On Thursday Afternoon on SiruisXM NASCAR Radio, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced that Josh Berry would be piloting the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro in approximately 12 races throughout the first-half of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
“I’m excited to tell you…that we’re committing to put you in the No. 8 Chevrolet for a dozen races in the first half of 2021,” Earnhardt Jr. told Berry. “You worked hard for this opportunity. We’ll have more details in the coming months, but I wanted to let you know we’re going to go Xfinity racing next year.”
This will not be Berry’s first foray into NASCAR Xfinity Series competition as the Hendersonville, Tennessee-native has collected two top-ten finishes in seven career starts for JR Motorsports.
“I’m honestly speechless,” a surprised Berry said. “That’s the last thing I would have expected. Gosh, that’s amazing. I can’t wait to prepare for that and get going. [It’s] truly unbelievable. I just can’t thank everybody enough for believing in me and giving me these opportunities. For a short track guy, it’s just amazing to see these opportunities come about.”
Berry will join 17-year-old Chevrolet prospect Sam Mayer as drivers of the JR Motorsports No. 8 in 2021, as the Wisconsin-native will take over the car for the second-half of the 2021 season, before moving to the organization on a full-time basis in 2022.
Additional details, including the car’s sponsorship and complete schedule will be announced at a later date.