Josh Berry‘s NASCAR Cup Series playoff journey hit a harsh setback when he was involved in a wreck caused by Chase Elliott during the Round of 16 race at Gateway on Sunday. This incident came after Berry’s earlier crash on the first lap of the playoff opener at Darlington, compounding his challenges amid the high stakes of playoff racing.
Kevin Harvick offered insight into the collision, suggesting Elliott was aggressively trying to gain position within a narrow racing corridor, a move that ultimately impacted Berry negatively.
It looks like when the 9 [Elliott] goes in, if you judge off the bottom of the racetrack, you see him just get a little wiggle right there going in the corner and he has to use a half of lane. Unfortunately, Josh Berry is right there, so puts the 21 [Berry] in a position… in a must-win situation going into Bristol,
Harvick explained on the Happy Hour podcast.
Playoffs definitely haven’t started the way that the 21 car would have wanted it to with the mistakes they made last week with the car and getting on the ground and crashing right off the bat at Darlington. And this week, just kind of doing his own thing and winds up driver side into the fence.
Race Track Conditions and Restart Challenges Explained
The Gateway circuit’s wide layout provided multiple racing lines—top, middle, and bottom—offering drivers various strategic options. Nevertheless, the nature of restarts at this track led to chaotic and risky maneuvers as drivers competed fiercely to improve their positions.
Harvick noted the tension this created, particularly emphasizing the actions of drivers like Elliott and Kyle Larson who pressed aggressively in cramped spaces, sometimes to the detriment of others.
It’s a tough place on those restarts with the way that the racetrack is so wide. That’s the thing I loved about the racetrack this week is you had options. You could run the middle, bottom, top and really knowing how bad the cars are behind each other, it gives you an option to be able to move your car around, but the restarts were wild. You got to take everything you can get. I think with the 5 [Kyle Larson] and the 9, you just see them trying to press the issue in really tight spaces to be able to try to gain that position and it just cost somebody else.
Josh Berry Now Faces an Urgent Win-or-Go-Home Scenario at Bristol
Berry’s playoff run has been rocky, finishing last in both playoff events so far, a difficult position considering his previous success with a win at Las Vegas in March. Heading into the current playoffs as an underdog, he now finds himself well below the playoff cutline by 45 points, heightening the pressure for the upcoming Round of 16 finale at Bristol this Saturday, where a victory is essential to continue.
Despite this tough break, Berry never had an opportunity to fully exploit Gateway, a venue where Penske teams, including himself, had shown competitive performances in recent events.
Following the incident, Chase Elliott publicly expressed regret and reached out directly to Berry and his team to convey his sincere apology.
First off just want to apologize to Josh and the 21 team,
Elliott said.
I had no intention of getting into him. I’ve known those guys my whole life, so I just hope that they at least know it wasn’t anything intentional.
Known Josh for a long time, too, so just want to make sure those guys know that I feel terrible about that. Felt terrible about it right when it happened and wish I could take it back. Yeah, unfortunately that transpired.
The Stakes Ahead and Potential Outcomes
With the playoff situation now critical, Josh Berry faces immense pressure to secure a win at Bristol, as failing to do so may end his championship hopes prematurely. The collisions and misfortune that have marked his playoff debut underscore the brutal nature of NASCAR’s postseason, where every move can have significant consequences.
Chase Elliott’s apology, while sincere, does little to ease the urgency of Berry’s current predicament, highlighting how split-second decisions on the track can dramatically shift playoff dynamics and driver futures.
