What happened with Stewart Haas Racing driver Josh Berry in Kansas was unexpected. There was a minor incident that led him to spin out, and that caused all his tires to pop. This led to his car being immobile, which meant it needed to be towed off the track. When Berry realized that a tow truck was coming, his crew chief told him not to leave the car. Despite leaving the car, in the end, Berry had to leave the race.
The two trucks decided to take the car off the track with Berry inside it. By the time the driver got out, he was already on the other side of the safety wall, and his race was over. This sparked outrage from Berry, who was really not happy with how NASCAR’s rules led him to leave a race in which he could score points. When Kenny Wallace got wind of this, he decided to make a video on his YouTube channel to talk about the incident. From the looks of it, he seems outraged too.
Kenny Wallace sides with Josh Berry on the Kansas incident
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NASCAR told Berry that his race was over, and with that, many SHR fans were sad to see the driver get out of the race. A similar thing happened with Ryan Blaney at Watkins Glen, and the governing body ended his race too. Many have started to question the rules of NASCAR as they believe that the car was driveable after a simple pit stop. However, according to the rules, if a car needs to be towed off the track, it has to retire from the race.
Kenny Wallace saw how Berry’s race ended and was not happy with the official’s decision. In his YouTube video, Wallace mentioned, “At the Kansas race, right? And uh, all of a sudden Josh Berry gets in a little tussle, spins around, and his tires are flat. Josh Berry and, you know, crew chief Rodney Childers are like, ‘Get that, get that car back here! Get that car back here!’ And Rodney knows—he’s got this feeling—Rodney’s a smart crew chief. “Josh, do not get out of that car.””
This is the radio message that many are familiar with, but all of Rodney Childers efforts went to waste. Wallace added on to say, “This is where it goes crazy. Josh Berry does not get out of the car, and what happens? The tow truck driver takes him off the track, and Josh is riding along. Josh says, ‘Before I know it, I’m in the infield with the fans. The number four—this is unbelievable! This is like being towed to the infield at Talladega.’ At this time, Josh is like, ‘Okay, I guess I better get out.'”
Kenny Wallace explained NASCAR’s rules from Josh Berry’s perspective and exclaimed, “What? Out of the race? All I did was spin out!” In the end, all the fingers were pointed to the design of the NextGen cars, as Wallace referred to them as the turtle shell design. He was unhappy that NASCAR couldn’t fix such an issue with the car, although it’s been 3 years since the NextGen debuted in the sport.
What’s your perspective on:
Did NASCAR just disrespect Tony Stewart by ignoring his Kansas plea? What are they thinking?
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Calling on a reference from what Sterling Marlin said years ago, Wallace told his fans, “Well, a man ought to be able to spin out every once in a while.” He then continued to talk about how a single spin-out put an end to the SHR driver’s race. This is the driver’s last season with SHR before the team disbands, and although Berry has found a seat for next season, he would like to have a good last run.
Which team is Josh Berry going to next year?
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It is a rare situation in NASCAR where a team decides to replace a playoff driver for one that has not made it. Wood Brothers Racing had already decided that Harrison Burton was not the right fit for their team before the driver won at Daytona. However, before the Daytona race, Josh Berry was already set to move to take Burton’s car.
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Before Burton was decided to let go, he had a difficult season where he made the top 10 in only two races. At Talladega, he managed to come in 10th, and the Daytona victory got him into the playoffs. But besides that, he did not perform well at any other race, and this is why the team decided to go with another driver.
Next year, Josh Berry will be driving the No. 21 Ford, and with that, there is an expectation for the team to perform better. Berry has had 4 top-10 finishes this year, but getting a DNF at Kansas has put him 26th on the grid. Despite not being in the playoff, this is a better score than what Burton had before he won at Daytona. With so much going on in Berry’s career, do you think NASCAR made a fair call by ending his race at Kansas for flat tires? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Did NASCAR just disrespect Tony Stewart by ignoring his Kansas plea? What are they thinking?