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Josh Berry denied brake-checking Ryan Blaney in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, and gave a different account of the contact that ended Blaney’s day.
Berry drives the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, which has a technical alliance with Blaney’s Team Penske.
Berry: ‘Ryan got into me pretty good’
“I mean, obviously, Ryan, you know, got into me pretty good there and I got up out of the groove just trying to save it, and we got together,” Berry said after the race.
Asked directly by Matt Weaver whether he brake-checked Blaney, Berry said he did not.
https://x.com/MattWeaverRA/status/2117032344603287926
Blaney: ‘Just lost his mind’
Blaney said after the race that he barely bumped Berry by accident in Turns 3 and 4, and that Berry hit the brakes in response.
“I just barely accidentally bumped the 21. And he decided to slam on the brakes and end our day,” Blaney said. “So I don’t really know why, after just a little tiny bit of contact, not even on purpose, just lost his mind. Unfortunately, ended our day.”
“I barely got him, and it was on accident,” Blaney said. “We just kind of came together in the middle of the corner, wasn’t even enough to move him up the racetrack where I have position. And he just decided to end our day. So I really appreciate that. Yeah.”
https://x.com/21_WoodBrothers/status/2116998116184654228
Softer bumpers
Sunday was the last race this season with NASCAR’s short-track package, which removed the Y-brackets and high-density foam from the front bumper. The change made it costly to hit the car in front, and several cars had their noses caved in. Blaney’s teammate Austin Cindric was also knocked out when Carson Hocevar slowed in front of him.
Berry’s day
Berry finished in the top five in his final short-track race with the Wood Brothers. He moves to Legacy Motor Club in 2027.
“Yeah, it was really fun,” Berry said. “The car was really solid all day. Just needed a little bit of track position and just needed to get up to the front a little bit sooner.”
Blaney is seventh in the standings, 133 points behind Kyle Larson. The season ends Sunday, November 8, at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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