This is not the way Josh Berry intended to leave the Thanksgiving classics. The weekend was perfect for the NASCAR driver up to Sunday afternoon. Having topped the sheets on Friday with a blazing 15.440-second lap and qualifying third for the race, the No. 21 driver looked poised for his third victory at the event. However, fate intervened, and now the Wood Brothers Racing driver is left in the dust as he owns up to his mistake.

Josh Berry gets real about the late-race scuffle with Lee Pulliam

Berry’s late-race crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver, Lee Pulliam, proved to be costly.

“I just didn’t use the clutch and just didn’t get it in fourth, and, you know, I tore up some cars there,” Berry said. “That was pretty embarrassing, but, you know, after that, it was fine. And, yeah, the restart with Lee, I mean, honestly, I don’t really know. I mean, I haven’t seen it, obviously, but I mean, I felt like I was cleared down and got ran into.”

Pulliam, who had qualified 20th, was piloting Dale Jr.’s JR Motorsports No. 88 Late Model Stock Car, claiming that “It’s always a dream come true when you can drive a race car, so I never try to take out for granted.”

The 2015 Thanksgiving Classic winner knew he had a challenging race on Sunday. Pulliam slashed through the field from 20th, while optimizing every opportunity he had.

However, it was the late-race incident that changed everything for Pulliam. According to senior NASCAR editor Matt Weaver, both Josh Berry and Lee Pulliam had race-winning cars, but a restart towards the end of the 250-lap race cost both of them a sure-shot victory.

Instead, it was Lee Pulliam’s driver in the CARS Tour Series that captured the victory.

What’s even more stunning is that Doug Barnes Jr., who never locked an official qualifying lap and entered the race without a recorded time, charged from the way back to win the storied event, holding off pole sitter Ronnie Bassett Jr. and the rest of the field with remarkable composure.

However, it was the NASCAR Cup Series driver who was more than affected, as he came a second close behind Doug Jr. before getting spun. Reflecting on his misfortune, Berry didn’t hold back.

“So, you know, all in all, we had a really good car. It’s been a solid week,” Berry said. “These guys done a really good job all weekend, and, you know, we just come up one spot short… Two really unfortunate restarts, a struggle going from second to third on the one restart, then the spin.”

Even after a bittersweet weekend at the Thanksgiving Classic race, Berry is more than ready to turn his head to the February 1, 2026, Clash race at the Bowman Gray Stadium. But for now, after a stellar 2025 Cup season, it’s safe to assume that the No. 21 driver looks to better his momentum next year.

Josh Berry’s 2025 season preview

Josh Berry closed out the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season on a strong note with an impressive run at Phoenix Raceway. Piloting the No. 21 Ford, Berry delivered a solid seventh-place finish, showcasing the speed and consistency that Wood Brothers Racing had been building toward. Although his playoff run ended earlier than hoped in the round of 16, he capped the season with a performance that reflected his potential and resilience.

Across the 2025 campaign, he collected one win, three top-five finishes, eight top-10 results, and 207 laps led and posted a 21.7 average finish, which secured him 16th place in the final points standings. His postseason hopes were derailed by a string of brutal misfortunes in the Round of 16, which made his elimination all but inevitable despite the strength he showed earlier in the year. Still, the highlights of the season were undeniable.

The defining moment of Berry’s year came in March, when he captured his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a breakthrough that affirmed his talent at the sport’s highest level. With that win under his belt and clear chemistry with the Wood Brothers team, he appears to be an ideal fit for the iconic organization. If the momentum continues, there’s every reason to believe more wins lie ahead for the driver of the No. 21 car.