NASCAR Fans Up in Arms as Driver’s Blunder Costs Wood Brothers Their 75th Anniversary Celebration

Josh Berry returned to Darlington Raceway this past weekend with a sense of purpose. It wasn’t just another race on the calendar—it was a milestone. The Wood Brothers Racing team was celebrating its 75th year in NASCAR, and Berry was looking for redemption. Last year at Darlington, he was fighting inside the top 10 with a real shot at a strong finish, but it all went sideways after a late-race wreck.

It was another moment of “what could’ve been” in a season full of frustration. “Our results don’t do us justice, and tonight was one of those nights,” he said after the race. Still, Berry came back this weekend with hope. He had been quietly building momentum in the No. 21 Ford Mustang. Notably, just a couple of weeks ago, he had won the Cup race at Las Vegas. Coming into Darlington, riding that momentum, Berry and the team were hoping to cap off their historic celebration with a strong finish.

For a while, it looked like the story was writing itself. Berry had started 24th and raced his way into the top 10. He even picked up stage points in Stage 2. But in a matter of seconds, it all came crashing down. Just as the Stage 3 was heating up on lap 195, Berry was involved in a crash. While running in sixth, just behind Tyler Reddick, the Woods Brothers Racing driver found himself in the wall.

It all happened when Reddick tried to slide up in front of Berry while they were rushing out of Turn 2. The contact between Reddick’s right rear and Berry’s left front sent the No. 21 Ford bouncing off the outside wall and spinning across the backstretch. Berry slammed the inside wall hard. His day was done. On the team radio, the frustration poured out fast. “He was not clear,” his crew chief said. “Yeah, he definitely was not,” Berry’s spotter responded.

After the incident, Berry said, “I got a little checked up and lost some momentum behind Joey, and Tyler got underneath me there, and we kind of just ran out of room, I guess.” Just like that, Berry wrecked one of the sharpest-looking throwback schemes of the weekend—his tribute to 1965 Indy 500 winner Jim Clark—and sent it bruised, bent, and heading for the hauler. The crash brought out the seventh caution of the race and wiped away what could’ve been a huge moment for Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing.

One fan summed up the frustration felt by many with a blunt tweet: “Reddick strikes again” It captured what a lot of viewers were thinking. Reddick’s move not only ruined a promising run for Berry but also derailed what could have been a landmark day for one of NASCAR’s most iconic teams. Berry was running strong all day, picking off spots, getting stage points, and keeping his nose clean. After a win in Las Vegas earlier this season, a second big result would’ve shut down critics who called that win a fluke. Instead, Reddick’s misjudgment robbed him of that.

Notably, the ongoing season has been great for Berry. At Phoenix, he started and finished fourth. At Atlanta, he was headed for a top five before a late incident knocked him down the order. And then came a much-deserved Las Vegas win, which handed Wood Brothers their first win at a non-drafting track since 2017. He’s been in the mix more often than not, and Sunday’s race at Darlington was shaping up to be another top-tier performance. Until it wasn’t. That crash felt like a gut punch—not just to Berry, but to the entire Wood Brothers organization and their legion of fans.

Tyler Reddick feels the heat as fans rally behind Josh Berry!

When Josh Berry’s No. 21 car hit the inside wall, it didn’t take long for fans to react. And they were not holding back. Many questioned Tyler Reddick’s intentions and asked for a severe penalty for him. One fan tweeted, “Reddick is a joke. Wish Buescher would have kicked his ass last year. He does whatever he wants and doesn’t worry about repercussions.”

Notably, at last year’s Goodyear 400 event at Darlington, Chris Buescher and Reddick went into a physical fight after an on-track scuffle. On the closing laps of the race, Reddick squeezed Buescher into the safety barriers while trying to gain the position. Many feel he races without much regard for those around him and today’s incidents only added to this sentiment.

One of the more pointed reactions came from a fan calling for official action: “Reddick should be black flagged.” That’s a serious claim, but in the eyes of some fans, the move was reckless enough to warrant a penalty. After the Martinsville Xfinity chaos, there’s a growing sentiment among the community that they are done with blatant wrecks and crashes against the rival teams. While Reddick was only defending his position in this instance, fans were quick to jump the gun.

Some also took a dig at NASCAR’s penalty procedure, claiming that it didn’t punish the aggressor. “And the person responsible for the wreck just gets to drive away as if he did nothing,” a user wrote. Going by the precedent set by the sanctioning body, even if they review this incident, we are likely to see a points penalty along with a fine. One can argue that Reddick’s move wasn’t intentional and blatant compared to Austin Cindric and Sammy Smith. So, there’s a possibility he will be let off the hook.

It’s a classic case of “wrong place, wrong time” turning into “why did that even happen?” Especially with how good Berry had been running. He was sixth when the contact occurred and had been in the top 10 most of the afternoon. For fans who’ve followed his climb and cheered his underdog Vegas win, this felt like a robbery in broad daylight.

What did you make of this incident between Tyler Reddick and Josh Berry? And was Reddick entirely to be blamed for spoiling Berry’s resurgent run at Darlington?