also appealing a 2022 conviction of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council, a case that could result in a political ban.

He was elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city in March 2019 in a historic blow to Erdogan and the president’s Justice and Development Party, which had controlled Istanbul for a quarter-century. The party pushed to void the municipal election results in the city of 16 million, alleging irregularities.

The challenge resulted in a repeat of the election a few months later, which Imamoglu also won. The mayor retained his seat following local elections last year, during which his party made significant gains against Erdogan’s governing party.

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writer Lorian Belanger in Bangkok contributed to this report.

FILE - Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu addresses his supporters in front of the Istanbul courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, file)