#swiftsprings Archives

Inside Austin Berry’s Dynamic Offseason: From Indiana to West Virginia to Pennsylvania

December 29, 2023/in Austin Berry, Late Models/by mraddicted2dirt

Countdown to ABR’s 2024 Season Kickoff: Dec. 31st is Last Call for Discounted Tickets!

Mifflin, PA – December 29, 2023

by Addicted2Dirt PR & Media Mgmt

Fans might think that race teams are sitting at home on their couch over the winter, waiting for Spring to approach so they can dust off their race car and get ready to sling dirt again.

That is certainly not the case. Most teams would tell you they work harder during the offseason. It’s probably at least fair to say they work just as hard but have a lot less fun since they don’t get to race. From October through February in Pennsylvania, you will find teams in the race shop tearing their car down, ordering parts, and going over every detail.

There is a lot of planning and effort involved to bring all of that together into a race-ready team by the time March rolls around.

LIVE MUSIC, FOOD AND GAMES

There are just a couple of days remaining to pick up your discounted tickets for the Austin Berry Racing 2024 Season Kickoff Party. Tickets are just $25 through December 31, 2023, before the price goes up!

As a way to spend time with fans and get to know them while having a good time and raising money for the race team, Austin Berry looks forward to the team’s annual event.

“This event gives us a chance to hang out with our fans, partners, friends, and family in a way we don’t get to otherwise. It’s great to make a real connection with everyone and thank them for their support. At the track we are always busy and don’t have time for much more than a quick hello.”, Berry said.

The party will be held on January 27, 2024, at the Port Royal Speedway commercial building. Doors will open at 4pm with a BBQ Chicken dinner served at 5pm. At 7pm Chris Woodward and Shindiggin’ will take the stage to provide live music for fans to kick up their heels and tap their toes to. Throughout the evening there will be cash giveaway drawings, which fans are automatically entered in just for buying a ticket to the event. There will also be 50/50 drawings, basket raffles, and other games.

From January 1st-26th, tickets will be priced at $30 and, if available, will be $35 at the door the day of the event.

The day kicks off with a cornhole tournament from 11am-3pm. The competition is limited to 40 teams and guarantees cash prizes of $300, $160, $80, and $40 for the top four teams. Teams must preregister for $40/team to compete. This is a separate event from the evening dinner and live music ticket.

Along with preparing for their annual night celebrating with fans, the team is a lot busier than you may think during the offseason.

GETTING THE SHIP IN ORDER

Berry’s offseason got started even earlier than hoped when his motor failed in late August. The team pulled the motor and delivered it for repairs to be made.

After wrapping up the season by competing in three limited late model events with a borrowed motor, Berry and his team began the process of tearing the car down to the bare frame. Every component is evaluated and replacements are ordered as needed.

Berry also invests time in keeping up with the latest product innovations and improvements that could better the team’s program.

Most recently, the team made the trip to the home of Rocket Chassis in West Virginia to have their frame gone over to make sure there were no lingering effects from a mid-summer incident at Hagerstown Speedway. The bad news is the crew at Rocket found the front end needed a little more attention than Berry had hoped, but the good news is it has been addressed.

PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY

In early December, as they do every year, Berry and his team traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show. The largest racing trade show in North America provides Berry with the opportunity to say thank you to current partners, discuss potential improvements for the upcoming season, learn about new products, and initiate new relationships, all under one roof in the span of a couple of days.

Berry’s partners will return to support the team in 2024, with one exception. Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter, Juniata Veterinary Clinic, SRI Performance, VP Racing Fuels, JDS Racing, Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop, Nathan Berry Beef Farm, GO Lithium, Valvoline Pro-V Racing, and numerous other product sponsors will return.

The Tire Mart Tire Pros of Harrisburg, who has been with ABR for the last few years, will step away from its racing endeavors in 2024 to focus on growth opportunities but hopes to return to the team in 2025.

Austin Berry Racing wishes Greg and everyone at The Tire Mart the best with their 2024 plans.

“I can’t thank Greg enough for what he’s done for this team. I mean it sincerely. His belief in us helped move our program forward. We fully understand his situation for the upcoming season and hope to work with him again.” Austin Berry said.

Berry is seeking new partnerships for the upcoming season. Opportunities to join the team exist at a variety of levels that will allow a business to get good value for their investment. The team is extremely active on social media and leverages Addicted2Dirt PR and Media Management to reach a broad audience for their marketing partners.

FUELED FOR VICTORY

ABR has established a new relationship for 2024 with Victory Fuel, a popular and tasty alternative to sugary drinks.

Victory Fuel is not an energy drink. It is a flavored electrolyte water. It’s a healthy alternative made by combining triple-filtered water, electrolytes, daily vitamins, natural sweeteners, and natural flavors. There’s no artificial junk, no caffeine, and no carbonation.

Visit DrinkVictory.com to try the original Throttle Punch or the new Lucky Lemon! Fans can support Austin Berry Racing and save 10% on a purchase of Victory Fuel by using discount code “BERRY86” at checkout.

