Ross Chastain may have won the Kansas race; however, it’s Josh Berry who is making headlines. An unfortunate event on the very first lap had Josh Berry collide with several cars before he spun out. The aftermath of the crash led to all his tires going flat and his car came to a stall. In such a situation, there are two possible outcomes: retire from the race or head back into the pits, repair the tires, and start again. However, because of NASCAR’s call, there was no pit lane for Berry, as he was forced to retire from the race.

When the dust from the wreck settled, a tow truck showed up to collect Berry’s car. But the No. 4 Ford driver stayed in his car on Rodney Childers’ orders. Despite the team trying to get Berry’s car to the pit, NASCAR had him towed away with the car. Before he knew it, Berry was among the fans and the rest of the cars continued the race. Of course, Berry was annoyed at what happened and his outburst was heard all over the internet. That’s why Denny Hamlin had to bring it up on his podcast to discuss what went down with Berry.

Denny Hamlin’s analysis of why Josh Berry’s Next Gen car did not move on flat tires

Many are wondering why Josh Berry’s car stopped moving because of his tires being flat. According to the rules of NASCAR, if a car has a flat tire, the team can take it back to the pits and change it. However, when Berry lost all 4 of his tires, his car came to a standstill. Because the No. 4 Ford could not make it back into the pits without towing, the governing body of NASCAR called Berry’s race off.

To explain what exactly happened, Denny Hamlin gave his analysis of the incident on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental. The podcast team discussed the lap 1 incident in detail before they quoted Jeff Gluck’s learnings from NASCAR, saying, “If you are involved in an accident and have damage, you are out. If you spin out on your own and have a flat tire, you will be towed back.” 

To explain why the No. 4 couldn’t move, Hamlin referenced what Gluck has mentioned in the past: “This was a hot topic when Next Gen was first introduced. I remember because Jeff [Gluck] had been talking yet again, it’s as if we have a flaw in it that when the tires go flat, you can’t move.”

Hamlin explained that the Next Gen cars have rub blocks under the car to protect the underbody. “So, when the tires go flat, you’re sitting flat on the underside—you’re sitting flat on these rub blocks. And what the rub blocks are designed to do is protect the underbody from getting damaged, you know, because we would run these cars just really low to the ground to charge that underbody. So, we have—there’s four rub blocks on the car. And what happens is that when the tires go flat, it sits flat on these,” Hamlin added.

NASCAR dismissed the issue after retiring the No. 4, saying it was damaged, and Hamlin explained that it was because of making contact with another car that it was seen that way. Hamlin then made a wild speculation that would make NASCAR fans and drivers happy, as he said, “I predict they’ll change that rule.” Saying, “We’re in the loophole rule books,” Hamlin explained that there might be a change in how NASCAR handles the situation in the future, as seeing one car less on the track only reduces the excitement.

NASCAR to look into the Damaged Vehicle Policy

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This is the second time in a row that a driver has felt like they can continue to race, but NASCAR did not let them. Last time it was Ryan Blaney on a similar lap 1 incident. The frustration from drivers and fans is getting more clear by the day and NASCAR might have to do something about it.

After the Kansas race, a report stated that NASCAR plans to review a portion of the Damaged Vehicle Policy in the off-season. With many people bringing up this issue, NASCAR reiterated that cars involved in an accident must be able to drive back to the pit road on their own. If they cannot, they are out of the race. Towing back to pit road is only allowed if a car spins without contact.

Brad Moran, Managing Director of the NASCAR Cup Series, stepped up to talk about the incident saying that although their decision did not seem right, it was by the rule book. According to the Incident Data Recorder, Berry’s car had a serious impact from the collision, which is what put his car under the DVP rule. Since August, teams have had the option to install a lift system to help raise cars with flat tires, allowing them to drive back to the pits. Berry’s car did not have this system installed during his incident, and he paid the price for it.

Ultimately, only time will tell if NASCAR will change the rule like Denny Hamlin predicted. So, what are your thoughts on the DVP rule? Share your thoughts in the comments below.