Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighs in on NASCAR star's 'heartbreaking' situation after losing seat

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. says that he finds Josh Berry's current situation in the sport 'heartbreaking' having seen him lose his seat ahead of the 2027 season.

It was revealed last month that Berry would not be driving the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing next year after a tough first half of the season with the team, with reigning O'Reilly Series champion Jesse Love having since been confirmed as Berry's replacement.

Earnhardt Jr. and Berry have a close relationship, with Earnhardt Jr. having played a pivotal role in his career, first signing him to drive Late Models for JR Motorsports back in 2010, and supporting him right the way through until a Cup Series opportunity presented itself in 2024.

Moving forward, it's unclear what comes next for Berry, and speaking on his Dale Jr Download podcast, Earnhardt Jr. has claimed that it is a tough landscape for drivers like him.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. finds Josh Berry situation 'heartbreaking'

“It’s heartbreaking for me because I think of Josh as a family member,” Earnhardt Jr. explained after Berry's latest DNF at North Wilkesboro this weekend. “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, we won hundreds of races - track championships, national championships, we won Xfinity, O’Reilly races - we did everything we could to give him everything we could give him.

“He was presented with this opportunity to race at Haas following Harvick into the four car after Harvick’s retirement. It 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 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 and runs well at a lot of different race tracks. It looked like it was going to be positive.

“And 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 idolise Leonard and them, but I don’t know what has happened."

Earnhardt Jr unsure on Berry future

"It’s unfortunate because I don’t know where this goes for Josh,” Earnhardt concluded. “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, you know, there's still some racing left for Josh and them to do some things this year that will bolster Josh's opportunities."