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JANUARY 2005 NEWS
Daytona Fan Experience
By Klaus and Paulette Price
We went to Daytona bright and early Saturday
for testing and enjoyed over 6 hours of rain instead. But
did get to spend some of that time in the new infield area
and the new fan facilities. Pretty neat.
The Craftsman Series Fanfest was scheduled for the whole
evening, but due to the weather was changed somewhat. The
event was held inside in the new hall to be used for
pre-race driver's meetings. All of the drivers came in at
the same time and sat at tables to meet the fans and
autograph items.
The crowd was mostly folks we had seen around the track all
day long. We looked like we had been through a wet wind
tunnel. We now have a t-shirt with two dozen Truck Series
drivers autographs and it can be seen hanging on the wall in
JB's Garage. We did get to speak to Johnny, but may
not have been coherent at that point of the day. Everyone
seemed to enjoy the event. We sure did.
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Bill Lester, Johnny and
Ricky Craven
busy signing autographs |
Loyal Fans - Paulette
and Klaus Price
pose with Johnny |
Sunday it was
back to Daytona even though it was raining. It eventually
quit and the trucks rolled out at about 3:30 pm. Johnny was
one of the first on the track. Paulette swears the #23 was
the fastest truck out there, but we may have to wait on an
official word for that.
He ran a lot of laps and wasted no time getting into the
garage at the end of a run. As a result, our picture taking
suffered. Some of the shots we had were of nothing more than
fence and asphalt. We discovered that by the time the camera
fired, the truck was gone. We'll have to work on that.
We left after they turned the lights on. We were told they
would be out there until 11 pm. We pointed our Toyota north
and went to the house.
Thank you for sharing your story and photos with the
fans! (01-18-05)
NASCAR Viewership Increased in 2004
NASCAR said today that all three of its
national series drew more television viewers in 2004 than in
2003. Nielsen Media Research figures show that 196 million
households tuned in to watch Nextel Cup events in 2004, a 2
percent increase over 2003. The Busch Series drew 52 million
households, up 8 percent from 2003, while the Craftsman
Truck Series drew 10.5 million households, a 22 percent
increase over 2003. NASCAR also said today that an
unprecedented 38 races from all three series will be aired
during television's prime-time evening hours this year.
(01-17-05)
Media Tour Next Week
Lowe's Motor Speedway says that
more than 200 journalists representing print and electronic
from 24 states and as far away as France and The Netherlands
are registered to take part in the track’s 22nd annual media
tour next week. The season preview, which is scheduled to
begin next Monday and run through Thursday, will include
visits to race shops and meetings with team members and
NASCAR officials. NASCAR and Nextel are sponsoring the
event.
(01-17-05)
Sunday Daytona Testing News
The day began just as dismal as Saturday with
the rain clouds hovering over Daytona International
Speedway. The jet dryers were out in full force in
order to dry the 2.5 mile high bank track.
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Johnny and Rick check
out the Engine |
The #23 crew busy at
work |
The Craftsman Trucks finally hit the track at
3:50 pm for the start of the practice session. Here
are the speeds, times and ranking for Johnny and the #23
Bill Davis Racing Team during the practice session:
4:05 pm - 50:818 -
20th 4:38 pm - 48:553 - 3rd
6:01 pm - 48:553 - 14th 7:35 pm
- 48:202 - 3rd
8:41 pm - 48:202 - 10th
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Johnny talking to a
Toyota Engineer |
Mike Skinner discusses
practice
with Johnny and Greg Ely |
Practice ended at 9:00 pm. Dennis
Setzer turned in the fastest lap with a time of 47.578 at a
speed of 189.163 mph.
The fastest Toyotas were: 1)
Brandon Whitt - 47.891 2) Chad Chaffin - 47.993
3) Johnny Benson - 48:202 at a speed of 186.714.
There were several big crashes during practice which
included the trucks of Terry Cook, Jack Sprague, Ted
Musgrave and Regan Smith. Photos by truckseries.com
(01-16-05)
Congratulations!
The JBFC would like to congratulate
Don Imhoff of Michigan who won the early renewal
contest. Don has been a JBFC member since 1998.
His prize package included all the postcards ever created
for Johnny along with an Etopps card and JBFC Helmet.
Look for your package to be sent out at the end of January.
(01-15-05)
No Testing on Monday
Johnny and the #23 Bill Davis Racing team
left Daytona Beach after testing their Craftsman Truck on
Sunday. (01-17-05)
Saturday Daytona Testing - Rained Out
Rain washed out Saturday's first day of
NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing for the Craftsman Truck
Series at Daytona International Speedway. Truck teams will
return Sunday morning, with a 30 percent chance of rain.
