Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave high praise to one of his Jr. Motorsports drivers, Josh Berry, claiming he’s a “cup champion waiting for a cup owner.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. via Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media YouTube
Earnhardt Jr. tweeted out his praise for Berry writing, “Josh Berry is a cup champion waiting for a cup owner who wants to be a cup champion owner.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Twitter
Junior’s praise for Berry comes after the driver took the pole for the 55th Snowball Derby. However, the end result didn’t match the qualifying result as Berry finished in 25th after he was “spun by Hunter Robbins twice and wasn’t a factor in the finish.” Nevertheless, Racing America noted that Berry was one of the main threats to eventual winner Derek Thorn.
While Berry’s finish at the Snowball Derby wasn’t where he would have liked it, the Xfinity Series driver did take home a prestigious win and a $50,000 payday at Southern National Motorsports Park’s Thanksgiving Classic in his JR Motorsports prepared Late Model Stock Car.
Josh Berry via Southern National Motorsports Park Facebook
Berry’s 2022 season also saw him start all 33 races of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He won three races, had 11 top 5s, and 20 top 10s. He finished the season with an average finish of 10.8. His three wins came at Dover, Charlotte, and Las Vegas.
In his first full year in the Xfinity Series, Berry finished fourth in the points standings behind Champion Ty Gibbs, runner-up Noah Gragson, and third place Justin Allgaier.
Gibbs, Gragson, and Allgaier finished first, second, and third respectively at Phoenix Raceway during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship race. Berry finished a disappointing 13th after he made contact with the outside wall on the backstretch during the final restart of the race. Berry locked himself into the Championship 4 with a win at Las Vegas.
Josh Berry via NASCAR YouTube
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Last year in the Xfinity Series, Berry started 22 of 33 races. He won two races, had 6 top 5s, 12 top 10s, and led 216 laps. He had an average finish of 16.27 and finished the season 17th in the points standings.
His two wins came at Martinsville and Las Vegas.
Berry also had a win in his only CARS Late Model Stock Tour start of the year. Berry won the race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway back in April.
Berry was able to outduel Layne Riggs, who was eventually spun by Berry’s teammate Carson Kvapil towards the end of the race.
Berry is definitely one of the most talented drivers out there and Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks he clearly doesn’t have ceiling granted he believes he can win a Cup championship.
What do you make of Earnhardt Jr.’s praise for Josh Berry?