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The ABR team has improved almost every aspect of their program this season and it shows.  Austin Berry has been consistently fast since mid-June.  So, he must have some great stats to go along with that, right?  

Well…unfortunately, no.  Allow me to explain.

Yes, he does have a victory at Port Royal Speedway that he captured against a stout field in thrilling fashion, but otherwise he has a lot of ‘close but no cigar’ nights.  What Berry has is the foundation for a team that will consistently finish in the top five, as soon as they can catch a couple breaks.  Luck hasn’t exactly been on their side lately, but the team is not dwelling on that.  They are focused on the many positives in their pit area this season.

About a month ago, Berry was about to log a podium finish when a freak water pump issue occurred, ending his night in the turn 4 fence.  On another night, an untimely caution changed the course of Berry’s night by making the hill a little harder to climb.  Still, nobody in the ABR pit got down.  The bigger picture was clear.  They were competitive and just needed to keep digging, put whole nights together, and the breaks would come.

Saturday night, August 7th, Austin and the ABR team rolled into Port Royal Speedway to take another shot at putting it all together.  They were one of 28 teams signed in for competition.  The field was split into three, 8-lap heat races, with the top six finishers transferring to the feature and the top three being handicapped.  Berry was slated to start 3rd in heat number three.

When Berry returned to his pit after hot laps, the crew discovered a small water leak.  A quick investigation showed the water pump gasket had split and was allowing a small stream of water to escape.  The crew hustled and was able to pull the water pump, replace the gasket, refill the water and test the repair before heat race action.  

From the drop of the green flag in his heat race, Berry was on the move.  He surged to the lead by the time the field exited turn two on lap three.  Berry began to pull away as Trevor Feathers moved into 2nd.  As Berry flashed under the flag stand to complete lap five, he held a 1.1 second lead over Feathers, but disaster struck off turn two as water sprayed from the engine compartment, nearly causing Berry to lose control.  Instead of claiming victory, he was forced to the pits, officially logging a 9th place finish.

Initially the night appeared to be over for ABR.  However, over the course of the next hour, Berry and his team figured out what they believed was the root cause of their continuing water pump issues, then scrambled to make repairs in time to take a test lap during the one window of opportunity speedway officials were going to permit.  Following a successful test of the repairs, the team feverishly prepared shocks and tires to take their final shot at making the field for the night’s feature event.

Austin started 9th in the 8-lap B-main.  Only six cars were to transfer to the main event, so Berry would need to get ‘up on the wheel’.  He wasted no time doing so, surging past four cars and into 5th place on lap one.  From there, Berry smartly chipped away to ensure he was solidly in a transfer position.  He was able to finish 4th and secure the 22nd starting spot in the feature event.

In the 25-lap main event, Berry was able to make some forward progress through a lot of traffic and dirty air.  He ultimately finished 18th.  His lap times were solid but track position made it quite an uphill battle.

“Bottom line:  We had a small issue early and we paid for it all night”, said Berry.  “We were really fast in our heat race and would have been in a good starting spot for the feature, so yeah, it’s frustrating…but that’s racing.  Things happen.  The good news is, we found the root cause of our issue and were able to fix it, so that’s behind us now.“

Trips to Path Valley Speedway and Hagerstown Speedway are next up for Austin Berry and the Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter, Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop, Addicted2DirtPR.com, Nathan Berry Beef Farm, A&C Racing Engines, JDS Racing, Ontime Body & Graphic, Swift Springs, Penske Racing Shocks, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, VP Racing Fuels, Rocket Chassis XR1.  

The team will compete with the ULMS at Path Valley on Friday, August 13th, then head to Hagerstown, Maryland on Saturday night for the 41-lap, $4100 to win Nathan Durboraw Tribute.

Four weeks had passed since the last super late model race at Port Royal Speedway.  Scheduling and weather combined to create the longest gap of the season.  It was an excruciatingly long gap for Austin Berry, who wanted nothing more than to get back behind the wheel after his June 12th victory at “The Speed Palace”.   The hard fought victory was his first in a super late model, and his new goal was to prove it was no fluke.

Saturday night, July 10th, 29 teams descended on Port Royal Speedway to compete for the $3,000 top prize.  The speedway used the dual 6-lap heat format to set the starting lineup for the night’s main event.  In the format, a random draw is used to set the heat race lineups and drivers earn passing points based on their finishing position vs. their starting position.  After 6 laps, the starting lineup is inverted and the field races another 6 laps, once again earning points at the conclusion.

Berry started 5th in both heat race segments and finished 2nd and 5th respectively, earning his team enough points to start 7th in the A-main later in the program.  In his first heat race, Berry was on the charge from the drop of the green, able to run varied lines to make passes.  In his second heat race, he was able to move forward on the start, holding the 4th spot for a few laps before being forced high in turn two while working on 3rd.  The line he was forced to take allowed Jeff Rine to slip by on the low side, dropping Berry back to 5th where he ultimately finished.

