Josh Berry knew he had some phone calls to make after Martinsville Speedway. He wasn’t going to wait for NASCAR to tell him what he’d done wrong.
On the drive home from Sunday’s race, Berry reached out to Ryan Blaney, the driver at the center of an incident that would ultimately cost him $50,000 and 25 championship points. He also called Roger Penske and spoke with several members of Team Penske, acknowledging that his frustration had gotten the better of him.
Berry revealed those conversations Friday during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, offering his clearest explanation yet of what happened at Martinsville and why he regrets it.
The timing makes the situation especially difficult. Berry is entering his final race with Wood Brothers Racing, which has a longstanding technical alliance with Team Penske. Blaney isn’t simply another competitor on the track. He’s part of the organization that has worked closely with Berry’s No. 21 team throughout his tenure.
And Berry knows he put those relationships in an uncomfortable position.
Josh Berry Admits He Wanted to Send Ryan Blaney a Message
The trouble began during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville, where contact from Blaney left Berry frustrated enough to retaliate.
Berry initially denied brake-checking Blaney following the race. By Friday, however, he was willing to acknowledge that his response had been deliberate, even if the outcome wasn’t what he intended.
“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,” Berry said. “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.”
It was a significant admission from a driver who had spent the previous several days dealing with the fallout.
Berry wasn’t trying to excuse his frustration or suggest that Blaney deserved what happened. He was explaining the decision he made in the heat of competition, one he now recognizes went too far.
“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,” he said.
NASCAR fined Berry $50,000 and deducted 25 driver points following its review of the incident.
The penalty was one of two significant disciplinary actions stemming from Martinsville. Carson Hocevar was separately fined $100,000 and docked 25 points for his actions during the race.
For Berry, though, the consequences extended beyond NASCAR’s official ruling.
Berry Reached Out to Blaney Before He Even Got Home
Berry’s relationship with the Penske organization made the aftermath particularly personal.
He said his first conversation with Blaney happened while he was still traveling home from Martinsville. Roger Penske and other members of the organization also heard directly from him.
“It’s part of racing there, and I obviously feel terrible that it was Ryan,” Berry said. “We were driving down the interstate, and I think I talked to Ryan before I even made it to Statesville.”
He didn’t leave those conversations to his team or wait until everyone arrived at Homestead for the season finale.
“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,” Berry said.
That is a difficult admission for any driver, particularly one preparing to leave an organization after spending the season representing it.
Berry will move to LEGACY Motor Club in 2027, bringing his time in the No. 21 Ford to an end following Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
His departure was already going to make the weekend emotional. The Martinsville incident added an unwelcome complication to what should have been a chance to celebrate his time with Wood Brothers Racing.
Berry made it clear that he doesn’t want his final race with the organization defined by what happened a week earlier.
“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,” he said.
Berry qualified 14th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series championship race.
He can’t undo what happened at Martinsville, and the fine isn’t going away. But by his own account, he made sure the people most directly affected heard from him before NASCAR ever announced its decision.
‘I Lost My Cool’: Josh Berry Breaks Silence on Ryan Blaney Incident, $50K NASCAR Fine