“It’s My Fault” – Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Surprising Defense of His Departing Driver on Social Media Has Fans Applauding His Ownership

Dale Earnhardt Jr is no less than a protective bird taking care of its nest. The beloved team owner of JR Motorsports dedicated his post-retirement career to nurturing raw talents and molding them into refined race winners. One such product of his driver development program was Xfinity series’ Las Vegas pole winner, Josh Berry.

The Hall of Famer’s #8 Xfinity driver will ride up the NASCAR ladder to join Tony Stewart in the Cup Series next year. When a Stewart-Haas Racing fan expressed their doubts over this decision, Dale Jr went to extraordinary lengths to stand by his driver.

 Dale Earnhardt Jr shoulders the blame for his prodigy’s lackluster season

Dale Earnhardt Jr discovered Josh Berry 15 years ago and inducted him into JR Motorsports’ late-model racing team. Berry had given up hopes for a thriving NASCAR career when Junior signed him on to his #8 team for a full Xfinity ride last season. The grateful driver promptly thanked his team owner with 3 race wins and a championship 4 spot. This season, however, something unexpected happened.

Hendrick Motorsports required his assistance to sub in for their injured Cup drivers. In his first 6 Cup races, Berry provided 3 Top 10 finishes and Tony Stewart found his #4 driver in place of retiring Kevin Harvick. However, Berry could not stand out in the Xfinity Series this year. This led one SHR fan to wonder if the 4 x champion, Stewart, was far too hasty in his driver’s choice and better performers such as Dale Jr’s #1 driver Sam Mayers or a Truck Series star might have been more suitable for the Cup series.

Watch this story: Carson Hocevar Joins Spire Motorsports, Shares Special Bond With Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Their Reddit post elaborated, “If SHR waited they could have had a chance at a guy like [Carson] Hocevar, who looked good in cup, they could have taken a chance on some other guys like Zane Smith, or Sam Mayer who looks incredibly promising. It just feels like Berry benefitted from Hendrick being so good early in cup this year, and SHR immediately bit on that, but there’s definitely no Josh Berry hype now.”

Before anyone else could respond to the accusation, Berry’s mentor, Dale Jr himself, jumped into the arena to shield his racer from the undeserved attack. Taking the responsibility for Berry’s shortened playoff run, Junior said, “It’s my fault. I didn’t give him what he needed this year. He’s good enough for the cup opportunity. The lack of wins/success this year was not a JBerry issue.” Unsurprisingly, the NASCAR fandom couldn’t rave enough about the veteran’s thoughtful gesture.

NASCAR fandom hail the JR Motorsports owner for inspirational leadership

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Dale Earnhardt Jr is easy to spot in the world of motorsports. The 2 x Xfinity champion can be seen racing on tracks occasionally and commenting on races often. The popular driver is a team owner, an NBC analyst, and a podcast host. But his fans were pleasantly surprised to find him actually commenting on a social media platform.

“No way Jr is on Reddit”

“Yay it’s Dale”

Others were thoroughly impressed by his complete ownership of the team’s issues in order to support his racer.

“Holy sh*t, not where I expected to see Dale Jr. you’re awesome for standing up for your driver and being transparent. Thanks Junebug!”

“This guy just got on Reddit to defend his driver. What a leader”

His fans knew Junior had all the experience in the world to know what he was talking about.

“I’ll take this guy’s word for it”

“Good enough for me. Next thread.”

This commentator best summed up the entire racing fandom’s sentiments with, “You’re the absolute best Jr! Proud to be a fan for all these years, and I’m thankful for all you’ve done in the sport”

Not just on the track, Dale Jr proves yet again why he’s a fan-favourite off the track as well! Do you think SHR made a wrong move by signing Josh Berry? Let us know in the comments!

Read More: Outspoken Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Tolerance to Controversial “HMS Culture” Under Jeff Gordon’s Leadership Questioned by Close Insider