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APRIL 2005 NEWS
Johnny Benson Fan Club Member 2005 Celebration
Plans are
underway for the 2005 Johnny Benson Fan Club Member
Celebration sponsored by Berger Chevrolet! This
event is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14th at 6:00 pm and
will be held at Berlin Raceway.
The format of our annual event has change this year.
In place of an
autograph session, it will be a formalized program.
Johnny Benson is our guest speaker and he will take time
to answer your questions. This is your opportunity to
sit back and listen to what Johnny has to say! The
program will also include
a video presentation and music will be provided by
Extreme Sound and Entertainment.
The celebration will have an all you can eat hot dog,
hamburger and
bratwurst buffet which also includes potato salad,
chips, cookies and
soft drinks and a gift bag. Johnny
will draw the lucky winners for the
event door prizes which include 2 Tickets /Bus Trip to
MIS Cup in August
from Grand Rapids, a Pace Car Ride at Berlin Raceway and
much more.
Ticket sales are under way for this fan club event.
The cost per ticket:
Adult - $15.00; Children (3-12 yrs) - $6.00.
Seating is limited. Advance
ticket purchase only. Due to the restrictions of
ordering the food, tickets
will not be available on the day of the event.
Ticket sales will end on
June 4th. You must
be a fan club member to attend. Fan Club members
may bring one guest to this event. We hope
that you will join us!
If you have any questions, please
contact us at
support@johnnybenson.com For Complete Details
- Click Here
(04-21-05)
Sponsor for the #23
Team at Gateway
Bill Davis
Racing is proud to announce that Newbold Toyota will serve
as the primary sponsor of No. 23 Toyota Tundra driven by
Johnny Benson during the race weekend at Gateway
International Raceway. Welcome aboard!
(04-27-05)
New Associate Sponsor for the #23 Team
Bill Davis Racing is proud to announce that
Toyota Certified Used Cars will be an associate sponsor on
the No. 23 Toyota Tundra for the remainder of the 2005
season. (04-27-05)
JB to Sign Autographs During Gateway Weekend
Johnny
Benson will sign autographs at Newbold Toyota in O’Fallon,
Mo., Friday, April 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Atlanta Photos:
By Barb Benson
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The
crew is hard at work
prior to qualifying
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Johnny
and his crew discuss
the challenges of qualifying
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The
team put the #23 decal on the top
of the radiator. Good to see the fan club
is riding around with Johnny! |
Pat
Wall, formerly of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, is an Executive in the
Toyota racing program. He has a
keen eye on the qualifying activities. |
Speedway Directory
The 2005 National
Speedway Directory is now available for purchase.
If you travel to various tracks, this is a book you can
not live without! It provides you with a wealth of
information on oval tracks, dragstrips, road courses,
museums and 2005 race schedule. It is a book used
by the Benson family. Send a check or MO to:
National Speedway Directory - PO Box 448 - Comstock
Park, MI 49321-0448. Cost: $13.00 which includes
shipping and handling.
Martinsville Has Strong Ratings on Speed Channel
The average viewership for the
Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway was 878,000 up 50
percent over 2004's 586,000. The average viewership
for the 2005 season after four events is up 29 percent from
a year ago.
(truckseries.com
04-19-05)
Kentucky Speedway Invests in Safer Barriers
Kentucky Speedway will invest $1,000,000 to install the
second generation of the Steel And Foam Energy Reduction
(SAFER™) Barrier System inside the concrete retaining wall
that spans Turns 1 through 2 and Turns 3 through 4 of the
1.5-mile tri-oval track at the facility. Installation will
begin after the season-opening ARCA RE/MAX race on May 14
and will be complete before the June 18 NASCAR Busch Series
“Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo” event. Installation will take
place at night and will not interrupt frequent race team
testing at the speedway
(Kentucky
PR - 04-21-05)
Benson Keeps Busy
in the Truck Series
By: Steve Kaminski - The Grand Rapids
Press
Johnny Benson Jr. has his foot on the gas pedal, his hands
in several projects and an eye on the future. The
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is off this weekend, so
Benson had time to visit the two-mile Michigan
International Speedway on Thursday afternoon to help
promote the track's June 18 truck race and check out MIS'
extensive, multi-million dollar renovation project.
Benson has his own race shop
down in North Carolina that his wife Deb likes to call his
"toy box." That's where Benson builds his own Late Model
stock cars from the ground up, and one has to wonder when
the day comes that he retires if he has plans to build his
own line of cars. Not yet, but he has some plans.
"My dad makes a magnesium quick-change rear end that's
pretty cool, and I've always said that when I get done with
this and have more time, I may go market his rear end,"
Benson said. "Maybe I can take it to some of the
trade shows and try to get it known more throughout the
country. All these cars throughout the country make
quick-change rear ends. We make a full blown, lightweight
product." But that's sometime way down the road
for Benson because he has no plans of retiring any time
soon.
