“I was so worried”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses his stressed mindset during early NASCAR days

Two-time Busch Series Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. sat down with JR Motorsports' new Xfinity Series driver Carson Kvapil and his father Travis Kvapil and discussed his stressful days during his early NASCAR career. In the conversation on his podcast, "Dale Junior Download", the 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion emphasized having fun in every moment, giving his early days' example to the young talent.

Earnhardt Jr. said:

"I've talked about it on my shows before, when I was in your shoes, I was so worried about, am I going to make it? Am I going to get to do this the rest of my life? And you're so worried about that that you don't realize how much fun you're having." [00:07]

Continuing, Earnhardt Jr. highlighted Josh Berry's decision to seek a move to the Cup Series from the Xfinity Series.

"That's absolutely where you want to be, but you're never going to have as much fun as you're having right now. There's more and more work," Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Carson Kvapil is in high spirits amid his transition from Late Model racing to the Xfinity Series and hopes for a clean first race at Daytona in 2025 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports.

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Josh Berry expresses his gratitude to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his unwavering support

Josh Berry transitioned to the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of 2023 as a full-time driver and a replacement for Kevin Harvick, a legend in motorsports. But he had to jump through hoops to achieve this fate. He has been on the track for nearly a decade and became a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series in 2022. He signed a multi-year contract with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports and secured fourth place in his maiden championship.

Then in 2023, Berry competed in 10 Cup Series races as a replacement driver for Hendrick Motorsports. By the end of 2023, he signed a contract with Stewart-Haas Racing and became their #4 Ford driver. He told Fox Sports:

"Obviously, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s done a lot for me, but he's been a great friend for me. Thinking back to last year and the HMS opportunity, he was calling me a couple of times a week just checking in on me, pumping me up or just talking to me about everything."

But things didn't go as Berry planned and he was in 19th place on the 2024 standings before the playoffs, and troubles didn't just stop there for the #4 Ford driver. SHR announced the sale of three of their four available charters in the next season. Amid the hardships, Berry spoke about Earnhardt Jr.'s support he had throughout his career.

"You find out so much about people when things get hard and the type of people they are. Dealing with all this going on, he does not hesitate to reach out to me and ask how I'm doing, if I need help or whatever and it just really shows you the character that he has."

Berry is in 26th place with four top-10 and two top-five finishes in 30 races. Additionally, he has nine DNFs and is 2584 points behind the leader in the standings.