The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have been brutal for Josh Berry, and Lap 82 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Mobil 1 301 piled on the pain. Running a strong fifth, the Hendersonville native’s luck took another hit when Shane van Gisbergen’s No. 88 Kaulig Racing Chevy clipped him, sending Berry spinning and plummeting to the back.

It’s the fourth straight race where Berry’s finished last or been caught in chaos, earning him a “cursed” label among fans.

SVG, quick to own up, apologized live on his team radio, insisting he didn’t mean to wreck Berry. “Sorry about that; I didn’t mean to do that. He came back down,” he said, explaining how Berry’s move pinched him into the contact.

Berry’s season has been a rollercoaster of heartbreak. Despite flashes of speed, like his top-5 run before the spin, the Stewart-Haas alum can’t catch a break. SVG, the Aussie road-course ace turned full-time Cup driver, admitted the incident was a wrong racing deal, but it’s little comfort for Berry, who’s now fighting to stay above the playoff cutline.

The wreck, coming in the Round of 12 opener, underscores the fine margins at tracks like Loudon, where tight racing and split-second moves can flip a driver’s day. As Berry scrambles to recover and SVG pushes for playoff redemption, fans are buzzing about whether Berry’s “curse” will lift or haunt him through Kansas.

Fan Reactions

X has been a wildfire of takes on Berry’s latest misfortune. One fan broke it down, “Racing incident, more on 88 imo, but the 21 isn’t innocent either. Racing incident through and through.”

The Lap 82 tangle was classic Loudon chaos, SVG and Berry battling hard in tight quarters, where a slight misstep sparked contact. It’s the kind of racing deal that’s tough to pin on one driver, but it didn’t soften the blow for Berry’s playoff hopes.

The “curse” talk exploded, “The universe is not happy with Josh Berry lately,” one user posted, summing up his brutal playoff run, a Lap 1 crash at Darlington, a wreck at Gateway, a fire at Bristol, and now this spin.

Another chimed in, “I don’t know what kind of hex Josh Berry has on him right now, but man. Berry goes spinning after contact from SVG. We’re under caution.” It’s like bad luck’s glued to his No. 21 car.

“Berry is the unluckiest driver in the sport right now,” another fan cried, pointing to his early playoff exit after a string of disasters. Some fans smelled favoritism, “He dumped him I know you don’t wanna say anything about your golden boy.” SVG’s quick apology didn’t quiet everyone, with a few claiming his popularity as a road-course star softened the scrutiny.

As Berry picks up the pieces and SVG races on, the X chatter shows fans split between calling it racing’s nature and cursing Berry’s relentless bad breaks.