THE HOMESTRETCH

As the calendar flips to 2024, Berry and his team will bring all of their offseason activities together to produce a race-ready car by the end of February.

All of the parts and new sheet metal will arrive at the shop and assembly will commence. The motor will return, be installed, and fired.

Finally, the wrap carrying all their partner logos will be applied.

Before you know it, the No.86 will be turning left and getting dirty again. The team’s tentative schedule will be released in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to the team’s social media outlets for updates.

Be sure to visit Austin Berry Racing’s YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/AustinBerry86 to watch all the great content they provide!

LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE the video, plus SUBSCRIBE so you are the first to know about new videos!

AUSTIN BERRY RACING

Website: AustinBerryRacing.com

Bio & Media Info: A2DPR.com/AustinBerry

Press Releases: A2DPR.com/LatestNews

Facebook: Facebook.com/AustinBerryRacing

Twitter: Twitter.com/AustinBerryRacn

Shop: AustinBerryRacing.com/Shopping

Juniata Veterinary Clinic

Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter

SRI Performance / Stock Car Steel & Aluminum

VP Racing Fuels

JDS Racing

Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop

Nathan Berry Beef Farm

Addicted2DirtPR.com

GO Lithium

Valvoline Pro-V Racing

Victory Fuel

Super Clean

Peterson Fluid Systems

Barnes Systems, Inc.

Quick Car

Kevin Nouse Designs

Sweet Manufacturing

BDR Racing Products

Beyea Headers

Swift Springs

Strange Oval

DMI – Diversified Machine, Inc.

Quarter Master

Hoosier Mid-Atlantic

Rocket Chassis

As always, thank you to all our sponsors and partners, including our silent partners who do everything they can to help but ask for nothing in return! These are the businesses…the people…the families…that make what these we do possible.

PLEASE take the time to browse this information and help our race team by giving your business to these great partners.

Most importantly, tell them WHY you patronized them and thank them for being involved in racing!

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Addicted2Dirt PR and Media Management provides personal and powerful dirt motorsports public relations. We are a central Pennsylvania based business with a love of and passion for dirt racing and the people who make the sport what it is.

We keep fans engaged with your story through our personalized press releases
We promote your marketing partners to give them the value they want for their investment
We increase driver & team visibility to reach more fans and potential marketing partners
We present the polished, professional image that marketing partners want representing them
We leverage our audience and business model to achieve all of the above

Visit our website, A2DPR.com, to learn more about us and follow along with the stories of our race teams!

Follow A2D on Social Media! We are @Addicted2DirtPR on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok! Follow hashtag #TeamA2D!

And of course, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you are always notified of our latest video features, recaps and stories for #TeamA2D!

Contact us via Email at: [email protected]

ABR Addressing Motor Issues, Looking for Qualifying Speed in 2024

November 22, 2023/in Austin Berry, Late Models/by mraddicted2dirt

Tickets Are Now on Sale for the ABR 2024 Kickoff Party, Read Details Here

Mifflin, PA – November 22, 2023

by Addicted2Dirt PR & Media Mgmt

It’s that time of year again when race teams assess their program and begin preparations for the new season, making improvements and adjustments based on weak spots and lessons learned. While Austin Berry Racing carries out those tasks, they are also preparing to celebrate with their fans and build excitement for the 2024 season.

Before we look back at the 2023 season and hear from Austin about the team’s plans to address their biggest pain point, let’s take a look at everything you need to know about the upcoming party the team is putting together!

PARTY TIME WITH THE FANS

To get everyone primed for the upcoming racing season, Austin Berry Racing will hold its 2024 Season Kickoff Party on January 27th at the Port Royal Speedway commercial building.

It will be the second consecutive year for the event. The 2023 edition was a win-win for everyone. The event was very popular with fans and successful for the race team as well.

“It’s always cool to take advantage of chances to meet fans and supporters! It’s always a really good time and it gives fans a chance to talk to the race team and myself out of race mode.”, Berry said. “Fans get to see the personalities that all the guys have and we get to know them. We enjoy connecting with fans so they can stop by and say hi anytime during the season and they are a familiar face to us.“

The evening begins at 5pm with a dinner of BBQ chicken, seasoned potatoes, and Texas beans.

At 7pm Chris Woodward and Shindiggin’ will take the stage to deliver live music. The band promises it’s “always a rockin’ country party” when they show up!

Throughout the evening there will be cash giveaway drawings, 50/50 drawings, raffle baskets, and other games. There will be something for everyone.

Just 300 tickets will be sold for the dinner and music evening, with prices discounted to $25/person until December 31st, 2023. During January, prices will increase to $30/person. If availability remains, tickets will be $35 at the door.

Earlier in the day from 11am-3pm, ABR will host their 2nd Annual Cornhole Tournament in the same facility at Port Royal Speedway. The tournament is limited to 40 teams, with preregistration required. Registration is $40/team and payouts to the top four teams are guaranteed. The winning team will take home $300, with 2nd through 4th receiving $160, $80, and $40 respectively. Concessions will be available during the tournament.