Sunday afternoon looks clear.
(01-15-05)
Daytona Truck Testing
Saturday - January 15th
Sunday - January 16th
Johnny, Greg Ely and the #23 team are in Daytona for
testing. The Speed Channel will be broadcasting the
Craftsman Truck Series Testing from Daytona on Sunday,
January 16th at 7:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Mikey up to $650,000...and
Hootie
MIchael Waltrip discussed
the Jan. 30 Las Vegas Marathon he will run, along with Kyle
Petty for Operation Marathon that will benefit Petty's
Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with life
threatening illnesses. "We've raised over $650,000 through
Operation Marathon for the camp," he said. "When we were
here in July we committed to raise $1 million and I think we
can." Las Vegas will be Waltrip's fourth marathon, including
one appearance in the storied Boston Marathon. His best
marathon time is 4:13 while his goal for Las Vegas is
3:59:59. Beyond Las Vegas, Waltrip said he is setting his
sights on racing an Olympic-distance triathlon, usually a
1-mile swim, 24.8-mile bike ride and 10K (6.2-mile run). For
more information on Operation Marathon, visit
www.michaelwaltrip.com/marathon.(Florida
Today) AND Hootie and the Blowfish will perform
in Las Vegas as part of Michael Waltrip's Operation Marathon
to raise $1 million to benefit the operating expenses for
the Victory
Junction Gang Camp. The concert will be at the Hard Rock
Hotel and Casino after the marathon. A minimum donation of
$25 will be collected at the door.
(01-14-04 from Jayski)
2005 Schedules
The listings for the 2005 Schedules are
complete based on the information provided in the latest
Cup Scene paper. I have also included ARCA in the lineup of
Trucks, Busch and Cup schedules. I was amazed at how many
ARCA races are scheduled with the NASCAR races. As
the schedules get adjusted in the future when they include
all the starting times, I will adjust this schedule on
johnnybenson.com. Hope you find this listing as useful
as I do!
(01-10-05)
History Page
I have completed updating the history
page for Johnny. A new feature on this page includes
overall performance for Johnny in his NASCAR racing series.
Click on History Page.
You can find more details on
Johnny's performance statistics along with other drivers at
www.racing-reference.com/index.isp
(01-10-05)
Track Review - Las Vegas
This week's track review is
Las Vegas Speedway. If you would like to share
your race track or traveling tips with other JB fans, you
may email send an email to
support@johnnybenson.com or post your response on the
JBFC message board. Thank you for your participation!
(01-10-05)
MIS to have Cup
Qualifying on Saturday:
Michigan
International Speedway President Brett Shelton announced an
enhancement to the MIS Friday and Saturday schedule for both
the June 17-19 and August 19-21 NASCAR/ARCA weekends, giving
fans more racing and adding value to each day. The
highlights of the schedule on Fridays include qualifying for
the ARCA RE/MAX Series, and two practice sessions for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series in both June and August, as well as
two practice sessions for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series in June and NASCAR Busch Series in August. The
practice sessions will be followed by an ARCA RE/MAX Series
event on each weekend that will start at 5:15 p.m. In June
and August, Saturday highlights include qualifying for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
and NASCAR Busch Series with afternoon races scheduled for
both the Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series.
While tickets for both NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events go on
sale to the general public on Saturday, February 12, tickets
are on-sale now for all other events, including fan
favorites such as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, IRL
IndyCar Series, ARCA RE/MAX Series and NASCAR Busch Series.
Tickets can be purchased in real-time on MIS' newly
redesigned official website,
www.MISpeedway.com,
or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.(MIS
PR)
(From Jayski -
01-10-05)
Daytona Testing Coverage
Speed Channel says it will
provide 30-minute shows nightly from NASCAR's upcoming test
sessions at Daytona International Speedway. All of the shows
are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). Nextel Cup
tests are scheduled Jan. 11-13 and Jan. 18-20. The cable
channel's Busch Series coverage is set for Jan. 24, and
Craftsman Truck Series coverage is scheduled for Jan. 16th.
