SPRING VALLEY, Minn. — Fifty-nine other Friesen Performance IMCA Modified drivers had high hopes for the 33rd annual Harris Clash but none of them had anything for Tom Berry Jr.
Berry led all 30 laps of Tuesday night’s main event from his middle of the front row start, pulling away before and again after three cautions near midway, then taking the $5,000 checkers ahead of Zack VanderBeek.
“I’ve had my ups and downs here but I’ve had a lot of ups lately,” said Berry, also the winner at Deer Creek in 2022. “Winning this race always means a lot, just the effort by so many people that goes into it. Everything is always top notch.
“Luck has been on our side, we’ve started on the front a lot this year,” he’d acknowledge following his latest Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying victory. “I’m just taking that while I can, because you never know when your luck is going to turn and you’ll be starting in the back.”
Sixteenth-starting Ethan Braaksma, 11th-starting and defending race winner Tim Ward and Joel Rust completed the top five.
Pole-starter Rust, the 2016 race winner, and Tanner Black swapped the runner-up spot before VanderBeek moved to second after the final restart, on lap 15. Braaksma took over in third a couple circuits later.
Neither, however, could reel in Berry, who caught the back of the field with five laps to go and crossed the stripe running four-wide with lapped traffic, a second and a half ahead of VanderBeek.
“I just kept my head down and tried to keep the car straight. It (the track) was definitely a lot slicker than in years past and definitely threw me a curve ball,” he said. “We tried to clean sweep this thing. We won our heat, turned the fastest lap and won the feature.”
Cam Reimers also earned a second Harris Clash trophy and put his name in the record book doing so, becoming the first driver to win back-to-back Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod features.
Reimers started on the pole and led all 25 laps in duplicating his run to the 2023 checkers.
The single stoppage came on lap 18; Logan Cumby headed the pursuit up to the 24th circuit before surrendering second to 2019 race winner Brayton Carter.
“Drawing the front row helped but holy smokes, I had to work in my heat race to even get myself in the redraw,” Reimers said after the $2,000 win. “I felt OK if I had to come from the fourth row but I didn’t want to start any further back.”
Gabriel Deschamp and Logan Anderson rounded out the top five.
In all, nearly 100 IMCA entries from 15 states vied Tuesday in the Harris Clash sponsored by Wehrs Machine and Racing Products.
IMCA Speed Week continues Wednesday, Aug. 7 with the Clay County Clash at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa.
All Speed Week events are broadcast by SPEED SPORT.TV affiliate IMCA.TV.
The finish:
Modifieds: Tom Berry Jr., Zack VanderBeek, Ethan Braaksma, Tim Ward, Joel Rust, Justin O’Brien, Tanner Black, Jordan Grabouski, Tripp Gaylord, Cody Knecht, Jeff Aikey, Brandon Beckendorf, Austen Becerra, Kyle Strickler, Jake McBirnie, Joe Chisholm, Cody Laney, Kelly Shryock, Chris Zogg, Jayden Schmidt, David Stremme, Ryan Maitland, Spencer Diercks, Cole Czarneski, Bryson Yeager, Brian Mullen, Dylan Thornton, Izac Mallicoat, Cody Thompson, Jerry Flippo, Richie Gustin.
Northern SportMods: Cam Reimers, Brayton Carter, Logan Cumby, Gabriel Deschamp, Logan Anderson, Colby Fett, Taylor Kuehl, Dustin White, Brayton Ahlers, Cole Fenske, Cole Suckow, Matt Avila, Hunter Longnecker, Justin Raymond, Matthew Looft, Alec Fett, Josh Starr, Brian Schrage, Mat Hollerich, Tim Goodwin, Rayce Mullen, Nate Chodur, Jared Nytroe, Dylon Waldvogel.