Josh Berry kills a bird during Talladega Cup race

Josh Berry had a rough moment during the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway when he hit a bird at nearly 190 mph. A video posted on social media showed the aftermath of the incident, where Berry's windshield was splattered with blood.

The post came from NASCARcasm, a NASCAR-themed troll page on X. NASCARcasm captioned the post:

“Josh Berry just DNFd the sh-t out of a bird.”

The account had reposted a video shared by Wood Brothers Racing, Berry’s team, showing his No. 21 Ford’s windshield covered in bird remains. They captioned it,

‘Yum”

In a video about the incident, Josh Berry’s No. 21 Ford, racing in third place at the time, clearly shows the damage to the windshield after he hit a bird at full speed on Lap 18. Despite the accident, there was no structural damage to the car. Berry made an unscheduled pit stop under the first caution, caused by a separate incident involving Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch, to refuel and have the bird remains removed from his car. After a quick cleanup, Josh Berry rejoined the race without losing too much ground.

Later in the race, Berry’s day got worse when he was involved in another pit road incident, accidentally hitting Jarius Morehead, a tire carrier for Carson Hocevar, during another pit stop. Before the race started, Berry had qualified eighth with a lap of 181.381 mph, securing his fifth top-10 start in 10 races this season.

---

Josh Berry talks about improving relationships with his team ahead of Talladega

Josh Berry has been having an impressive 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with Wood Brothers Racing. After winning his first career Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier in the year, Berry has been steadily building a strong partnership with his team. With 128 laps led so far, and a playoff spot already secured, Berry is focusing on climbing up the driver's standings. Currently, he sits in 21st place, with two top 5 finishes.

Before heading into Talladega, Berry admitted the challenges of superspeedway racing. He pointed out that some drivers have a natural instinct for drafting, which often keeps them in front during these unpredictable races. Speaking to Speedway Digest before the Jack Link’s 500, Josh Berry talked about how important communication and teamwork have been this season.

"For us, it's about continuing to build off the momentum we've had this year. The communication and chemistry within the No. 21 team has been strong, and that's a big part of putting ourselves in a position to contend. You need a car that handles well — one that can push, be pushed, and execute the right strategy when it counts."

Berry’s early win has also given a significant boost to Wood Brothers Racing. Forbes reported that Berry’s Las Vegas win was also financially beneficial. It was the team’s 101st victory and ensured a minimum $1 million playoff bonus. Crew chief Miles Stanley mentioned that Berry's performances have exceeded expectations and confirmed their goal for the season: win races, make the playoffs, and advance deep into the postseason. His performances so far have already attracted new sponsors like eero.