NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry. Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Josh Berry's NASCAR playoff run comes to an end after car catches fire at Bristol

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 8:22 PM ET

Josh Berry needed to win Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in order to advance in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Unfortunately for Berry, that won't come to fruition.

After a wild first 80 laps that saw extreme tire wear throughout the field, the right front of Berry's No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford Mustang caught on fire — potentially a product of built-up tire rubber.

Berry limped his car to pit road, but the fire only grew, forcing his crew to abandon any plan to put the fire out. Berry was helped out of the car as smoke billowed around the No. 21 Ford.

There's a problem for @joshberry!

He exits the No. 21 under his own power on Lap 80. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/hGUCz0wjTO
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 14, 2025

Berry is the first driver out of the race and will not advance to the Round of 12. He will finish 39th.

A multitude of drivers were forced to make early pit stops after the aforementioned extreme tire wear took place. Polesitter AJ Allmendinger was the first driver to experience serious tire issues, with other drivers such as Riley Herbst, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin coming down pit road shortly after.

The tire conditions are very similar to the 2024 Food City 500 at Bristol, where similar tire wear occurred and made for a chaotic race.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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