Josh Berry’s Playoff Run Ends Abruptly at Bristol
Josh Berry’s playoff aspirations were dashed Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway when his No. 21 car caught fire during the first stage, leading to his third consecutive last-place finish.
Berry speculated that the fire might have been caused by tire rubber accumulation or a tire cord entangled with the brake rotor. Despite successfully maneuvering his car to pit road, flames erupted, forcing him to exit the vehicle unharmed. The incident culminated in another disappointing outcome for Berry, marking his elimination from the postseason.
“This one is going to be hard to watch because that looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Berry reflected on the lost opportunity. After entering the playoffs ranked last, he needed a victory for advancement, which had seemed possible given his car’s performance.
The previous two weeks were similarly challenging for Berry. He faced a setup issue at Darlington Raceway, crashing on the first lap after starting third. Last week at World Wide Technology Raceway, he ended up last again due to an incident with Chase Elliott.
“Pretty much, but it really hasn’t been because of performance,” Berry stated regarding his postseason struggles. “We’ve qualified well and had good cars; we just haven’t had the good finishes.”
Berry, whose initial playoff hopes were buoyed by back-to-back top-10 finishes leading into the postseason, lamented the sequence of misfortunes. “It’s hard to put into words,” he said. “We could be in a much better situation if we had a little bit of luck.”
With seven races remaining in the season, Berry aims to turn his luck around and improve his standings.
