4/29/2023
Tom Berry Jr.
Tom Berry Jr. scores USMTS victory at Hamilton County
Berry Racing Enterprises followed the Summit United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) to Webster City, Iowa’s Hamilton County Speedway this weekend, where Tom Berry Jr. scored the win in the Friday night portion of the 13th Annual USMTS Spring Classic.
Forty-two entries signed in for the second night of the scheduled three-day show in hopes of claiming the track’s $5,000 Friday top prize. Berry drove his Brodehl Trucking No. 11x Dirt Modified to the quickest time in his qualifying group, then drove from fourth to second in his heat race on the half-mile oval.
Berry’s success in the night’s preliminary action put the Des Moines, Iowa, resident on the pole for the 30-lap main event. After losing the lead on the first lap, Berry fought back to take the top spot from Jason Hughes on Lap 12. Berry led the rest of the way and took his third win of the season and second 2023 USMTS triumph ahead of Dan Ebert, Hughes, Will Krup and Rodney Sanders.
The win was nearly Berry’s second in as many nights.
On Thursday, with 48 cars in the pits, Berry also set quick time in his qualifying group and a third-place finish in his heat race put him third on the starting grid for the A-Main. Berry muscled into the lead on Lap 24 of the 30-lap contest, but contact with eventual winner Tom Ebert in Turn 3 on the last lap of a green-white-checkered finish sent Berry off the track, relegating him to an 18th-place result and forcing him to just miss out on a $3,000 payday.
The $10,000-to-win finale of the USMTS Spring Classic was washed out on Saturday.
Full results are available at www.usmts.com.
Article Credit: Tyler Rinken