Both Fords erupted into the wall twice during NASCAR Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, wrecking qualification and exposing tire failures.
Tire Failures Hit the Front Row in Turns 1 and 2
In the first turn, Noah Gragson’s No. 4 Front Row entry spun on the notorious bump, later attributing the loss to a tire problem.
Josh Berry’s Wood Brothers No. 21 wrecked into the wall after a hard pop, describing an “air‑pressure wipeout” that blew the rear left, leaving a slow‑moving wreck.
Backup Cars and Qualifying Withdrawals
Both drivers were sent to the care center as the damage knocked them out of Thursday’s timeline and barred them from attempting a lap during scheduled qualifying.
Berry has confirmed that he will race in the backup No. 1 car, while Gragson will share the seat with his teammate in the team’s third entry.
Additional Teams Troubled by Heat‑Related Rubbing
Tyler Reddick (No. 45 Toyota), Ty Gibbs (No. 54 Toyota), and Chris Buescher (No. 17 Ford) each logged a separate tire issue, none of which involved Chevrolet entries.
Teams attributed the mishaps to margins pushed by higher air pressures in the current season’s tire‑handling conventions.
High‑Intensity Concerns at a Pivotal Ramp‑Feature
The track’s steep rise and drop between Turns 1 and 2 concentrate blame on border‑ing dynamics that can induce car belly‑down, or “bottom‑out” impacts that aggravate tire fatigue.
Race officials urged caution moving forward as the rest of the weekend approaches, knowing that a single slip can thunder the championship clue.
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