Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes feelings clear on Josh Berry’s unforgettable act after his first NASCAR Cup win

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has expressed gratitude for Josh Berry for including him in his Victory Lane celebration in Las Vegas. He shared that receiving a call from Berry after his first NASCAR Cup win meant a lot, knowing he was one among the people the driver wanted to celebrate with.

The Wood Brothers Racing driver won a thrilling race in Las Vegas after securing the lead with 20 laps to go. This marked Berry's maiden win in the NASCAR Cup Series, coming two seasons after his debut in 2023.

Previously, Berry raced in the Xfinity Series for the Earnhardt Jr.-owned JR Motorsports, where he amassed five victories and reached the championship 4 in 2022.

Josh Berry joined the podcast "Dirty Mo Media" after his win. Host Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflected on the special moment they shared:

"Going to Victory Lane, having that genuine Victory Lane experience and I'm thankful to the Facetime call, that meant so much to me that with all the people you wanted to connect with in the moment, you reached out to me." [05:00]

Additionally, Earnhardt Jr. opened up on his nerves during Berry's lead up to his first win.

"When you get in those moments, like if you're not doing it, like if you're not out in the car, you'll probably experience this someday, like I can't even watch. I bet that there are a lot of people just like me in your world that were the same way," he said.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Earnhardt Jr. is the son of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. Competing in 631 races across 19 years, Earnhardt Jr. has had a notable career with 26 victories to his name. Additionally, he's a two-time Daytona 500 winner and won two back-to-back Xfinity Series championships (previously Busch Championships) in 1998 & 1999. He retired in 2017, but continues to race part-time in the Xfinity Series for his team, JR Motorsports.

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"It’s what I should be striving for." : Dale Earnhardt Jr. comments on JRM's expansion into the Cup Series

Breaking into the NASCAR Cup Series is not an easy task for an Xfinity Series team. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports, expressed his desire to continue fielding JRM cars in the Cup Series after their debut in Daytona this year.

Dubbed "The Great American Race", the Daytona 500 marked the debut for JRM, a race which Earnhardt Jr. has won twice before. The team ran the No.40 Chevrolet with the reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier. Starting 19th, Allgaier navigated multiple on-track incidents to ultimately finish in the top 10 at ninth, marking a successful debut for JRM.

Reflecting on the team's result, Earnhardt Jr. said:

“It really was good for me, I think, to come here and experience this to see if it was truly something that I felt like I wanted. I think this helped me understand that I do want to be here personally. I do feel like it’s what I should be striving for.” (Via NASCAR)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. last raced for JRM in the Xfinity Series at Bristol Motor Speedway in September 2024. Driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro, he finished the race in seventh. Prior to the race, he revealed that he had no plans to race in 2025, but was not sure it would be his final race in Bristol.