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Josh Berry said Friday that he regrets brake-checking Ryan Blaney at Martinsville Speedway, and admitted he meant to send Blaney a message.
Berry had denied brake-checking Blaney after the race. NASCAR later fined him $50,000 and docked him 25 points, as Pit This Time reported.
Berry: ‘It obviously crossed the line’
“First and foremost, to address it, I certainly regret what happened and regret the decision I made in that moment,” Berry said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“The contact from behind and the manner that it happened in that stage of the race, as I said, it just rubbed me the wrong way. And I certainly didn’t intend it to have the result that I had there, but I did intend to send a little bit of a message. But it obviously crossed the line, and I got my penalty, and I’m gonna accept it and go here this weekend and try to have a good weekend.”
Calls to Blaney and Roger Penske
Berry said he called Blaney and team owner Roger Penske on the drive home from Martinsville. His Wood Brothers Racing team has a technical alliance with Team Penske.
“I obviously feel terrible that it was Ryan. We were driving down the interstate, and I think I talked to Ryan before I even made it to Statesville,” Berry said. “I talked to Ryan, Roger, several members of Team Penske, and owned it really from the start that I lost my cool in that moment.”
“It’s unfortunate that that happened, and I regret the end result, but still really thankful for my time with those guys and everybody on the 21 Team, and we’re just gonna try to go this weekend and finish it off strong.”
Blaney: ‘It’s not on fire, but it’s not rainbows and sunshine’
Blaney said Friday at Homestead that he and Berry had a “good conversation,” but that their relationship has changed.
“Being an affiliate and teammate, he and I had a good relationship,” Blaney told NASCAR’s Zach Sturniolo. “I was pretty surprised at that.”
“Yeah, I think it changes a little bit. It’s not on fire, but it’s not rainbows and sunshine,” Blaney said.
What happened
Blaney’s No. 12 Ford was heavily damaged in the contact on Lap 253 and he spun in Turn 1. He finished 35th, 59 laps down. Blaney said after the race that Berry “just lost his mind.” Wood Brothers president Jon Wood said earlier this week it was “hard to think it was on purpose,” as Pit This Time reported.
Last race with the Wood Brothers
Sunday’s finale is Berry’s last race in the No. 21 Ford. He moves to Legacy Motor Club in 2027, and Jesse Love takes over the No. 21.
The Cup Series finale is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
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