What a show Ryan Blaney and Josh Berry put on! Piloting Ford Mustangs, the two drivers gave fans the ride of the season at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. Blaney was ultimately the one who found the way to Victory Lane, but Berry’s efforts were simply astounding to say the least.
The core battle between them began following the restart that came with 42 laps left in the race. Berry retained his lead, restarting with slightly older tires, as Blaney picked off drivers and moved closer to him. The Team Penske superstar wasted no time and grabbed the top spot with 39 laps left.
Hot rings of fire blew to him from behind from the cars of multiple drivers, including Berry, William Byron, and Christopher Bell. But Blaney survived through them all and held on to his position. For a while, it seemed like he just might run away with the lead too far to catch. But Berry wasn’t going to let him off that easily.
There are less than 25 laps to go at @NHMS and @Blaney continues to lead. #NASCARPlayoffspic.twitter.com/5ko1rPoKBy
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 21, 2025
Berry’s Late Charge That Humbled Blaney
The Wood Brothers Racing driver dramatically closed the gap between him and the leader with 23 laps left. Victory was still within for him, and he sure as hell might have seen it from where he was in that moment. 1981 was the last year in which his team won multiple races.
He gave supporters the confidence to dream for a moment there. His performance even had the iconic crew chief, Rodney Childers, who worked with him at Stewart-Haas Racing, cheer for him on X.
Let’s go @joshberry !!!!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) September 21, 2025
The laps trickled down to 20 and then to 15, and Blaney could still find Berry in his rear-view mirror. He bargained on his team radio, referencing the lobster that the winner would get from the track, “Tell Josh I will give him one of the claws! The meatier one!”
Berry had only been 0.360 seconds behind him with less than 10 laps left. But that was nearly as good as things got for him. Blaney survived till the very last moment and secured his victory in some fashion.
He had led 116 laps, including the final 39, and crossed the finish line 0.937 seconds ahead of Berry. “What a cool day, what a cool weekend, super fast car. It’s great to get a win in the first race of the round,” he told NBC Sports. The success firmly cemented his seat in the Round of 8.
The 21st night of September will be one to remember for him, Berry, and millions of fans.
Related: Read Next
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Read the full article here
