The statistical nightmare of Josh Berry's three consecutive last-place playoff finishes

Josh Berry's bid for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship couldn't have gotten much worse. The driver of the #21 had a dismal run in the opening Round of 16, which ultimately led to him being eliminated from the playoffs.

The Wood Brothers Racing driver suffered three straight last-place finishes en route to being one of the four drivers cut from the playoffs after Bristol. It started at Darlington, where Berry showed promise heading into the race after qualifying third.

Despite the strong qualifying effort, Berry didn't have much to show for in the race as he spun out and crashed coming out of turn two on the opening lap. The crash essentially ended Berry's race before it even began as he posted a 38th-place finish.

Then came the World Wide Technology Raceway, the second race of the round. After contact with Chase Elliott early in the race, Berry was sent spinning in turn one and crashed into the wall. The incident ended his race and, for the second week in a row, resulted in a last-place finish and another hit in the points standings.

The final nail in the coffin came at Bristol, the cutoff race for the Round of 16. Berry's #21 Ford caught fire and would ultimately result in another last-place finish (39th). With his third straight dead-last finish, Berry's playoff hopes were over.

Josh Berry was eliminated in the Round of 16 along with Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, and Shane Van Gisbergen. The remaining 12 playoff drivers will battle across the next three races (New Hampshire, Kansas, Charlotte Roval) as they try to advance to the Round of 8.

Berry picked up his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory in the third race of the campaign. The win guaranteed his spot in the playoffs. Since that win, however, Berry has struggled with results as he's posted an average finish of 22.5. He has posted only one other top five this season besides his Las Vegas win, finishing fourth at Phoenix.

Can Josh Berry still win another race in 2025 despite playoff disaster?

NASCAR: Southern 500 - Source: Imagn

Josh Berry might've been eliminated from the Cup Series playoffs, but he's still got seven races left in the 2025 campaign to turn things around. In the coming weeks, the Wood Brothers Racing driver could find his way back into victory lane in 2025.

Las Vegas is in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs, the site of Josh Berry's first career win earlier this season. Martinsville is also in the Round of 8, where Berry has an Xfinity Series win and led 40 laps in the Cup race last March.

Phoenix is the championship race, a track Berry finished fourth at earlier this year. Based on some of the upcoming tracks, the driver of the #21 could find himself back in victory lane before the season's over.