Josh Berry tells Dale Earnhardt Jr. what influenced his post-NASCAR Cup win decision: “A lot of what I did was from your celebration that night”

Josh Berry’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a defining moment in his career. In a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Berry opened up about the emotions that came with the win and revealed that his post-race celebration was inspired by Dale Earnhardt Jr. 's 2014 Daytona 500 celebration.

The interview was shared by Dirty Mo Media on X, where Berry talked about his thought process after crossing the finish line. The caption read,

".@JoshBerry just wanted to take it all in after his first career Cup Series win. 🥹"

In the video, when discussing how Josh Berry felt after realizing that he was going to win the race, he shared what he felt at the moment. He referred to the fact that during the break he had watched the final 59 laps of the 2014 Daytona 500. Taking inspiration from that, he took the calmer route of celebrating his victory. In his own words,

"A lot of what I did was from your celebration that night, right? Like I was, man, that’s what I wanna do. I mean, I’m not a big smokey burnout, you know, blow the tires out, the type of guy."

"You can even hear it in my voice," Berry said. "I don’t talk right away because I’m a little choked up. The words don’t come out clear. You can see the emotion in me."

He also drew parallels to his early racing days at Hickory Motor Speedway, where drivers would turn their cars around, grab the checkered flag, and wave to the fans. For Berry, this was the most meaningful way to celebrate his first Cup Series win.

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“Best Race of 2025 So Far” – Berry’s win at Las Vegas

Josh Berry took his maiden NASCAR Cup Series win at the Pennzoil 400 on March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race saw 32 lead changes, but Berry made the final and most important move, overtaking Daniel Suárez with nine laps to go. He crossed the finish line 1.35 seconds ahead of Suárez, guaranteeing a playoff spot for himself and Wood Brothers Racing.

NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck shared a fan poll on X, where 87.2% of respondents said the Pennzoil 400 was a good race. It ranked third among the 17 Cup Series races held in Las Vegas and was voted the best race of 2025 so far.

"Was Las Vegas a good race? 87.2% of you said Yes. -- No. 3 of 17 Vegas races in the poll (best: Bowman's 'all luck, no skill' win in 2022, 90.4%) -- No. 12 best intermediate race of the Next Gen Era -- Best race of 2025 so far," Gluck wrote.

Josh Berry's win makes this the second consecutive year that Wood Brothers Racing qualified for the playoffs, following Harrison Burton’s Daytona win in 2024. Berry's Las Vegas race was the highlight of his 2025 season so far. Before that, he had finished fourth at Phoenix and had a disappointing 35th-place result at Circuit of the Americas.