Josh Berry experienced a bizarre and chaotic moment on Sunday during the race at Talladega Superspeedway. As he raced amongst the leaders on lap 18, hitting speeds over 190 miles per hour, a bird unexpectedly struck his windshield, making a mess as its remains smeared across the glass. Despite the startling incident, Berry maintained control and proceeded to the pit road for cleanup without any immediate alarm.
Further shedding light on the unusual event, Berry’s crew chief, Miles Stanley, spoke with Frontstretch. He mentioned that Berry hadn’t reported the incident instantly. Stanley remarked, “A lot of times when we come here for like first practice or qualifying and stuff, we’ll see birds flying out around the racetrack. So, it’s not a huge surprise that we ended up getting one on the windshield.” The incident had been discernible from the in-car camera and windshield perspective, confirming a bird strike had occurred.
While the team noticed some damage due to the strike, Stanley indicated that it didn’t pose significant performance issues, apart from likely tearing some tear-offs. However, he couldn’t confirm if the aerodynamics remained completely unaffected. Yet, Berry demonstrated competitive performance throughout the race till the final pit stop.
Josh Berry began from the eighth position and advanced swiftly, reaching the top three. He took the lead on lap 4 and maintained it through numerous laps, evading a crash involving Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski on Lap 44. His luck held as his fuel reserves carried him until clearance to pit, where his crew attended to the bird’s remains, albeit with a delay that concluded Stage 1 with a 29th-place finish.
Starting Stage 2 from 13th, Berry raced back to the front, finishing in 10th place and securing a stage point. The final stage saw drivers making last pit stops. Berry took the lead once more on Lap 168, holding it until needing to pit for refueling. Unfortunately, he incurred a speeding penalty during this crucial phase, with only 16 laps left, which resulted in a drop to 26th place by the race’s end.
This unpredictable turn of events at Talladega highlighted both the unpredictability of high-speed racing and Berry’s resilience. Although this race concluded unfavorably for Berry with a frustrating penalty, he remains a determined competitor, setting sights on his next challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway. The incident, dramatic as it was, serves as a testament to the intense and often unexpected nature of motorsports.
