Josh Berry in must-win territory after back-to-back NASCAR crashes
It will likely take a win next week at Bristol to keep Josh Berry in the hunt for a NASCAR Cup Series championship.
A lap 35 incident in the Enjoy Illinois 300 Sunday (Sept. 7) marked the second week in a row Berry sustained damage in a crash.
Entering the World Wide Technology Raceway Turn 1, Berry’s No. 21 Ford received a tap from Chase Elliott’s No. 9 right-front fender, sending the Wood Brothers Racing driver for a spin into the outside retaining wall.
Berry, who called the incident “unfortunate,” did not believe the incident was intentional.
Contact with Chase Elliott sends Josh Berry into the wall and brings the second caution of the day. 🟨
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 7, 2025
📺 USA Network pic.twitter.com/3QhRXBcZPQ
Berry, who qualified 12th at Gateway, entered the race with a 19-point deficit.
Last week at Darlington, Berry started third, crashing off of Turn 2 on lap 1. He finished the race 38th.
Berry entered the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time via his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, his first series victory.
Leaving Gateway, Berry is ranked last in points among the playoff grid.
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.