With just a few laps to go in Stage 2 during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, Ryan Blaney and Josh Berry were battling for seventh position.
However, after Blaney got into the back of Berry through Turns 3 and 4, Berry slowed abruptly, with Blaney then hitting the back of the No. 21. Blaney’s nose was destroyed and he quickly spun out.
After a lengthy stay in the garage for repairs, he returned to the race over 50 laps down and finished 35th. He didn’t retaliate against Berry, who went on to score a top five finish for Wood Brothers Racing, which have a technical alliance with Blaney’s organization — Team Penske. Berry will leave Wood Brothers Racing at season’s end to drive a Toyota for Legacy Motor Club.
“First stage we weren’t great, but that run where that happened, I thought we finally got pretty good,” Blaney told NBC after the race. “Like, I was passing some cars and really running kind of the front group down a little bit. So I felt like we made good gains. And then, yeah, I mean the deal in (Turns) three and four, I just barely, accidentally, bumped the 21 [Berry] and he decided to slam on the brakes and end our day. So, I don’t really know why after just a little tiny bit of contact, not even on purpose — just lost his mind. So, unfortunately ended our day.
“Like I said, I barely got him and it was on accident. We just kind of came together in the middle of the corner, wasn’t even enough to move him up the racetrack where I had position. And he just decided to end our day. So, I really appreciate that (sarcastically). Yeah.”
Berry disputed Blaney’s version of the incident, denying that there was any intentional brake-checking going on there.
“Obviously Ryan, got into me pretty good there and I got up out of the groove just trying to save it and we got together,” said Berry in a brief explanation to NBC. He later spoke to a later media session that included Motorsport.com, saying he was “just trying to save it” at the exit of the corner.
Blaney has fallen down to seventh in the standings due to Sunday’s result.
Watch: Blaney gets salty at Berry for causing more damage in their incident
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