Chase Elliott’s replacement, Josh Berry, had a tough outing in Las Vegas as he finished 29th with no points in the bag while three other Hendrick cars finished in the top three. Although the 32-year-old struggled at his first race of 2023, Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged his efforts to create his own pathway to a Cup Series opportunity.
In the recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed that he advised Berry to stay positive. He told the JR Motorsports driver to focus on redeeming himself in the Xfinity Series if things did not work out in his favor.
“But, I cannot, you know, I had my last name. I had my dad. This guy came from Nashville and he’s here. He has nobody around him other than his wife. And he’s on this deal on his own. But this guy has, anybody like that, I mean. It really has made me appreciate, like the self-made driver, right.”
Chase Elliott is likely to be sidelined for six weeks following a fractured tibia that led to surgery. Luckily for Berry, Hendrick Motorsports has decided to stick with him on oval tracks until Elliott returns. Meanwhile, Jackson Taylor would be driving the #9 car at the Circuit of The Americas.