Like all other forms of motorsports, NASCAR is a highly competitive sport and not just with the Cup Series. The competition is intense in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series as well. The drivers across the three competitions are some of the best and they all have one goal, reaching the very top. So competing for race wins is absolutely crucial. However, that objective gets hampered when a team is penalized even before the start of a race and that is exactly what happened to a number of drivers ahead of the Darlington race in the Xfinity Series.

One of the biggest names that fell victim to these penalties is Josh Berry. The 32-year-old drives the #8 car for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team JR Motorsports. Junior must not have been pleased with what happened at Darlington recently. While the penalties will not be applied immediately, they will be a cause for concern a few days down the line when the Xfinity Series goes to Kansas.

Xfinity Ruling Puts Drivers in a Tough Spot for Kansas Race

Before every race, the officials at NASCAR follow a thorough car inspection process that takes about three hours to complete. It usually consists of five different inspection stations. Visual inspections, optical scans, and safety certifications are what take place in these inspections.

These inspections are absolutely crucial as one of the main things that is looked at in these sessions is safety. Right now, safety is a huge concern at NASCAR after the events of the Cup Series race at Daytona, which saw Ryan Preece’s car go airborne and flip about a dozen times. Preece was thankfully able to walk away from it without anything too serious, but it was terrifying to watch.

It is important that each and every car passes this inspection process. If not, they are reprimanded and slapped with penalties, which is never nice for the driver of the team.

A host of Xfinity racers failed this inspection process ahead of the race at Darlington, including JR Motorsports racer Josh Berry. The other racers whose cars failed the inspection are Sam Mayer, Corey Heim, Kaz Grala, Jeb Burton, Parker Retzlaff, and Kyle Sieg.

The penalty that has been levied is that neither of these drivers’ teams will be eligible for pit selection in the next race at Kansas. This will be a big hit for the teams as a good position in the pit lane facilitates good pit stop exits that help the driver maintain a decent track position after pitting.

Berry is one of the most talented drivers on the Xfinity grid and his talents have not gone unnoticed by those in the Cup Series. The JR Motorsports man had double duty last weekend at Daytona, driving both in the Xfinity and the Cup races.

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Josh Berry’s Double Daytona Duty

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In the Xfinity race, the JR Motorsports man had a decent performance as he finished in 17th place and scored 20 points. It might not have been his best result, but it was not the worst outcome that could have arisen from the race for him and his name.

Next came the Cup Series race, which was the final regular-season race of 2023. Amid a field of drivers who were trying to solidify their place in the playoffs, Berry battled through and finished in a commendable 22nd place for Legacy Motor Club, replacing Noah Gragson.

Berry is quickly rising through the ranks in NASCAR and it won’t be long before he finds himself in the Cup Series, driving for Stewart Haas Racing, hopefully fighting for wins. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, replacing the legendary Kevin Harvick. Will he be able to do it?

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