Josh Berry wasn’t ready for the extreme tire wear that marred Sunday’s Cup Series race at Bristol for several drivers. After getting ejected early and having his playoff hopes crushed due to a fiery mishap, the Wood Brothers Racing driver opened up.When Berry noticed the stark difference between lap times in practice and in the final race, he could tell that things were about to go down. The opening 80 laps were the worst, but they also prepared the teams for a showdown with more tire wear than the 2024 Spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway.When asked if he had expected something like that, Berry told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic,“It definitely caught me off guard. I was fully convinced it was going to be hammered down, but I could tell probably 15 or 20 laps into the race...we were running like 16 teens, and you can see some people start coming back to us, and you're like...I mean, you can tell, right?” “The pace yesterday in practice was 15.70s and 15.80s, hammered down the whole time. When we are in the 16s that quick, I was like, you can tell what's going on,” he further explained.Berry is out of the playoff picture, and when the Bass Pro Shops Night Race ends, three more drivers are set to join him. As only 12 drivers will make the Round of 12 that starts next week.However, Josh Berry can still contend for his second win of the season as well as his all-time Cup career over the next seven weeks. Next up is the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Scheduled for Sunday, September 21, the 301-lap event will start at 2 pm ET.Fans can watch the race on USA or listen to its exclusive live radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.Josh Berry reflects on the fiery mishap that ended his playoff hopesIt all happened on Lap 77, when Josh Berry was among the eight drivers on the lead lap. His cockpit started filling up with smoke, and the cameras spotted his brake rotors on fire.As a result, Berry had to commit to the pit road, while the others continued racing. His team tried everything to get his car back on the track, but in vain.“It definitely started smoking a few laps before we pitted," Berry said of the situation during a post-race interview with USA Network. "We tried to ride it out a few laps. It was getting pretty bad there. Just so disappointing. That was going to be a lot of fun."With his day ending early at Bristol, Josh Berry became the first driver to get eliminated from the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. As per his contract with Wood Brothers Racing, Berry will be back behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford Mustang next year.