Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his disappointment in NASCAR’s landscape as Josh Berry continues to search for a 2027 ride. He called it an ‘odd’ situation where a Cup Series winner can’t find a full-time deal.
Berry has been on a roll recently, nabbing three consecutive top-10s and a season-best fourth at Iowa Speedway. The short-track specialist, however, looks at an uncertain future next season.
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He’s being replaced by reigning O’Reilly champion Jesse Love, who makes the jump from Chevrolet to Ford. On the latest episode of Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt shared his sympathy for Berry’s situation.
“I will be pretty disappointed in the landscape of this industry if he – in February at Daytona, he doesn’t have a full-time gig in one of the three (national series). If he doesn’t have a full-time gig in Truck, O’Reilly, or Cup, I will be pretty damn disappointed,” he said via On3.
“This is a winner, a Cup Series winner, and the dude just ran off three top-10 finishes,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. added, “Those things are hard to do, and I just find it odd that there’s not somewhere he can have a full-time deal.”
Josh Berry currently rounds out the top-30 with 337 points to his name. Up next, he heads to New Hampshire Speedway, a track where he scored runner-up during the 2025 playoffs.
Berry had qualified for the post-season thanks to his maiden win at Las Vegas. He hasn’t been so lucky this season, as five DNFs further tarnish his stats.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledges Josh Berry’s wreck-prone driving
Mar 22, 2026; Darlington, South Carolina, USA; Wood Brothers Racing Josh Berry (21) comes out for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted that Josh Berry has a reputation for wrecking his car. The No.21 driver had one of the worst playoff rounds last year.
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Notably, he crashed out on lap 1 of the Round of 16 opener in Darlington. Berry has the second-most DNFs this season, behind rookie driver Connor Zilisch’s eight wrecks.
“Look, there are statistics that would say there were some things he needs to clean up. He wrecked a lot. Now, there were some wrecks that weren’t his fault, but there were some wrecks that, you know, he could have avoided,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said via aforementioned source.
“I think Josh is – I think this has been a bit of a wake-up call, and he has sort of been re-energized,” he added.
Josh Berry recently spoke to the press and admitted that there are no offers on the line. He even confessed to meeting with O’Reilly teams.
The 36-year-old rose through the ranks in grassroots racing and eventually landed a seat with JR Motorsports. He competed multiple seasons before getting called up for a Cup ride with Stewart-Haas Racing.
After the team closed shop in 2024, Berry switched to Wood Brothers Racing, taking over Harrison Burton’s seat.
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