Dale Earnhardt Jr is personally 'heartbroken' by NASCAR star's Cup Series predicament
Dale Earnhardt Jr is personally 'heartbroken' by NASCAR star's Cup Series predicament
Joshua Mbu Wed, July 22, 2026 at 9:42 AM UTC
0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has empathized with NASCAR Cup Series star Josh Berry (Image: Getty)
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. is "heartbroken" for Josh Berry as the driver's difficult 2026 season continued in NASCAR's Cup Series return to North Wilkesboro on Sunday. A second straight race ending in a DNF left Berry facing more disappointment, with the Wood Brothers Racing driver admitting the difficult campaign has weighed heavily on him.
Speaking after the race, the 35-year-old said this season has been unlike anything he has experienced in his career, revealing that the constant misfortune has altered how he believes others perceive him. Still without a contract for 2027, Berry insisted the setbacks should not overshadow everything he accomplished to earn his place in the Cup Series.
His biggest accomplishment was firing WBR to the 2025 playoffs, after winning the Cup Series race at Las Vegas early last season. It confirmed the team's place in the postseason for a second consecutive campaign, following on from Harrison Burton's Coke Zero Sugar 400 win in 2024. Berry's disappointment comes after Cup drivers praised North Wilkesboro's nostalgic feel before its first points-paying Cup race in three decades.
'Baby' Denny Hamlin faces backlash after angry expletive NASCAR radio outburst
IndyCar World Cup gamble backfires spectacularly in enormous blow for FOX
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has empathized with Berry, whose bad luck is yet to run out. "It's heartbreaking for me because I think of Josh as a family member. You know, Josh Berry moved here from Nashville, moved in with my mom and Willie, ate their dinners, worked at the shop. He raced with us for 10 years," Dale Jr. said on his podcast.
"We won hundreds of races, track championships, national championship. We won Xfinity O'Reilly races. We did everything we could to give him everything we could give him.
Sign up to our NASCAR newsletter here.
Advertisement
Josh Berry is without a NASCAR seat in 2027 and is enduring a slump this season (Image: Getty)
"And he was presented this opportunity to race at Haas following Harvick into the four car at Harvick's retirement. There was this big announcement. I mean, it was emotional. It was cool. And he ends up winning his first race for the Wood Brothers. And I'm thinking, I'm hearing Penske was very high on Josh.
"Blaney and all the guys were saying that he was great as a teammate and a big addition to the operation. They had this really solid first year. He wins a race in Vegas, qualifies, runs well at a lot of different racetracks. Looked like it was going to be positive. And I don't know, I do not know what has happened. I really don't. I don't bug Josh too much about it. I think the world of the Wood Brothers, I idolize Leonard and them, but I don't know what has happened.
"It's unfortunate because I don't know where this goes for Josh. The landscape right now is crappy for guys like him. I don't know what opportunities even exist. It's heartbreaking because, man, he has worked his ass off to get to this point.
"And I think he's proven good enough. I'm hopeful that there's still some racing left for Josh and them to do some things this year that will bolster Josh's opportunities."
Berry hopes to catch a break from his season woes soon. It's unlike anything else he has experienced in his career thus far.
"It's just been... I've never lived through a season like this when it's just one thing after another," he said. "Things that people don't see and that don't make it on TV. I don't go on social media every week and post about every little thing that went wrong in our race. We just can't catch a break, man, flat out."
Source: “AOL Sports”
