Austin Berry Racing 2019 recap and 2020 preview
Austin Berry wins Port Royal Speedway’s 2019 Most Improved Super Late Model Driver Award; 2020 preparations are in full swing to build on the team’s success
Mifflin, PA – January 7, 2020 by Addicted2Dirt PR & Media Management
2019 was definitely a success in the eyes of Austin Berry and the ABR team. The team has worked for a few years to build their resources and knowledge to a level that would allow the team to compete weekly and be a factor in the season-long point battle. It appears they accomplished their first goal. After finishing outside the top 10 in the 2018 Port Royal Speedway late model division point standings, during 2019 the team entered their #86 Rocket Chassis XR1 into competition in 15 of 17 events at Port Royal Speedway and finished the season in 6th place…and only a mere 25 points out of 4th place in the season point standings. This notable achievement also garnered Berry the speedway’s 2019 Most Improved Driver award in the Super Late Model division at the recent awards banquet.
Said Berry while reflecting on 2019, “Over this past season our entire team made major improvements and I think it showed in our results. Every week when we unloaded, we would get a little better and a little better, until finally at the end of the season we were competitive with some of the best regional guys in our area. It was awesome to finally have all the hard work that goes into this team show in speed on the track.”
His assessment isn’t just perception. That stats back it up. In the team’s final 4 point races of the season they earned an average of 280 points per event. In their first 10 events of the season, they earned an average of 239 points per event. That’s a positive trend for sure.
He knows he didn’t get there alone. Berry continued, “I can’t thank everyone who is involved enough: My parents for everything they do to field a family owned race team, my brother for always being my right hand man who will do anything that I ask him too, and my wife for all her support, help and understanding. She knows what is takes to keep these cars going every week and she knows that it is going to take up a lot of my time throughout the summer months. I also want to thank Josh Sheaffer for everything that he does. He is a big supporter of our team and goes above and beyond what could ever be expected from any crew guy. A couple other guys who deserve our sincere thanks are Curt Hershey, for always providing us great quality motors, and Mark Smith at MS Shock Therapy, for always having the time talk through issues we are working on. Mark has definitely played a big part in helping turn our program in the right direction. Finally, I want to express a huge thank you to all of those who support our team but choose to remain silent. Each and every person plays a part in the success of our team and for me it is amazing to be surrounded by such great people! “ In 2019 ABR partnered with MS Shock Therapy, which was a big part of the equation that led to the team’s advancements. In 2020, ABR will continue that partnership and expects continued improvements as a result of the effort and preparation being put forth during this off-season.
Having reached their initial goals, the team is now targeting new goals in the ultra-competitive super late model division at Port Royal Speedway: consistent top 10 finishes, including a few podium finishes, and a top 5 in the final season point standings.
Preparations for 2020 had begun before the 2019 season concluded. Additional efforts were in motion to improve the team’s equipment and depth of information. A lot has already been accomplished with nearly two months still remaining to prepare for the season opener at Port Royal in March.
Asked about the team’s goals for 2020, Austin shared, “Going into this year, one of the biggest goals for us is just to become more consistent. We want to be running inside the top 10, top 5 every week…chasing podiums and also running better early in the night so that we can obtain a better starting position for the features. Of course we all want to win and that is what we race for, but after giving a win away in 2017 and to be leading a race this past year only to have a mechanical failure take it from us, I think that everyone on the team really wants to knock off that first win in 2020 and get that monkey off our back. You always hear that the first one is the hardest one to get and that you have to learn how to lose before you can learn how to win, so I feel like we have learned how to lose them now we just have to get that first one out of the way.”
There are others who believe the team is on the verge of getting that monkey off their back. The team’s success in 2019 has drawn the attention of other potential partners. Look for some additional news about the upcoming 2020 season in the near future!
SOCIAL MEDIA: Fans can follow Austin Berry Racing during the 2020 season on:
(Facebook) www.facebook.com/ABR
(Twitter) @AustinBerryRacn
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Addicted 2 Dirt PR & Media Management can be contacted at:
(Email) [email protected]
(Twitter) @Addicted2DirtPR
(Facebook) www.facebook.com/AD2pr
