Josh Berry and Hickory Motor Speedway remain synonymous with each other in modern terms.
The 29-year-old added another page to his storied resume at The Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars by winning both portions of a Twin 51-lap feature on Saturday night at Hickory in a race without fans and broadcast live on Pay-Per-View.
The JR Motorsports ace won the first half from the pole but needed to come back from 10th in the main event due to drawing an invert of 10 via a pill draw from victory lane.
The circumstances made little difference as he marched through the field and overtook both Ryan Millington and Corey Heim for the top spot on Lap 18. The two were side-by-side for the top spot, Berry waiting for Millington to slip before taking second and picking off Heim one lap later.
From there, Berry cruised and was unchallenged for the remaining 33 laps.
“It’s my guys,” Berry said in Victory Lane. “They do a great job. We’ve worked hard the last few days on some things that are out of our comfort zone, to try to get better, and obviously we had a great night and had a great car.
“Obviously, just tried to save my tires in that first race to have enough in the second race to make a run. Like I said, I’m excited and just want to thank my guys: Matt, Justin, Ernie and Mardy Lindley for coming tonight.
“I wanted to say hi to Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) and Kelley (Earnhardt-Miller) watching back home.”
Over half of Berry’s 56 Late Model Stock victories have come at Hickory — the site of his 2014 track championship.
Berry won the first race from the pole, leading all 51 laps without challenge.
The race presented some degree of complications, however, when Thomas Beane severed an oil line on Lap 5 of the race. It required a 30 minute clean-up, leaving the track a mess and Berry a little annoyed.
“It was a beach for sure,” Berry said. “I just can’t figure out why, when you blow up, that you drive around for three laps and wet down the whole track but some people don’t get it, I guess.”
Complete Race 2 Results
- Josh Berry
- Gage Painter
- Ryan Millington
- Matt Piercy
- Corey Heim
- Austin McDaniel
- Dexter Canipe
- Mason Ludwig
- Sam Butler
- Charlie Watson
- Jacob Heafner
- Nolan Pope
- Connor Mosack
- Vince Midas
- Grayson Cullather
- Logan Jones
- Braden Rogers
- Shane Lee
- Mitch Walker
- Thomas Beane
- Bob Saville
- Matt Leicht
- Connor Jones
- Jessica Cann
- Bill Petroff
Complete Race 1 Results
- Josh Berry
- Gage Painter
- Matt Piercy
- Austin McDaniel
- Corey Heim
- Matt Leicht
- Dexter Canipe Jr
- Ryan Millington
- Charlie Watson
- Mason Ludwig
- Grayson Cullather
- Jacob Heafner
- Connor Mosack
- Sam Butler
- Shane Lee
- Vince Midas
- Logan Jones
- Nolan Pope
- Chris Hudspeth
- Bob Saville
- Thomas Beane
- Mitch Walker
- Connor Jones
- Braden Rogers
- Jessie Cann
- Bill Petroff
- Bryson Dennis
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Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.
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