Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the situation of his close friend and longtime business partner Josh Berry following the announcement that his contract with Wood Brothers Racing would not be renewed for the 2027 season. Dale Jr. Download Earnhardt mentioned this on his podcast, stating that he didn't see a suitable car or team for Berry on the current NASCAR racing calendar.
Bad timing.
Wood Brothers Racing announced last month that Berry's option would not be exercised and that he would be replaced in 2027 by current O'Reilly Series (Xfinity) champion Jesse Love. This decision comes despite Berry having won a race with the team in Las Vegas last year. Berry is currently 33rd in the Cup Series this season; in the most recent race, he was forced to retire from the race while battling for 25th place after losing grip under Christopher Bell and crashing into his own car.
Earnhardt commented on the matter: “It’s terrible, really terrible. Josh was driving well. He even got as far as 13th place. Nobody’s going to care that it was a really good performance. Everyone’s just going to look at the statistics.”
A decade of shared journey
Earnhardt recalled that his acquaintance with Berry stemmed from the iRacing platform and four-cylinder racing with Legend Cars at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Earnhardt, who discovered Berry, raced him in Late Model Stock cars for nearly a decade. During this time, the pair won track championships at Hickory and Motor Mile, as well as one championship each in the CARS Tour and NASCAR Weekly Series.
“We raced together, for ten years,” Earnhardt said. “We won hundreds of races, track championships, national championships. We took O’Reilly races. We did our best. Then, after Kevin Harvick’s retirement, he moved to the Cup with the #4 car at Stewart-Haas; it was a big announcement, an emotional moment. Then he won his first race at Wood Brothers. I heard Penske really embraced Josh; Ryan Blaney and the other drivers said he was a great teammate. A win in Las Vegas, strong performances on so many tracks… Everything looked positive. But then I really don’t know what happened.”
There are no gaps in the market.
According to Earnhardt, Berry's biggest disadvantage is his inability to bring in personal sponsors or funding; therefore, a team needs to recruit him based solely on his race performance. However, Earnhardt isn't even sure if a suitable opportunity exists at the moment.
“I don’t know where this is going to go for Josh,” Earnhardt said. “The market is very limited right now for names like his. Truck, O’Reilly, or Cup; whichever you choose, I don’t see any vehicles or trucks looking for drivers. It’s just a bad time.”
Berry has yet to make a strong start in the Cup Series this season, and uncertainty surrounding roster changes at the end of the season continues.