Berry Has the Tools To Be a Consistent Contender

Five years ago, on the 10th anniversary of the loss of his grandfather to pancreatic cancer, Austin Berry decided to dedicate the 2018 season to his late grandfather by racing a purple car and working all season long to raise money for and awareness of the dreadful disease that has only a 9% survival rate, far lower than most other forms of cancer.

Berry committed to honor his late grandfather every five seasons in the same way.  It is now 2023 and it is time to break out the purple once again.  Throughout the season fans will be able to enter to win some unique items, such as Berry’s driving gloves, a tail banner, and body panels from the car.  There will also be apparel available and decals, which fans can sign in memory of a loved one and then place on the deck of Berry’s No.86 where it will ride all season long.  All of these fun opportunities will raise money for PanCan.org.

“This campaign means a lot to me, my mom and my entire family.  My grandfather was a big part of my start in racing, so it gives us a way to honor him, but it also allows us to help spread the word about warning signs of pancreatic cancer and maybe help someone recognize the signs before it is too late.“, Berry shared.

“Unfortunately, we know too many people who have been affected by pancreatic cancer.  We share an unfortunate experience, so when they find out what we are doing, they want to help however they can.”

The name of the campaign, ‘Racing For Time’, stems from the fact that most cases of pancreatic cancer are not discovered until they reach stage 4, leading to a mere 9% five-year survival rate.  There is no blood test that can detect the disease.  It goes undiscovered until it has advanced enough to cause noticeable symptoms.  Therefore, patients have little time.  Berry hopes increasing awareness and raising funds for research will lead to patients having more time, thus he is ‘Racing For Time’.

The team will release more details about the campaign in the coming weeks.