Josh Berry’s first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff appearance came to an abrupt and disappointing halt at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the end of a challenging three-race stretch plagued by bad luck and mechanical problems. The Wood Brothers Racing driver was the earliest elimination from the 2025 playoff field after finishing last in all three races of the Round of 16.
Early Playoff Setbacks at Darlington and Gateway Tracks
Berry’s playoff difficulties started at Darlington Raceway, where a crash on the opening lap of the Southern 500 immediately set him behind in points. Despite a strong qualifying effort that placed him third, the damage from the incident left him 128 laps down, and he finished 38th overall in that race.
It’s kind of hard to even really know, but it the car bottomed out five or six times and just wrecked. It was definitely unexpected. We didn’t really fight that too bad in practice. I saw a replay of it when I was sitting in the car while they were fixing it from the 1, and you could tell that it bottomed out four or five times and you can’t save them when they’re like that.
—Josh Berry
The subsequent race at World Wide Technology Raceway near Gateway briefly showed promise as Berry ran inside the top 15 early on. However, contact with another vehicle sent him crashing into the outside wall just before the end of Stage 1, forcing him to retire and causing another last-place finish.
Failure at Bristol Ends Berry’s 2025 Playoff Campaign
Bristol Motor Speedway ultimately ended Berry’s playoff run. Entering the Bass Pro Shops Night Race 45 points below the cutoff line, Berry needed a remarkable victory to move on. Instead, on Lap 74, his No. 21 Ford suffered a brake rotor failure that ignited a fire inside the car.
Thick smoke filled the cockpit, prompting Berry to make an emergency pit stop and exit the vehicle while safety crews quickly extinguished the flames. This marked his third consecutive Did Not Finish (DNF) in the playoffs, officially ending his postseason bid.
Maybe seven or eight laps before we came down pit road we started getting some smoke in the cockpit, and then the longer I went the darker the smoke got and then, obviously, by the time we got on pit road it was completely black smoke. Something obviously caught on fire, so probably once again a car burned up for no reason.
—Josh Berry
I’m sure it’s tire rubber or cords or something that got wrapped around the rotor or brakes. Something caught on fire.
—Josh Berry
The Impact of Mechanical Troubles on Berry’s Playoff Debut
Berry earned his spot in the playoffs with a breakthrough victory at Las Vegas earlier in the season, a moment that held high hopes for his rookie postseason run. However, the promise of that success quickly faded in the face of repeated misfortune and mechanical failures throughout the Round of 16.
Though Berry occasionally showed competitive speed, the combination of crashes and technical problems overwhelmed his campaign, cutting short what had been an encouraging entry into NASCAR’s championship chase.
