WATCH: “Josh Berry shouldn’t be anywhere near a cup ride”- Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver takes each other out at Bristol Xfinity race, fans react
Only Justin Allgaier finished the race for JRM on Saturday.
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Josh Berry and Brandon Jones crash at Bristol (Screen Shot: NASCAR/Youtube)
JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Series team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., had a wild night on Friday at Bristol. The Xfinity playoff race saw the team fielding five cars, with the bossman driving the No:88 Chevy. Dale Jr. led 47 laps in the race and even saw his driver win the race.
But the Monday morning post-race briefing will be hectic for the team. Dale Jr.’s day came to a disappointing end after his car caught on fire while he was racing in the front row. Other than race winner Justin Allgaier, who pulled off an impressive win with an impressive race strategy, no other driver finished the race after they got caught up in each other’s mess.
It all started with JRM’s Cup serious bound driver Josh Berry, who was driving on the inside, racing teammate Sam Mayor on the outside, making contact. The No:8 Chevy contacted the No:1 Chevy after Berry went up the track. This sent both drivers to the wall. Brandon Jones’s No:9 car was following the duo and was collected by Berry.
It was a disastrous outcome for both Mayor and Berry as it was the first playoff race of the season, and both stated the worst way possible. For Jones, it was another shot at a win missed and an opportunity missed that could have helped him redeem himself by winning the race. It’s more disappointing for Mayor and Jones as their contact extension was announced just the day before the race.
In case you missed it: Kyle Busch disavows empathy for Martin Truex Jr.’s playoff woes, declares he ‘doesn’t feel sorry for them’
Fans have a mixed reaction on the issue
The incident that involved the teammates prompted multiple reactions from the NASCAR community. Some were quick to point figures at Kevin Harvick’s future replacement, Josh Berry, as if he didn’t come up the track under the circumstances, the incident could have been avoided as the other two were just victims of circumstances.
While Berry had a big hand to play in the incident, others had none. He is a driver with the skills and capability to avoid getting into such a situation, especially with teammates. Some feelings might have gotten hurt due to the incident, and the team has to have a good conversation to sort out any potential beef.
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Justin P Joy
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