NASCAR’s return to Bowman Gray was every bit as wild as we’d hoped! Gray Garrison, the BGS promoter, hit the nail right on the head when he called it “part racing, part religion, and part wrestling.” And the drama? It started well before in the heat races.

Justin Haley was racing way too aggressively, with Kyle Busch and Rowdy giving him a taste of his own medicine. It got so bad that NASCAR had to step in and tell Busch to back off. Then there was AJ Allmendinger, who wrecked Cole Custer and got a stern warning not to do that ever again. And that was just the beginning of the chaos. Things only got crazier in the Last Chance Qualifier!

So, if you missed the action, here’s how it went down: the Clash kicked off with four heat races, with the top 5 from each moving on. The final three spots were decided in the LCQ. Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Josh Berry grabbed those spots. But how did Berry make it? Oh, it definitely sparked some anger. But his former boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr., came to his defense.

The 75-lap race had 19 drivers gunning for those precious transfer spots, and Berry started in P13. Now, if you’ve ever watched racing at Bowman Gray, you know the track is tight. Clean passes are rare, and the race was a mess—perfect for Berry to move up. At times, he even caused some of the wrecks, spinning Ty Gibbs and Haley, and then Erik Jones.

With 12 laps to go, Jones was in the lead, but in turn four, things went three-wide as Berry and Kyle Larson squeezed in. Larson traded paint with Berry, causing Berry’s #21 car to spin Jones out. On the restart, Berry found himself in the lead, while Jones was stuck at the back. Larson eventually took over, with Berry finishing P2. The aftermath? A lot of backlash for the chaotic race, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. came to Berry’s defense.

On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, adding his views on Berry’s antics, Junior said, “Josh Berry, I was watching him, he did a really good job. In the Last Chance (Qualifier) race. I know he runs a few people over but I think it’s what you kind of have to do at Bowman Gray. Especially if you are trying to get in the main event. You got to do what you got to do.”

And, certainly, Dale Earnhardt Jr truly enjoyed Berry’s run. After he made it to the main event, Jr shared a post on X where he wrote, “Heck ya. @joshberry got the chrome horn out. The Madhouse demands it. Be the bug or the windshield”.

Junior’s been a fan of Berry for a long time—since he started racing for JRM back in 2010, moving from Late Models to the Xfinity Series, even finishing 4th in the driver standings in 2022. While he loves Berry’s nonchalant style, this time it was in a Wood Brothers’ car. And those are two things that don’t go together, leaving Dale Jr amused.

Is Dale Jr. worried for the Wood Brothers?

Wood Brothers Racing is one of the oldest teams in NASCAR, which is still active. It was started back in 1950 by five brothers – Ray Lee, Clay, Delano, Glen, and Leonard Wood. And now, it is mostly run by Glen’s grandchildren, John and Leonard. The Wood Brothers is a reputed, poised family, with now a driver like Berry who is as raw as they come. We all saw how he was driving at the Madhouse in his own style, which left Junior a little worried for the Wood Brothers duo.

Further in the podcast, Junior jokingly said, “I was texting back an forth with John Wood and Leonard Wood about Josh. I was just making sure John was okay. Well, the Wood Brothers are very proper and respected and classy and vintage. I’m like man you good with all this? But, they were having fun.” Well, Berry’s got a whole season ahead of him, it’ll be fun to watch where he takes the team. In the main event, he managed a P13 finish starting 22nd. So that’s a good sign.

Still, he’s got a tall task in 2025. The team was probably the most dominant from the 60s to the 80s. They had David Pearson, so that’s understandable. But after the mid-80s, the team lost luster. Did not have any big names and it was only last year they got their 100th win. When Harrison Burton took the checkered in a chaotic Daytona race. The moment was memorable, but such one-off wins don’t suit a team as iconic as theirs. Maybe with Berry behind the wheel, we might see the consistency coming back.

What do you think? Can Josh Berry beat the odds of a one-driver team and give WBR some success? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.