This time, it was Josh Berry. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was leading Saturday's race at Daytona International Speedway when chaos struck at the front of the field. Austin Cindric shot to the right after getting destabilized due to a bad push from behind. He caught the right-rear of Berry's Ford Mustang, sending both drivers spinning down onto the backstretch apron.
Despite the introduction of a new air deflector on the right-side of the cars, the 3,400lb race car refused to stay on the ground. It flipped upside down, skidding along its roof before slamming nose-first into the inside wall. The car spun like a top on its lid before coming to rest with the wheels up.
But after being checked and released from the infield care center, Berry was more concerned with the opportunity lost than the wreck itself.
"It probably wasn't as bad as it looked," he told NBC Sports. "Man, I'm bummed because we had a hell of a night going. Just such a great job by [crew chief] Rodney [Childers] and this whole No. 4 team. The car was so strong. We were in position. I'm just really proud of the job I did tonight and really proud of the whole team. We were in contention. That could have been our day, but it didn't work out."
.@joshberry UPSIDE DOWN and SLAMS the inside wall in another violent crash. 💥
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) August 25, 2024
He has climbed from the wreckage after this terrifying ride👏 #NASCAR
🎥 @NASCARonNBC pic.twitter.com/7mUOYXumq0
Berry won the opening stage of the race and led nine laps before getting turned from the lead. He is still searching for his first-career NASCAR Cup Series victory, which fellow Ford driver Harrison Burton earned in an overtime finish. Berry will replace Burton behind the wheel of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 2025.
Despite the violent nature of the wreck, it wasn't nearly as bad as the tumble Berry's teammate Ryan Preece endured in the same area of the track just one year ago. Preece rolled nearly a dozen times and was left with bruised and bloodshot eyes. Berry was thankful that backstretch -- which was partially grass -- was completely paved over before this year's event.
"Unfortunately, we’re seeing a lot of these blow-overs lately ... obviously paving that section helped keep me from really barrel rolling," said Berry. "As bad as it looked, they made a big improvement over what Ryan [Preece] had last year. I just can’t believe we flipped two of our Stewart-Haas cars in a row like that, but it was just a great job by Rodney and this whole 4 team. We were in contention all night and had a hell of a race car and had a shot at it.”
Berry ended up finishing 26th, falling out of the race on Lap 158 of 164.