(01-04-05)
2005 PreSeason FanFest & Testing
Fanfest dates which will coincide with January's NASCAR
Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and
NASCAR Busch Series testing sessions at the "World
Center of Racing," will be held on the following days:
Jan. 12: NASCAR Nextel
Cup Fan Fest
Jan. 15: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Fan Fest
Jan. 19: NASCAR Nextel Cup Fan Fest
Jan. 22: NASCAR Busch Fan Fest
Fans
can also experience the high-speed excitement of all
testing sessions free from the
Oldfield Tower grandstands located just outside of
DAYTONA USA. NASCAR Preseason Thunder annual testing
sessions at Daytona International Speedway are as
follows:
Jan. 11-13: NASCAR
Nextel Cup (odd owner's points)
Jan. 15-16: NASCAR Craftsman Truck (all trucks)
Jan. 18-20: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (even owner's points)
Jan. 22-24: NASCAR Busch Series (all cars)
Bill Davis Announces Craftsman Truck
Series
Line-up for 2005
Bill Davis Racing is
pleased to announce the 2005
Craftsman Truck Series driver and crew chief line-up.
Mike Skinner will begin his first full season piloting the
No. 5 Toyota
Tundra in 2005. Skinner competed for Bill Davis Racing
in the final nine
races of the 2004 and is looking forward to competing for
the 2005 NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series Championship with his new team.
Skinner has had
unparalleled success in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series,
compiling 16
wins, 41 top-five finishes, and 14 poles in 79 starts.
Skinner was crowned
the first Craftsman Truck Series Champion in 1995 and is
looking to repeat
that feat in 2005.
The 1995 Series Champion will have veteran crew chief Jeff
Hensley calling
the shots. The 2005 season will be Hensley's second
season as a crew chief
for Bill Davis Racing. Hensley led the No. 22 Bill
Davis Racing Tundra to a
22nd-place finish in the points last season. Hensley
has been in the sport
for over a decade. Before moving into his position at Bill
Davis Racing, he
served as a crew chief in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Bill Lester will return as the driver of the
No. 22 Bill Davis Racing
Tundra. Lester had seven top-10 starts during the 2004
NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series season, as well as a top-10 finish at Gateway
International
Raceway. This will be Lester's fifth season in the
Craftsman Truck Series.
Lester's first career pole came in 2003 at the inaugural
Craftsman Truck
Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Taking the reigns as crew chief on the No. 22 truck is Doug
Wolcott.
Wolcott has been at Bill Davis Racing since the beginnings
of the 2000
season and under his tutelage have been drivers Kenny
Wallace, Dave Blaney,
Ward Burton and Johnny Benson. Wolcott brings a wealth
of experience both
working on race trucks and behind the wheel.
(Barb's Note: Doug was Johnny's car chief on the #23
Tundra - Good Luck in your new position!)
Veteran driver Johnny Benson will
return as the driver of the No. 23 Toyota
Tundra in 2005. In 13 starts last season for Bill
Davis Racing, Benson
compiled five top-five finishes. Benson best finish of
the season came at
the Texas Motor Speedway in October where he finished 2nd to
race winner
Todd Bodine. Benson is looking forward to racing for
the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series championship in 2005.
Greg Ely will return as crew chief of the No.23 Bill Davis
Racing Toyota
Tundra. This will be Ely's second year calling the
shots for the No. 23
truck. He and Benson worked well together last season
and are looking
forward to success in 2005. Before moving to the
Craftsman Truck Series,
Ely was the shock specialist on the No. 23 car in the NASCAR
Nextel Cup
Series.
"I am really excited about 2005," said team owner Bill
Davis. "With the
unbelievable support we get from Toyota and the veteran
experience that
comes with all these drivers, I think 2005 will be a
monumental year for
Bill Davis Racing. All three drivers are capable of
winning the
championship, and with the crew chiefs and teams that we
have in place, I
see nothing but success. I am looking
forward to going to Daytona in
February and seeing what unfolds."
(01-05-05)
Thank You!
The Johnny Benson Fan Club would
like to thank you - the JB fans for
stopping by in 2004. We had over 511,000 hits during
the year on the front page of johnnybenson.com. This
number surpassed the numbers for 2003, which is great
considering that Johnny did not have a full time ride.
We
hope that you will continue to make this part of your daily
stops in 2005.
If you have any suggestions for stories on the website,
please contact us at
support@johnnybenson.com
(01-05-05)
ASA National Tour
Sad news to report on
the ASA National Touring Series. The owner has filed
for bankruptcy. It's disappointing to see part of
Johnny's racing heritage dissolve. Johnny, along with
many other NASCAR stars, competed in ASA over the years.
Johnny was rookie of the year in 1990 and earned the
championship crown in 1993. Click on
51sportsracing.com for the complete story.
(01-04-05)
JB Fan Page
A new feature on johnnybenson.com is the Fan Page.
This is a section
for Johnny Benson Fans to submit a picture wearing their JB
gear.
