"I was scared for ya": Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Josh Berry's "out of control" outing during 2024 NASCAR Cup race at Bristol

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver turned broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently reacted to the eventful 2024 Food City 500 on Sunday, March 17. In a text exchange with Josh Berry that the Stewart-Haas Racing driver posted on social media, Dale Jr. wrote that he was scared for Berry during the race.

The 500-lap-long race at Bristol Motor Speedway saw drivers return to the original concrete surface of the track, accompanied by unprecedented levels of tire wear on race day.

Several drivers struggled for pace on the track, with many opting to save their tires by managing wear and going slower than their usual pace. A handful of drivers such as Kyle Busch also suffered flat tires during the event.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. thoroughly enjoyed the race as he posted on X:

"I loved everything about that race today."

In the replies to the post, former JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry backed up his claims by posting a screenshot of their conversation.

Touching on how tires were on the verge of failure as drivers approached the end of their runs, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had written to Berry:

"I watched every lap. Y'all did good. I was scared for ya there with 15 to go."

Josh Berry replied to the texts with a hilarious overview of what the race felt like for him and said:

"Lmao I was out of control. Ended on fire with 3 flats."

Bristol Motor Speedway saw an application of resin on the low side of the track before the event instead of the usual PJ1 application to boost grip levels on the concrete surface. NASCAR's official tire supplier Goodyear is looking into the possibility of the same having caused unexpected wear on Sunday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauds Goodyear after 2024 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauded NASCAR's official tire supplier Goodyear for setting up an interesting race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.

While the Next Gen car has been lacking in terms of the racing produced on short tracks, the unprecedented amounts of tire wear on Sunday saw drivers struggle during the event. Strategy calls were key to maintaining position, as was tire management, which is practically unheard of in NASCAR.

The Xfinity Series team owner took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Bravo @GoodyearRacing These drivers have got to be smart with these tires today. We will see who can balance pushing toward the front vs. killing their tires. This is fun to watch."