Josh Berry disclosed the incredible power that caused his collision during last weekend’s NASCAR Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. During the last lap, a multi-car collision occurred on the back straightaway, prompting NASCAR officials to raise the caution flag. This season, Berry is replacing Harrison Burton as the driver of the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing. Being the oldest team still in operation, Wood Brothers Racing has a lengthy history in the sport and has won 99 Cup Series, including ones with well-known drivers like David Pearson.
Berry was involved in a crash with NASCAR drivers Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin at the Ambetter Health 400. Prior to Ryan Preece colliding with his door, Berry’s No. 21 vehicle struck the exterior wall. An explosive 30 Gs was recorded by this hit. Following the collision, Berry expressed his relief that a caution flag had been raised, referencing previous irregularities in comparable race circumstances in several series. He clarified: “We kind of just squeezed together and I got pinched there.” briefly bounced off Ross before going into the 11 [Hamlin]. And then back into Ross, which is what confused me. It’s clear that several series have already shown some irregularities this year. However, I believe we must throw those cautions at the end of the race.
“I mean, I got struck in the left side door after bouncing off the exterior wall and moving inside. In certain cases, you have to err on the side of caution. The car registered almost a 30 G hit. NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, also offered his thoughts on the need of raising the caution flag in these circumstances. He clarified: “So, during the drivers meeting on Sunday, I spoke with our Cup drivers. I simply assured them that we wouldn’t be speeding through a field of debris. There are several vehicles behind them in a situation like the one we had on Sunday night, where the crash happened halfway between sixth and seventh running positions. If we don’t toss the caution, you’re incentivizing the competitors to drive through that.
“If you look back over the last week or so and nine superspeedway races that we’ve had if you count our Duels and ARCA race, the finishes — everyone’s on top of each other.” As we’ve seen, there is a last lap caution component. As the sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure that we give it our all. Reaching the start/finish line under green is our aim. However, there are instances and circumstances in which we must toss that. Additionally, we will make more mistakes when tossing it than not.” In the season’s opening road course race at the Circuit of the Americas, Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing crew aim to reclaim momentum following the Atlanta incident.