Factoring in their starting position and the ever-changing track conditions, ABR made their setup and tire choices just prior to rolling out for the 25-lap feature event.  During the opening laps, Berry slipped backward from 7th to 10th in the running order but he didn’t panic.  The choices the team had made were made for the long run, so he just needed to stay focused on the task at hand.  

By the time the caution lights flashed on with nine laps complete, Berry had recovered to 7th position.  Through two more cautions on laps eleven and twelve, Berry maintained his position, gaining one spot through attrition.  With eight laps remaining, Berry was on the rear bumper of Gary Stuhler and Colton Flinner as the trio competed for spots 5-7.  In turn four, with Stuhler on the bottom and Flinner high, Berry split the pair, taking the 6th spot away from Flinner and challenging Stuhler for 5th as they entered turn one.  The pair would swap positions twice over the next couple laps.

On lap 21, Berry used the high side to power past Stuhler and Dillan Stake to claim the 3rd position behind leader Jeff Rine and 2nd running Dylan Yoder.  Through a hard-fought main event, Berry was positioned to register a podium finish and show the Port Royal crowd that he and his team are capable of running up front consistently and June 12th was no fluke.

Then, disaster.  Coming through turns three and four to receive the 2-to-go sign, the water pump broke, causing water to coat the front tires.  Unable to steer his No.86 machine, Berry slid into the outside fence, abruptly and harshly ending his great run.  He was officially credited with a 17th place finish, but that certainly didn’t tell the whole store by itself. 

“How can I be mad?“, asked car owner and Austin’s father, Ken Berry.  “It was just a crazy, fluke thing.  Yeah, we’re gonna have some bills to pay and a lot of work to do the next week or two, but we’re running well and Austin is doing a great job behind the wheel”, Berry commented.  “We’re confident in him and he’s confident in the car, so we are  in a good place right now.  We just need to get this thing fixed up and get back to the track as soon as we can so we don’t lose our momentum.“

Given the damage caused by the impact with the outside fence, the Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter, Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop, Addicted2DirtPR.com, Nathan Berry Beef Farm, A&C Racing Engines, JDS Racing, Ontime Body & Graphic, Swift Springs, Penske Racing Shocks, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, VP Racing Fuels, Rocket Chassis XR1 will be out of action this weekend.  Plans to race at Hagerstown Speedway have unfortunately been scrapped.  The team will spend their time making repairs and going over the car thoroughly to make sure they find any component that was affected by the crash.  Berry and team indicated they have a 50/50 shot to be ready for Selinsgrove Speedway’s super late model show on July 24th but they expect to return to action at Port Royal Speedway on July 31st, if not sooner.

For years, Austin Berry was accustomed to winning.  He won in go karts.  He won in legends cars.  He didn’t just win now and then.  He won a lot.  Almost six years ago he stepped up to super late models and the wins stopped coming.  Knowing how competitive the division is, it certainly wasn’t a surprise, but after a few years, the moments of doubt began to creep in.  At times he doubted himself.  At times he doubted his equipment.  Would he ever win again?  

Through it all, Berry has been working hard and learning everything he can, trying to get back to victory lane in a very tough division.  He’s been doing it in and around the Central Pennsylvania region by competing at some of the toughest tracks, against some of the toughest weekly competition in the country.  Saturday night June 12th, 2021, all of that hard work finally paid off.  Berry won a nail-biting, thrilling 25-lap A-main, defeating top regional names like Feathers, Flinner, Stuhler, Lathroum and Rine.

A field of 32 cars entered competition Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway and were divided into four, 8-lap heat races, with lineups set by a random draw.  The top five finishers would transfer directly to the A-main, but more importantly, the top three finishers would be included in the handicapping system to line up the top 12 starting positions in the night’s feature event.

Berry started 3rd in his heat race, but slipped back to 4th and out of a handicap spot in the early going.  He was able to find his rhythm, improve his line, and chase down Mike Lupfer to reclaim 3rd on lap 6.  He held that position to the end and claimed one of the handicap transfer spots.

Troubles earlier in the season had Berry sitting lower in the track points than hoped, but it benefitted them on this night.  As a result of the handicapping system, the Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter, Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop, Addicted2DirtPR.com, Nathan Berry Beef Farm, A&C Racing Engines, JDS Racing, Ontime Body & Graphic, Swift Springs, Penske Racing Shocks, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, VP Racing Fuels, Rocket Chassis XR1 took the green in the 25-lap feature from the second position.

Austin was able to surge to the lead at the drop of the green and build a comfortable lead in the opening laps.  Meanwhile, Trevor Feathers, Colton Flinner and Gary Stuhler, who had started 8th, 9th and 10th respectively, were beginning their charge toward the front.  Feathers was able to move into 2nd on a lap 7 restart.  He momentarily showed himself on the inside of Berry, but couldn’t complete the pass.  Meanwhile, Flinner moved past Stuhler into 3rd.  The three pursued Berry feverishly over the remaining laps, swapping positions among themselves on a couple occasions but remaining within striking distance of Berry throughout the battles.  

