RIDGEWAY, VA :: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was in attendance to watch JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry win the Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night. During a press conference on Sunday morning, ahead of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, Earnhardt, Jr. complimented his driver and said seeing Berry win gives him motivation to win Sunday’s race.
“I love going to local tracks,” Earnhardt, Jr.said. “There’s nothing like that smell and atmosphere. For Josh and those kids racing there, they don’t know how much fun they’re having because they’re worried about going out there and running well… It’s fun to see that youth and excitement.”
Earnhardt, Jr. was eliminated from championship contention after being swept up in an accident at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama in the final race of the Contender round of NASCAR’s new playoff championship system. With the pressure of the championship now off for the Daytona 500 winner, he’s now worried about winning races and he hopes he can win at Martinsville — a track he’s run well at before.
“I feel real good about our chances every time we come to Martinsville,” he remarked. “[Berry’s win] motivates me to come in here and get fired up and extra motivation to come out here and do good.”
Berry’s win on Saturday night was his 11th win of the season. Nine of Berry’s wins have come at Hickory. He also has wins this season at Myrtle Beach Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park.
Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway can be seen on ESPN at 1:30pm EST.