To obtain tickets for the evening event or to preregister for the cornhole tournament, fans can call 717-994-8451 or message the team via Facebook.

Tickets for the evening dinner and music event are also available at AustinBerryRacing.com in the merchandise store. Tickets purchased via the website will be held at will-call to be picked up the day of the event.

Anyone who is interested in donating a basket for the raffle can contact the team via any of the same methods listed for tickets and registration. The team will promote your business or cause on social media in exchange for the donation.

ASSESSING 2023 AND ABR'S PATH

The 2023 season contained a few really shining moments for Austin Berry. No, they didn’t find victory lane, but they kicked off the season with a top-ten finish, posted a runner-up finish at Selinsgrove in May after leading the most laps, and kicked off June with a top five at Port Royal and a podium in their first ever race at Clinton County during Appalachian Mountain Speedweek.

Statistically, the 2023 season was very similar to 2022 but that wasn’t the goal. Berry and his team were looking to log more podium finishes, top fives, and top tens, and of course, hopefully get back to victory lane.

It was the similar statistics and the finishes in between those shining moments that made Berry feel he was underachieving and not making the progress he and the team expected of themselves.

There was a recurring theme behind that feeling. A closer look shows The Tire Mart Tire Pros of Harrisburg, Juniata Veterinary Clinic, Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter, SRI Performance / Stock Car Steel & Aluminum, VP Racing Fuels, JDS Racing, Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop, Nathan Berry Beef Farm, Addicted2DirtPR.com, GO Lithium, Valvoline Pro-V Racing, Super Clean, Rocket Chassis, Austin Berry Racing No.86 raced really well but often couldn’t overcome early qualifying laps that didn’t put the team in an optimal position for the night.

This certainly isn’t a gloom-and-doom story though. There are a lot of other positives to go with the shining moments we covered earlier.

The team logged more races than it ever had in the past and only missed qualifying for the main event twice all season. Another positive note was only one DNQ was a mechanical issue, plus Berry’s average finish for the season was just outside the top ten.

“I think that we have definitely gotten a lot more consistent. We no longer have flashes of brightness and then struggle to make the show the next weekend. With the exception of national touring series races, we are consistently qualifying for shows and making most of those through the heat races.“, Berry shared.

“We haven’t found the consistent speed early in the night to put ourselves in a starting position where we are capable of winning. We only started on the front row twice this past season.”

“Our team has been on a steady progression since 2019. I know it hasn’t come as quickly as any of us have wanted it to, especially me, but if we stay the of course and continue to work with our awesome partners, we will be fighting for multiple wins a season in the near future.“

TAKING A STEP BACK MENTALLY

After the season’s second engine failure sidelined his super late model program in late August, taking away three or four more potential starts, Berry decided to take a friend up on an offer to borrow a steel block engine and have a little fun racing with the limited late models.

He took to the track three times in September, each at a different speedway, and logged finishes of 4th, 2nd, and 8th.

“Running the limited was probably one of the highlights of the year, to be honest, not only for me but also for the race team. It was just fun to put it bluntly! We had absolutely zero expectations and we were going to just have fun and race. It allowed all of us to open up our mindsets and kind of just let loose a little bit.“, a smiling Berry shared.

“I had no idea what to expect from the driver’s seat with the drop in horsepower and we didn’t really know where our setups needed to be either, so we just went and raced and I think it actually allowed us to learn more about our racecar and learn ways that we can be better when we go back super racing in 2024.“

2024 PREPARATIONS

It’s no secret the Achilles heel for Austin Berry Racing in recent years has been motors. A team on a limited budget unfortunately can’t buy brand new, top-of-the-line powerplants.

“We tried to grow depth in our motor program in recent years, working to have two motors so we didn’t have to be sidelined when we had issues. Late in 2023, we decided to shift from quantity to quality. We bought a lightly used Cornett Racing Engine and ended up having a small issue with that, but in the long run, it will be much better for us.“, Berry explained.

The team also moved on from their engine builder of recent years and will work with local builder Barron’s Racing Engines for the coming season.

“Heading into 2024 we are prepping the Cornett, crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s. We are going over everything, installing new fuel lines and other components on the car to make sure all of that is fresh. We are also working with Randy at SRI Performance to upgrade our entire brake package. Ours was getting worn out, so the time was right to improve that aspect too.“

Aside from those things, the offseason is full of the normal maintenance work. The team will be making a trip to Rocket Chassis in West Virginia this winter to have the frame checked and fix up a couple of minor tweaks on the front end.

The team will officially close out 2023 by attending PRI, the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis, Indiana December 7th-9th. It’s a big part of preparing for the upcoming season.

“PRI is our best opportunity to maintain the relationships we have with our partners because everyone is in one place at the same time, unlike during racing season, we all have the time available to talk things over, share information, and make plans for the new season.“, Berry said.

“We also go to PRI to develop new relationships and partnerships. There are a lot of educational seminars that help us build aspects of our program both on and off the track. It’s a productive and fun few days for sure.“