Josh Berry’s Talladega Chaos: Bird Strike and Pit Crew Mishap Mark Wild NASCAR Race

Josh Berry’s weekend at Talladega Superspeedway was a wild ride—literally. Behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford, Berry managed to finish the Jack Link’s 500 in 26th place after leading 12 laps and clocking all 188 circuits. But it’s what happened off the leaderboard that had everyone talking.

During one pit stop, Berry accidentally clipped a member of Carson Hocevar’s pit crew. The tire changer, Jarius Morehead—a guy who clearly isn’t afraid of a little contact, thanks to his college football days—shrugged it off and finished the job like nothing happened. "I come from a football background. You get used to it," Morehead told reporters, assuring everyone he was "all good." If NASCAR ever adds a tackling drill to pit stops, we know who’s getting drafted first.

But Berry’s most headline-grabbing moment came when he channeled his inner Randy Johnson and struck a bird at nearly 190 mph during Stage 1. The unfortunate feathered spectator didn’t stand a chance. Crew chief Miles Stanley noted that birds at Talladega aren’t exactly an endangered species and sometimes cause more havoc than a rogue tire. Fortunately, the avian incident didn’t mess with Berry’s race performance—just his windshield tear-offs.

Berry currently sits 21st in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. After a race like this, maybe he deserves bonus points for surviving the world’s weirdest obstacle course.