Legendary NASCAR driver and Fox commentator Kevin Harvick provided insight behind Josh Berry’s biggest supporter — none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. So, it’s no surprise that Earnhardt was one of the happiest NASCAR fans on Earth as he watched the Wood Brothers driver secure his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 16.
Days after celebrating on Victory Lane, Berry showed up on Earnhardt’s podcast show, bringing incredible stories to share — not just with his biggest supporter but with the entire racing community.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Refused To Watch the Final Laps of Pennzoil 400
During the interview, Earnhardt described the wave of emotions he felt as he watched Berry slowly fight his way up the order to win the Pennzoil 400.
Berry is known for his incredible restarts, and Las Vegas was no exception. As the lights turned green for the final time, the No. 21 driver executed a flawless restart, setting up a thrilling two-way battle with Daniel Suárez for the win.
While Suárez held his ground for a while, Berry ultimately proved too strong, surging past the Mexican-American racer to take the lead. As Berry and Suárez battled for the win, Earnhardt sat anxiously on his couch at home, sweating it out.
On “The Dale Jr. Download,” Earnhardt revealed that he took the trash out for the final five laps to escape the stress.
“You were five laps to go and Amy [Earnhardt, his wife,] texted me something about the kids and I just text her back, ‘Josh’. And she was like, ‘Josh what? Josh what?’ And I’m like, ‘He’s about to…’ She goes, ‘Is he about to win?’ I said, ‘White flag.’ I couldn’t even talk,” Earnhardt said.
“I couldn’t even think. I got up and went and took the trash out with five laps to go. I couldn’t watch. Dude, I was talking to Tony Gibson and when Alan Kulwicki won the [19]92 championship, he was the gas man. He’s like, I didn’t watch the last two laps. I just huddled down against the pit wall and hit, you know.”
Earnhardt shared further his experience watching Berry’s finish in Las Vegas, a monumental moment for the Wood Brothers driver.
“Man, when you get in those moments, like if you’re not doing it, if you’re not out in the car, you’ll experience that probably someday where you’re like, I can’t even watch. And I bet there are a lot of people just like me that are in your world that were the same way that are just so over the moon for this to happen,” the one-time Cup Series champion concluded.
After years of struggles and sacrifices, Berry finally broke the deadlock with an astounding race win in Las Vegas. So, could this be the start of a victory spree for the Wood Brothers?