The final caution occurred with eight laps remaining.  After that the battles only got more intense, and far too close for Berry’s comfort.  Choosing his lines carefully in an effort to balance his own ability to drive hard, while playing some defense by taking away the momentum of those in pursuit, Berry used every inch of the Speed Palace, and then some.  He made contact with the outside wall with his spoiler on at least one occasion., bending it slightly and knocking out a support brace.  

Over the final three laps, Berry, Feathers and Flinner ran a torrid pace “under a blanket” as they say.  The white flag waived and the front pair entered turn one side by side, with Flinner hot on their tail.  Berry was able to get sole possession of the lead by the time they reached turn three and he dove to the bottom to take away Feather’s chance at a slide job.  Meanwhile, Flinner turned up the wick on his machine, hammering the top side hard to get a run off turn four to the checkered flag.  Stuhler continued to lurk close behind the trio, looking for a gap to shoot through.  With some quick thinking, Berry allowed his chariot to slide up across turn four, forcing Flinner to check up just enough for the ABR No.86 to speed away with lead for good.   Berry won by a slim 0.169 seconds and the top 4 flashed across the line in a span of just 0.639 seconds.  Feathers, Flinner and Stuhler had collectively passed 18 cars to finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively, but none of them was able to get by Austin Berry.  

A understandably excited, emotional and exhausted Berry climbed from his Rocket Chassis XR1, climbed on the roof, and let loose a celebration that had been building within him for six years.  “That was unbelievable.  That was the hardest 25 laps I have ever driven around this place.  I am absolutely worn out,” Berry said.

One major component of the equation for a race team to improve is simple, race more.  Another important part of the equation is travel.  Race a variety of tracks.  So far in 2021, compared to recent years, Austin Berry and his team are checking off those items, and it shows.  Of course, the equipment, knowledge, and decisions behind the wheel are big factors as well, and ABR has also seen improvements in those areas this season.  When you plug all of those into the equation, you get consistency and confidence.

After a week off, Berry and his team were anxious to get back to the track but rain forced the postponement of the Turk Burket Tribute race at Bedford Speedway in Pennsylvania.  Fortunately, the event was moved from May 28th to May 31st, which still fit the team’s schedule.  ABR was one of 20 teams to sign in to compete on Memorial Day.  Bedford Speedway is a half-mile oval located on the fairgrounds in Bedford, PA and it is a place where Berry doesn’t have many laps.  That means little experience or notes to rely on.  

After the hot lap sessions, Austin knew the car wasn’t quite where it needed to be, but there was no time to make changes before time trials, so he made some adjustments to the one thing he did have time to change, his driving approach.  It paid off.  Going out last for time trials, which is usually a disadvantage due to deteriorating track conditions, Berry registered the 8th quickest time overall and 6th best in his group.

The lineups for the heats were ‘heads-up’ based on the fastest time within their group, meaning the fastest cars started up front.  That meant Berry would start 6th in heat two.  After making some adjustments to his Berry’s Siding & Seamless Gutter, Locust Hill Custom Butcher Shop, Addicted2DirtPR.com, Nathan Berry Beef Farm, A&C Racing Engines, JDS Racing, Ontime Body & Graphic, Swift Springs, Penske Racing Shocks, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, VP Racing Fuels, Rocket Chassis XR1 No.86, he proceeded to post a strong run in the heat, moving forward two spots and finishing 4th in the stacked 8-lap qualifying race.

In the night’s 40-lap feature event, Berry started 8th and moved forward early.  He held strong in 7th, often using the top side of the track, trying to find his way into the top 5.  On lap 7, Matt Cosner was able to slip by, dropping Berry back to 8th.  For the bulk of the race, Austin held that position, right on the heels of 7th.  Unfortunately, the track began to take rubber, meaning there was a narrow line with the best traction, and little room to pass.  Following a mid-race restart, Berry got a little loose and gave up a spot to Chuck Clise.  Ultimately, he would ride home in 9th, logging a solid night overall for ABR.

“We have learned a ton already this year.  We’ve changed a lot of things and so far, it’s all led us in the right direction.  We have great supporters who have helped us in a lot of ways.  Jim Stevens at JDS Racing has really helped us learn.  All of those things have enabled us to move past some things that have consumed our time and energy in the past, so now we are able to focus on the next level of improvement“, Berry explained.

He continued, “In the pits and at the shop, we’re keeping better notes to make better decisions.  We’re changing our approach on tires because they wear differently when the car handles better.  I’m learning behind the wheel too.  A lot of folks don’t know how many years I spent racing in karts and legends on pavement.  I’m still working on how my approach behind the wheel should change on dirt.  We’re going the right direction but we still have a long way to go.  Now is when we have to work even harder.  We’re really close.“

Austin Berry Racing will return to to their home track, Port Royal Speedway, the next two weekends.  This Saturday, June 5th, is Camera and Autograph Night, which means the pits will be open to all ticket holders for about an hour prior to racing.  Be sure to come early, stop by the pits to say hello, and take a photo with Austin!  Check the speedway’s social media for specific times.  June 12th at Port Royal will be Dollar Dog Night and senior citizens are admitted at a discounted price.