Harris Clash checkers are second for Berry, Reimers repeats

Feature, Modified, Northern SportMod

Tom Berry Jr. raced to a convincing win, his Harris Clash second in three years, in Tuesday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Deer Creek Speedway. (Photo by Garrett Kunzman)

SPRING VALLEY, Minn. (Aug. 6, 2024) – Fifty-nine other Friesen Performance IMCA Modified drivers had high hopes for the 33rdannual 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, then pulled away before and again after three cautions near midway before 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 catch 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.”

Hard charger honors went to Tripp Gaylord, who leadfooted it from 27th starting to ninth.

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 Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod features back-to-back.

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 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.”

“I was so excited last year because I never felt I could do this,” he continued. “Once I got one I was like ‘Check that box, that’ll never happen again’ and it did. It’s awesome. To do this is pretty awesome. I’m going to soak this one in for a bit.” 

Gabriel Deschamp and Logan Anderson rounded out the top five. Hard charger Colby Fett was a plus nine on the night, ending in sixth.

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.

Modifieds race for $2,500 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $750 to win, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods both for $500 to win and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts for $300 to win.

All Speed Week events are broadcast by IMCA.TV.

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