Josh Berry entered the playoffs optimistic about his chances to advance to the Round of 12. He is now in a must-win position heading to Bristol Motor Speedway after another nightmare stage 1.

Berry crashed on Lap 37 of Sunday’s playoff race at World Wide Technology Raceway. He slammed hard into the outside wall after some contact from Chase Elliott. Berry got the No. 21 Ford Mustang rolling again, but he immediately headed to the garage with what appeared to be terminal damage.

The team assessed situation in the garage. They could not make repairs to the No. 21 Ford Mustang, so Berry could not continue in the race. He ended the day in 36th place.

This marked the second crash in two races in what has been a nightmare start to the playoffs for Berry.

The Wood Brothers Racing driver crashed on the opening lap of last weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway. His car bounced multiple times before spinning into Tyler Reddick and then the outside wall.

Berry started the race inside the top five, but he had to head to the garage on the opening lap. He then spent extensive time in the garage while his team made repairs.

Berry returned to the track as the Southern 500 continued, but he was more than 120 laps behind the leaders. All he could do was log laps and try to score the Xfinity Fastest Lap. He achieved this, which kept him at 19 points below the Round of 12 cutline.

Berry now has one more opportunity to rebound from this nightmare start. He will head to Bristol Motor Speedway, one of his favorite tracks for the annual night race. Sixteen playoff drivers will enter the short track race, but only 12 will advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Berry is unlikely to point his way into the next round of the playoffs. A win will be his main path forward.