The Talladega Superspeedway, whose 2.66-mile tri-oval yields dizzying velocities, is the proving ground for NASCAR—a track where legends are forged and nightmares are born overnight. It was no different in the 2025 Jack Links 500 on April 27, 2025. Team Penske star Ryan Blaney DNF’d. All thanks to being hit by Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski at the entrance of the pit road, at the end of Turn 4. But another driver might have just thrown his chances away!

During the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s young protégé, Josh Berry, tasted the thrill of being at the front of the pack and the agony of a self-inflicted injury. In a race with a record 65 lead changes among 23 drivers and 188 laps, his story was one of brilliance, guts, and one error that kept him from getting his first NASCAR Cup Series victory. Berry came into Talladega on a hot streak. He qualified eighth, which indicated the speed his team, with crew chief Miles Stanley, had discovered in the car. And this run at Dega might be one of his best runs ever!

Josh Berry slaps himself over the missed opportunity

On lap 4, he was in a four-wide battle for the lead with Michael McDowell, Zane Smith, and Austin Dillon. On lap 8, he tried another run at the front, four-wide with McDowell, Joey Logano, and Zane Smith. By lap 22, Berry was leading, fending off Kyle Busch and Smith in a display of cool that drove the crowd into a frenzy. His team’s fuel-saving game plan was masterful, as he was able to run in the top 10 for 75 laps and accumulate 33 laps in the top five. Averaging 12.75 in the run, Josh Berry was demonstrating he was where he was supposed to be at the front. But then, things started to get bad.

On lap 172, Berry’s aggressive approach backfired. He dove into the pit road too deep, speeding and triggering a penalty that sent him to the back of the field. The mistake was crushing, dropping him to a 28th-place finish. “I’m disappointed in myself,” Josh Berry admitted post-race, his voice heavy with regret. “I was leading them to pit road, I knew we were in a great spot. That last whole cycle, I felt like we did a really good job and saved a lot of fuel and still had the track position by the end of it. I knew I needed to get on the pit road good, and I just went a little too deep.” 

When reporter Matt Weaver pressed if his aggression caused the error, Berry explained, “It’s trying to be aggressive, but at the same time, probably that’s the first time in one of these that I’ve actually been in that position where I’m not kind of judging my braking marker off of somebody else. I thought that I could go a little bit deeper than I could have, and I knew we were at a great opportunity to win the race, and I just overdid it a little bit.” Josh Berry’s honesty laid bare the weight of the moment. Leading into pit road on lap 172, he was ahead of a frenetic battle where Cindric and Preece traded the lead on laps 181, 182, and 186, with Byron challenging for second on lap 174.

The penalty wasn’t unique—Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez also got caught speeding on the pit road—but for Josh Berry, it was a dagger. “Were you surprised those guys didn’t crash?” Weaver asked, noting Talladega’s tendency for chaos. “Yeah, I thought I was in the back, they would have crashed, I’m sure,” Berry replied, with a mix of frustration and disbelief.

For the #21 driver, who carries the weight of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s mentorship, Talladega was a brutal lesson in NASCAR’s razor-thin margins. He showed he can lead, battling toe-to-toe with the sport’s best and holding the front on lap 22. His team’s strategy kept him in contention through four cautions and 22 caution laps, but one moment of overzealousness erased it all. As he reflects on “overdoing it,” his determination shines through. With his talent and grit, redemption is only a race away. The NASCAR world is watching, and Berry is ready to prove he’s more than a mentee—he’s a future star.

The penalty wasn’t just for the whole race. Berry’s day was marred by other incidents that added to the emotional load. Under lap 43, he was involved in a crazy pit-road cycle when Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch spun and dragged Ryan Blaney along. Then, the #21 driver struck a bird at 190 mph, a dark spot that stunned spectators and sparked an avalanche of comments on social media, with tweets calling it a “wild tragedy.” But do you know the highlight reel of the match? He accidentally knocked out Carson Hocevar’s pit crew member during a wild stop, a heart-stopping moment for all fans!

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Berry’s terrifying pit road clash at Talladega

During a chaotic pit stop, Josh Berry barreled down pit road and clipped Carson Hocevar’s tire carrier, Jarius Morehead, sending him flying into the hood of Hocevar’s car. Watching the replay as the pit road became a pressure cooker, with cars weaving through tight spaces and crew members dodging danger at every turn. This time, it went wrong.

Berry, caught in the frenzy of the race, didn’t spot Morehead in time. “I come from a football background. You get used to it. … Yes, sir, I am [OK]. All good,” said Morehead. The incident happened when he was carrying both right-side tires for the No. 77 Spire car, when the #21 car ran into him.

That resilience was uplifting, but the incident exposed the bare-knuckle risk of pit road. Vehicles shriek in at top speeds, sometimes inches from working crew members laboring at blur-like speed to change tires and fuel. One wrong step can be disastrous. The escape was miraculous, and the shared breath of relief from fans and teams could be felt. The moment hung there, a somber moment of pause amidst Talladega‘s crazy anarchy.