Hendrick Motorsports Underdog Fuels the Michigan Hate: “I Had No Idea”

Heavy rain makes for treacherous motorsports conditions. As the track gets all wet and slippery, drivers have a hard time finding grip even on the best of setups. Running at high speeds in those conditions might seem exciting to fans, but it’s quite risky for the drivers. Xfinity Series driver Josh Berry felt that firsthand at the Cup Series race in Michigan on Sunday.

Berry was called up to replace Noah Gragson at Legacy Motor Club for the weekend on relatively short notice. On lap 52 of the race, Berry lost control of the #42 and crashed into the wall at turn 3, effectively ending his race.

Josh Berry Has a ‘Lot to Learn’ Before He Goes Full Time in the Cup Series

The 33-year-old is set to replace Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas next season but he failed to make an impact at Michigan this year. It might not be entirely his fault. Rain had been pouring down on the Michigan track and a lot of drivers were having trouble finding the right grip for their respective cars. Berry has raced in the Cup Series earlier this year, filling in for Hendrick Motorsports drivers Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott when they suffered injuries. Unfortunately, his run with Legacy Motor Club was one to forget.

Josh Berry spun around with three cars around him, but thankfully didn’t cause any major damage to himself or anyone around him.

The Xfinity driver will be a full-timer in the Cup Series next year but was disappointed that he could not make a significant impact on the race on Sunday. The 33-year-old said that there was a lot to learn from the incident.

“I’ll have to go back and watch it. Obviously, it’s a lot to learn here with everything going on back there. I’ll just go back and look, learn, and see what I can do better.”

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan was eventful as a number of cars spun out in the first stage. The conditions on track got so bad that it had to be postponed to Monday. Heavy rains had made the circuit dangerous to drive, causing even former champions and experienced drivers to crash out. The list included the likes of Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and William Byron.

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Things have gone from bad to worse for Chase Elliott after his crash at Michigan. There are only three races to go for the former Cup Series champion to make it into the playoffs, but it looks more unlikely than ever before.

After the crash, a dejected Chase spoke to reporters. When asked about his chances of making it through the playoffs, he said, “It’s our only option.”

Kyle Busch was a lot more vocal when asked about the circumstances of his crash as he took a dig at Ryan Blaney. Blaney made contact with Busch which caused the veteran to crash out.

“They all run hard. They all wanna race to crash. I try to make a move and in the old days guys that you’re racing they let you go and have that spot and work for it later,” he said.

“But this day and age is completely different. So I got a guy that ran on my outside and took the air off,” Busch added.

William Byron was the highest-placed driver on the Cup Series table to crash out so far in the Michigan race, but the HMS driver felt like it was his error that forced him to DNF.

“We were dicing it up. We didn’t have the best restart, so we were gaining spots back but just tried too hard. We’ll just regroup and try to get a good couple of weeks before the playoffs. Just made a mistake — was just trying hard and got loose,” he said.

The Michigan race will restart on Monday with 127 laps to go. HMS’ Alex Bowman is in a strong position to win as he sits in second place behind Tyler Reddick. It will be interesting to see how the remaining drivers navigate what has been an eventful race so far.

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