Josh Berry cites Dale Earnhardt Jr. inspiration on decision not to do a burnout after first win at Las Vegas

Josh Berry won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas on Sunday and decided not to do a burnout. While speaking to reporters after the race, Berry revealed he didn’t do a burnout because of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“There’s a couple reasons. For one, over the course of the off-season, I found myself watching the 2014 Daytona 500 when Dale won,” Berry said. “He went down to one and kind of swung around, took his stuff off, waved at the fans. I think back of Saturday night short-track racing, we wouldn’t have that type of celebration because you couldn’t blow the quarter panels up, blow the motor, tear the car to hell after the race.

“That’s just what I wanted to do. Kind of who I am. I did a little bit of one there at the end there, just kind of spun around a couple times. That’s just who I am as a person. I’ve spent my whole life working on my own race cars, building race cars, got my ass chewed a couple times for doing burnouts when I shouldn’t and tore stuff up. I just want to soak in the moment.”

More on Josh Berry’s first NASCAR Cup Series win

Josh Berry, who won his first Cup Series race on Sunday, is in his second season as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. In 2024, the now 34-year-old earned four top-10 finishes and finished 27th in the final standings. In five races this year, Berry has earned two top-five finishes, including Sunday’s win.

It’s fitting for Berry to pay tribute to Dale Earnhardt Jr. since he drove for JR Motorsports while competing in the Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023. During the 2022 season, Berry won three races and finished fourth in the standings. In 2023, Berry did not win a race but earned 11 top-five finishes.

Berry also spoke to reporters about getting his first Cup Series win during his 50th career start. “As a racer and a person, I’m 34 years old and have been racing for years and years and years,” he said. “Even though it’s at a different level, I’ve seen a lot of different things. I feel like that proved in the Xfinity Series that I was maybe a little bit more prepared than really I thought I was. Now to be here today, it’s really cool.”