8/10/2024
Tom Berry Jr.
Tom Berry Jr. triumphant in Harris Clash at Deer Creek
Prepping for IMCA Super Nationals at Boone Speedway
DES MOINES, Iowa (08/13/24) – Tom Berry Jr. added his second Harris Clash triumph in the past three years with a flag-to-flag victory on Tuesday night in the 33rd running of the annual event at Deer Creek Speedway aboard his Brodehl Trucking / Lethal Chassis No. 11j Berry Racing Enterprises / Jahnke Heating and Air Conditioning Modified.
Berry held the top spot throughout the 30-lapper after a couple of mid-race cautions to secure the $5,000 victory and his 14th win of the 2024 campaign.
"I just kept my head down and tried to keep the car straight,” Berry said. “The track was definitely a lot slicker than in years past and definitely threw me a curve ball. “I’ve had my ups and downs here but I’ve had a lot of ups lately. Winning this race always means a lot, just the effort by so many people that goes into it. Everything is always top-notch.”
On Tuesday, 60 Modified competitors descended on Spring Valley, Minnesota, for the Harris Clash event at the 3/8-mile Deer Creek Speedway. Berry notched a win in his heat race, starting him second in the 30-lap, $5,000-to-win feature. He steered his No. 11x Modified into the top spot on the first circuit and wired the field, taking the checkered flag 1.365 seconds ahead of Zack VanderBeek. Ethan Braakssma completed the podium, while Tim Ward and Joel Rust finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The win was Berry’s 14th feature triumph in 2024.
The next night, Berry was part of a 27-car Modified field at Spencer, Iowa’s Clay County Fair Speedway for the $2,500-to-win Clay County Clash. Berry won his heat for the second night in a row and started seventh in the 30-lap feature on the 3/8-mile oval. He drove into the lead on lap 21 and led seven circuits before ultimately finishing second to Dylan Thornton. Braaksma, Ward and Tripp Gaylord completed the top five.
On Thursday, Berry was entered at Kossuth County Speedway in Algona, Iowa, for the Gene Schattschneider Memorial at the 4/10-mile track. Twenty-nine IMCA Modifieds were registered for the $5,600-to-win show, but Berry did not start his heat or the 25-lap A-Main.
Friday saw Berry wrap up his week with the Night of 1,000 Stars Night 1 Qualifier at Britt, Iowa’s 4/10-mile Hancock County Speedway, where 34 Modifieds were signed in. Berry grabbed the checkered flag in his heat and started on the pole in the $2,000-to-win feature. He led the first 16 laps of the 25-lap race, but ran into trouble and recorded a 20th-place result with a DNF.
Berry didn’t contest Saturday’s finale program worth $5,000 to the victor.
Full results from the week are at www.DeerCreekSpeedway.com, www.ClayCountyFair.com, and www.HancockCountySpeedway.com.
The team is still tentative as to where they will race next but has added the 42nd annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway to their upcoming plans.
The Prelude on August 31st kicks off the week-long event with the remainder of the program running September 2nd-7th.
Full event details at www.IMCA.com.
Tom Berry Jr. and Berry Racing Enterprises would like to thank all of their marketing partners, which include Brodehl Trucking, Lethal Chassis, Jahnke Heating and Air Conditioning, Graveyard Auto and Towing, Precision Hydraulic & Oil, Supreme Lawn and Landscape, Dirt Stars Racing Products, Rosco Racing Carbs, Henry’s Headers & Exhaust Systems, AFCO, Swift Springs, Hooker Harness, Performance Bodies, Penske Racing Shocks, Autonation Crate by Klein, Walker Filtration, Jones Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Fast Shafts, Total Power, Tire Demon by Love Tap, Bassett, Noonan Industries LLC, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Velocita, Race-Fan, Magee Painting and Sand Blasting, Slick Stick Shocks, Berry’s Oak Grove Storage, Dairy Queen North Third Avenue, Manure Money Stone Spending, and MyRacePass Marketing Services.
Article Credit: Zipp's Photos image
