NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry suffered a significant setback after his car caught fire during the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Smoke filled his car’s cockpit in no time and ended his chances of advancing in the playoffs.
Flames were spotted under Berry’s No. 21 car after 78 laps of the final Round of 16 race. He barely made it into the pits when black smoke covered his car. Berry escaped in no time, but was affected by inhaling the smoke, leading him to cough persistently. He joins other drivers, such as Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, and Shane van Gisbergen (SVG), who were eliminated from the playoffs.
Berry spoke about the scary incident, explaining that the smoke inside his car got darker as he tried to reach the pit road. He said:
“Maybe seven or eight laps before we come on 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. So yeah, obviously something caught on fire. The car just burned up.”
Josh Berry, driver of the #21 PPG Ford, walks backstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Josh Berry, driver of the #21 PPG Ford, walks backstage during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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He added:
“I don’t think the fire made it inside the cockpit. It was just a lot of smoke. It seemed like the fire stayed uh in the fender well there, which is a good thing, obviously, but man, disappointing again. We had a car that was really good, that was going to fall right in our wheelhouse, I feel like, to have a really good night. This one’s going to be hard to watch.”
SVG was another driver whose chances of making it into the playoffs became nil when he spun out twice during the race. The New Zealander mastered road courses in his first full-time Cup Series season, winning four races. However, the setback at Bristol left him frustrated with himself. He said:
“Yeah, I’m happy but frustrated. Proud. It’s a privilege to be here but also pissed at myself. The last few weeks I just haven’t been good enough. I’ve been really doing well, getting better at ovals and I just haven’t performed the last couple weeks.
“Didn’t understand the track early enough there and what the tires were doing and how to save them. I blame myself at the moment, but thanks to the Trackhouse team we’ve had an awesome year and still not over yet, but I need to be better myself and it’s just going to come with time.”