Berry’s Weekend Ends with Heartbreak at Lincoln

Saturday afternoon Berry ventured to Lincoln Speedway for the first time in his racing career.  With nothing more to go on than studying videos and a little info from some fellow racers who had more experience at the Abbottstown, PA oval, Berry was there to start building some notes for the upcoming Appalachian Mountain Late Model Speedweek.

By virtue of the pill draw, Berry was slated to start 2nd in the first heat, however during hot laps something was amiss with the carburetor or fueling system.  The team scrambled to make a change but couldn’t complete the work in time to start the heat race.  

Berry’s ‘never give up’ attitude surfaced again for the B-main.  From his 10th starting spot, on a surface he had yet to make a competitive lap, Berry blasted his way all the way to 3rd by lap two, then into 2nd the following trip around.

When the field took the halfway sign in the 10-lap consolation race, Berry was out front and in command.  He went on to win by an impressive 3.7 seconds.  

Berry picked up right where he left when the green flag dropped on the 30-lap A-main.  From his 19th starting spot, he reached 11th on lap six.  Berry continued to knock on the door of the top ten for the next half-dozen laps.

On lap sixteen, it all fell apart when something in the engine expired.  Berry’s official finish was 19th.

“This place is different but it sure is fun.”, Berry shared with a grin after exiting his Rocket XR1.  I’ve raced other smaller places in the region like Clinton County, BAPS and Path Valley, and of course all the bigger tracks in the area like Port, The Grove, Selinsgrove and Hagerstown…but this was my first time here.“, Berry said.  

“I can’t wait to come back for (Appalachian Mountain Late Model) Speedweek.  Now I know what to expect and what we need to work on.”, Berry continued.  “I’m not going to tell you I’m disappointed.  The reality is I’m mad.  We have been plagued by these kinds of issues and we need to figure out how to solve it once and for all if we are going to keep growing this team and getting better.  We can win more races but we need to be out there consistently to do it.“

Be sure to scroll down to watch the team’s YouTube video recap from Bedford, plus subscribe to Austin Berry Racing’s YouTube Channel to see the Lincoln recap later this week!