Many pointed to Josh Berry and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford as a first-round exit in the NASCAR Cup Playoffs, but Berry surprised many with a third-place qualifying effort at Darlington.
Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry over into the race. In the very first corner on the opening lap, Berry's car bottomed out and he snapped sideways, slamming the door of fellow playoff driver Tyler Reddick.
Berry's car spun and he slammed the outside wall, with Ross Chastain (another playoff driver) narrowly slipping by. The damaged No. 21 then slid down the track in the first incident of the race. The entire field avoided him, but Kyle Busch did spin while trying to slow down.
"What the hell," radioed Berry, seemingly confused by the unexpected crash. "It's not driveable," he told the team as he limped back to the pits. With the toe knocked out and other obvious damage, Berry went behind the wall so more team members could work on the car inside the garage.
Reddick nearly spun after the initial contact, but he made a remarkable save after getting pushed sideways. "Something doesn't feel right in the left rear," radioed Reddick, who stayed out despite the contact. The roof flap, which went up during the half-spin, didn't appear to close properly, which may have made the No. 45 more ill-handling. After his first pit stop later in the stage, he seemed to be back up to speed.
Entering this race, Berry was already in the drop zone, one point below the cutline. He eventually returned to the race, but the No. 21 was over 120 laps down.
We’re off to a chaotic start to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Darlington!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 31, 2025
📺: USA pic.twitter.com/fMemPH7i70
Photos from Darlington - Race
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