We would also like to include your stories on why you are JB
fan or your memorable race moment. You may submit your
photo or story to
support@johnnybenson.com. We look forward to
hearing from you!
(01-04-05)
Charity Efforts
The JBFC makes every effort to support local charities
throughout the year.
In 2004 we supported: Alliance for Health, Billings
Benefit, Kenowa Hills Athletic Boosters, Cancer Relay for
Life, Pilgrim Manor Foundation, Second Harvest Gleaners and
God's Kitchen.
As we did in 2004, the JBFC
has selected the Victory Junction Gang as their
designated charity for the 2005 season. For more
information on how you can contribute check them out at
www.victoryjunction.org
(Note: I had a
chance to take a tour of the Victory Junction Gang Camp
in November. Look for a future story on my trip.
Barb)
(01-04-05)
HANS Device Required in NASCAR Series
NASCAR will require drivers in the Nextel Cup, Busch
Series and Craftsman Truck Series to wear the HANS (Head
and Neck Support) device during practice, qualifying and
race competition, thatsracin.com reports. The Web story
says drivers will no longer be able to use the Hutchens
device to meet NASCAR's requirement to use a head-and-neck
restraint. The story says the Hutchens device failed to
meet minimum standards in tests conducted by SFI
Foundation Inc. The Hutchens device, which was developed
by Richard Childress Racing team manager Bobby Hutchens,
has been used by some drivers who have said it gives them
more freedom of movement inside their cars.
(01-03-05)
Sticker
Offer
The JBFC has a supply
of bumper stickers that were offered in the 2004
membership packet. If you would like the fan club
sticker, #1 or #9 sticker all you need to do is send a
self addressed stamp envelope to the JBFC address.
This offer is for fan
club members only.
(01-03-05)
Free
Shipping
For the month of
January, the JBFC is offering free shipping for all
merchandise orders placed in the amount of $15 and over.
This offer is for fan club members only.
(01-03-05)
Track Page
We have made an adjustment to
the Ticket Info page on johnnybenson.com.
It has been renamed to "Tracks". This page includes
a
current listing of race tracks
NASCAR frequents in the Nextel Cup, NBS and Craftsman
Truck Series. It's sorted in alpha order and
includes a phone number for ticket information along with
a link to their website.
Another feature on this page will include track reviews
from fans. If you would like to share your traveling
experience with other JB fans, you may email us at
support@johnnybenson.com. Hope you will find
this to be useful!
(01-02-05)
Track Review - California
This week's track review is
California Speedway. If you would like to share
your race track or traveling tips with other JB fans, you
may email send an email to
support@johnnybenson.com or post your response on the
JBFC message board. Thank you for your participation!
(01-01-05)
Happy New Year
The JBFC would like to wish you a Happy New Year! We
hope that you and your family had a wonderful holiday
season!
(01-01-05)
Darlington Photos
Here's a glimpse of Johnny and the #23 Bill
Davis Racing team from inside the garage area at
Darlington Speedway. Qualifying for the
Craftsman Truck Series was held on Thursday, so they
parked their haulers and trucks in the CUP garage.
Once Friday arrived, the truck teams had to move the
haulers to the infield and move the Trucks to their area
on pit road. It was a very wet weekend for the teams
and track officials with the rain delayed event.
I really wonder how many vehicles were inside the speedway
on Saturday!
(Photos by: Barb Benson
12-28-04)
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Garage Area has tight
quarters. |
Need directions to
back up |
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Heading out to
practice |
Coming in after a run |
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Waiting in tech line |
Johnny and Doug (car
chief) |
Reminder
For existing JBFC members, don't
forget to renew by January 3, 2005. This will give you
an opportunity to be eligible
for this years drawings - JBFC Helmet and an Etopps
Collectible card both personally autographed by Johnny
and Johnny’s yearly postcards from 1993 - 2004.
Note: Your envelope needs to be postmarked January 3,
2005.
(12-28-04)
Happy Holidays!
Dear Fans,
I would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy
Holiday season. It's that time of year when I return
home to celebrate the holidays with my family in Michigan.
It looks like we are going to enjoy a white Christmas.
This year was a season of change since I competed in
the Cup, BGN and Truck Series. I know that it was hard
to keep up with my schedule. I would like
to thank you for hanging in there, for all your support and
encouragement you gave me during the 2004 season.
Happy Holidays,
Johnny
Thank you!
To Klaus & Paulette Price of
Jacksonville, FL and Donna and Jim Milmine of Birch Run, MI
for sending Johnny a Christmas greeting in the NASCAR Scene.
(12-23-04)
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