Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighed in on the intense battle for the lead between Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire.
In the waning laps of the Dollar Tree 301, Wallace and Berry jockeyed for the top spot. At one point, Berry’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford ran into the back of Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota in turn 3, sending the latter out of the groove.
Berry took command, but it was short-lived as Wallace regained control by the time the two got back to the flag stand. Ultimately, Ryan Blaney outran both of them to win the race with Wallace finishing second and Berry coming home third.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Berry’s contact was unintentional
In a recent episode of “The Dale Jr. Download,” the retired NASCAR Hall of Famer analyzed the intriguing battle between Wallace and Berry.
Earnhardt Jr. believes Berry, who previously drove for JR Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, did not intend on shoving Wallace out of the way. The 51-year-old concluded that Berry was already committed to running the bottom groove in turn 3 and could not check up in time.
Based on the line Berry proceeded to run into turn 1, Earnhardt Jr. believes the driver of the No. 21 feared possible retaliation from Wallace.
“I don’t think Josh meant to hit him. … So, Josh is like, ‘Oh [expletive].’ He knows he’s going to hit him and he knocks the [expletive] out of Bubba Wallace. I think Josh in that moment goes, ‘Oh, [expletive]. I didn’t mean to do that.’ If you watch Josh, the line that he runs into turn 1 is a, ‘Please don’t [expletive] hit me, please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me,’” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Because Berry does not currently have a ride for the 2027 season, Earnhardt Jr. said that was likely on the forefront of his mind as he hoped Wallace would not retaliate.
“Josh is sitting there going, ‘I’ve got to run top 10. I’ve got to do it. I’ve got to keep this sort of narrative going that I belong here, that I need to keep the conversation around me. I’ve got to run good. I can’t [expletive] suck.’ He got down in the corner, made a mistake — he dove into turn 3, Bubba committed to the same line and Josh is like, ‘[Expletive],’ and smashes him,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
While the defensive entry into turn 1 played a role in Berry losing the lead to Wallace, Earnhardt Jr. believes it was better safe than sorry.
“You don’t know. Bubba might be like, ‘What the [expletive] was that?’” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Earnhardt Jr. praises Berry, Wallace for New Hampshire battle
The Berry/Wallace battle at New Hampshire was intense and one that Earnhardt Jr. enjoyed.
The 26-time Cup Series winner even got a chuckle out of Berry’s entry into turn 1 as he knew it was in an effort to avoid retaliation from the driver of the No. 23.
“I liked it. It was good racing, but it was so funny. I was kinda laughing when you see the ultra-defensive line that Josh runs down into turn 1. It’s a line of, ‘Man, I’m going to blow this corner, I’m going to run the worst line I could possibly run through this corner,’ in an attempt to not get crashed,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
The Cup Series heads to the Daytona International Speedway this Saturday, the final race before the Chase. Wallace, who sits 14th in the points standings, has a 75-point buffer over the cut line. The 32-year-old only needs to score two points to clinch a spot in the Chase.
Berry, meanwhile, is mired back in 29th in the standings. However, the 35-year-old has been on a hot streak lately with four straight top-10 finishes and two top fives in the last four races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Analyzes Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry New Hampshire Battle