Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Josh Berry spinning out Carson Hocevar at Sonoma, reveals texts after race

Josh Berry had an eventful finish to this past Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway. Berry spun out Erik Jones — who wrecked him in downtown Chicago the week prior — in Turn 7 on Lap 100.

That wasn’t it for Berry, as in Turn 2 with three laps to go, he got into Carson Hocevar’s right rear quarter panel and sent him spinning. The contact with Hocevar cost the Spire Motorsports driver a top-10 finish. Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed on the “Dale Jr. Download” that he texted with Berry after the race. Berry took the blame for the incident, saying “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“We get to the top of the hill in Turn 2, and it looked to me like this one was a ‘You’re f*cking out of here.’ This all kind of starts back in Turn 11. Josh goes back in Turn 11 and gets into the back bumper of the 77 [Hocevar]. Nice little tap right there, gets into the quarter panel on corner exit. They’re beating and banging. Josh is beating and banging with the 45 [Tyler Reddick]. Josh [is on older tires] trying to survive,” Earnhardt said. “They go up the hill, and this looked really intentional to me because Josh just drives in and pops the 77 in the ass and he’s gone.

“So, I text Josh, and I’m like, ‘Damn, dude.’ … He’s like, ‘Actually, the 77 — I just cooked it in there too far. I didn’t mean to do that.’ I was like, ‘OK, I didn’t know if you were wrecking Hocevar for the community or what.'”

Carson Hocevar reacts to getting wrecked by Josh Berry

Hocevar went from running eighth with three to go, to finishing 32nd. He’s now finished 29th or worse in four of the last six races, further falling out of NASCAR Cup Series playoff contention. Berry finished 13th at Sonoma.

Hocevar addressed the incident during his Twitch stream Monday night. Hocevar wasn’t expecting Berry — of all people — to wreck him.

“Why did I get dumped yesterday? I don’t know, I didn’t do anything. I was just like, ‘Man, of all people to wreck me.’ Thought it would be somebody like I had it coming. Don’t know what I did,” Hocevar said, via Steven Taranto of CBS Sports. “It’s just like, ‘Well, shit.’ And through strategy, we get to fifth and then I wreck. It’s just like, ‘Ah, whatever.’ But it’s just racing, man. Just racing. It is what it is. I like full contact sport. So, it’s just like, ‘F*ck yeah, man. Let’s get it on.’ That’s what I’ve been dying for. I’ve been giving some and I get some [back], so it’s like, ‘C’mon, let’s go.’ I don’t why it was that corner or what I did.

“I think what’s disappointing is that it was an unbelievably terrible day that we somehow put it together and then it was like, ‘Nope, never mind.’ It was like the opposite of our whole year where Stage 1 and Stage 2, it’s like we’re a top tier team, and then by Stage 3, it’s oh by the way, we’re Spire Motorsports again. Where like this one, I’m just like, ‘Well, this is f*cking hilarious.’ We have the biggest shitshow in Stage 1 and Stage 2 and then we finished eighth. And then it’s like, ‘Oh, never mind, you still finished 32nd. Get f*cked, loser.’ I’m just like, ‘Aw, damn it, that’s lame.’”