8/13/2023
Tom Berry Jr.
Berry Jr. wins twice at Boone
Tom Berry Jr. took on a stretch of four races in five days over the past week in his No. 11x IMCA Modified, culminating in a pair of victories at Boone Speedway (Boone, Iowa).
On Saturday, Berry was among 38 Modified competitors at the 1/3-mile Boone track for the Watermelon Classic and P1P Modified Challenge. Berry opened the evening by setting quick time in his qualifying group and driving from sixth to second in his heat race. The top competitors in time trials and heat race points qualified for the special 15-lap P1P Modified Challenge, where Berry started from the second position.
He grabbed the $1,000 win by 1.981 seconds over David Stremme, with Cory Saurman, Cory Wray and Iza Mallicotat rounding out the top five.
In the night’s 25-lap Watermelon Classic IMCA Modified A-Main, Berry started from third on the grid and battled among the lead cars throughout the race. He took the lead for good on Lap 24 and won the $1,000 top prize by taking the checkered flag just 0.255 seconds ahead of Stremme. Third place went to Jeremy Mills, with Tim Ward fourth and Sauerman fifth.
The triumph was Berry’s ninth feature event win of 2023.
The victory came after nearly a full week of racing for Berry, which opened on Tuesday with the second night of the IMCA.tv Modified Speedweek at Deer Creek Speedway (Spring Valley, Minnesota). A whopping 75 Modifieds filled the pit area at the 3/8-mile oval for the 32nd annual Harris Clash paying $5,000 to win. After a fifth-place finish in his heat race, Berry fell from eighth to 12th in his B-Main, ending his evening.
The following night, Berry visited Hancock County Speedway (Britt, Iowa) for the 4/10-mile track’s Night of 10,000 Stars event. Berry was among 53 Modified competitors looking to take the $5,000 top prize. He won his heat race, positioning him in the fourth starting spot for the 50-lap main event. However, he was unable to finish and came home 27th.
On Friday, Berry once again visited Hancock County Speedway for the Night of 1,000 Stars, featuring another $5,000-to-win IMCA Modified program. This time, Berry was one of 38 IMCA Modified drivers at the track. He drove from sixth to first to score a victory in his heat race, but rain washed out the remainder of the event.
After Saturday’s Modified win at Boone, Berry closed out the weekend by jumping in his No. 11x IMCA Stock Car at Benton County Speedway (Vinton, Iowa) for the $2,000-to-win Bald Tire Bash at the quarter-mile speed plant.
Berry finished fifth in his heat, putting him in the 15th starting position for the 50-lap main event. He charged forward 13 positions to finish as runner-up in the 21-car field, trailing only Dylan Thornton by 0.412 seconds at the checkered flag. Kaden Reynolds completed the podium, with Buck Schafroth and Nathan Ballard finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Full results can be found at www.deercreekspeedway.com, www.hancockcountyspeedway.com, www.raceboone.com and www.bcsbullring.com.
Article Credit: 15Belowphoto image