He is currently eighth in the
Craftsman Truck point standings in his first full season
driving for team owner Bill Davis. Benson is now
into his second season without a full-time Nextel Cup race,
and whether or not he makes it back to NASCAR's top level is
a question that Benson can't even answer. The
minuses are that Benson is a 41-year old competing in a
series that nowadays has drivers so young they get carded.
The plusses are that with Benson, a potential owner will get
an experienced driver who won't wad up his car every weekend
and will represent the team well.
"(Getting back to Cup)
is something that's always on my mind, but at this stage of
the deal, I realize that they want these younger guys, and
that's the way this sport is rolling," Benson said. "If I do
go back to Cup racing, I sure hope that I'm involved in the
truck racing of some sort. Trucks are a lot of
fun, and I enjoy it. It's just a fun series to be in. A lot
of people run in this sport for the money, I run in it to
have fun." (04-21-05)
Saturday's Berlin Race
Cancelled
The weekly race scheduled for Saturday, April 23 has
been cancelled due to weather conditions. Kids Night
(all kids 12 and under free; inflatable games and $3
Monster Truck Rides) has been rescheduled for Saturday,
June 11.
Racing will
resume Saturday, April 30, a weekly race with Coors
Light Late Model, Engine Pro Super Stock, Standale
Interiors Pro Stock and Standale Lumber Sportsman
divisions. It's All-Faiths Night (bring a church
or community bulletin to the ticket office on the day of
the race and get $2 off tickets) with a special
"Faster Pastor" race (six pastors who are attending
the race with groups from their respective churches will
race borrowed Sportsman and/or Pro Stock cars in the
"Faster Pastor" race. The winning pastor receives 25% of
his group's ticket price back as a donation to his
church; second place receives 15% and third place
receives 10%). The evening will conclude with a
spectacular post-race fireworks display. Gates open at
11 a.m. and racing gets under way at 7 p.m. Tickets are
$11 in advance and $12 at the gate for general admission
(kids 3-12 are half price and 2 and under are free) and
$25 for pit passes (16 and older only). (04-22-05)
Benson's Competitive Spirit Fueled on Track
Grand Rapids native races in truck
series, and it is compelling
enough to keep him.
By Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News
Johnny Benson was at Berlin
Raceway in Marne, on the west side of Michigan, testing his
new late-model car at the short paved oval where he is a
limited partner.
That Benson was even at the
track, where he and his father, John, became local legends,
should come as no surprise. And it's not just because he is
a part owner with the West Michigan Whitecaps group.
It's pretty simple for Benson -- he just likes to race.
Benson, a 41-year-old Grand
Rapids native, has competed at the top level of stock car
racing, the NASCAR Cup series. Out of a ride, he is now
racing full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series with
Bill Davis Racing.
He drove 13 truck races for
owner Bill Davis last season and is back this year in the
No. 23 Toyota Tundra. He is happy to be competing.
"They want the younger drivers in there right now, and
that's the trend it's going, and that's fine," said Benson,
explaining why he isn't racing in the Nextel Cup series. "Do
I feel I'll be back in Cup racing? Yeah, but I'm not worried
about it.
"What I'd really like to do
is be with Bill Davis Racing the next three, four or five
years or whatever it is. If I get the opportunity to run a
Cup car for Bill Davis, I'll do it. I'd love to do it. But
if it's a Craftsman Truck Tundra right now, I'll do that,
too."
Benson, who is eighth in
points in the truck series, has been successful at various
levels. He was rookie of the year in the NASCAR Busch series
in 1994 and in the Cup series in 1995. But he is
not all that comfortable in the spotlight, which is not to
say he wouldn't take a Cup ride if it were offered. He's
just a purist who likes racing for racing's sake.
"I have a lot of fun racing,"
Benson said. "I'm not one of those guys who says, 'Oh, I
have to be in the Cup series just because.' There are a lot
of people who do that, but I don't feel that way. As long as
I'm in competitive stuff, I don't care where it's at.
"I don't care if it's at my
local track at Berlin Raceway or if I'm in the truck series
or the Busch series or the Cup series. It doesn't matter.
Now, do I want to be out there being competitive and winning
races? Absolutely."
That is why Benson doesn't
believe racing in the truck series, which competes June 18
at Michigan International Speedway, is a step down.
"It's very competitive," he said. "You always feel if you're
in with a good team, you're going to be competitive. I feel
there are probably 25 teams that can win a race on any given
weekend, and there are probably 10 teams capable of winning
a championship."
Benson still finds it awfully
tough to race at Berlin Raceway, which starts its season
this weekend. He's just happy the track, which had been open
for 50 seasons when he tried to purchase it in 2001, is
still around.
Benson and a partner were
trying to buy the 7/16th-mile paved oval, where his father,
John, was a seven-time track champion, when they were outbid
by the West Michigan Whitecaps group that owns the
minor-league baseball team. But the group asked Benson to
join as a limited partner. "At first, I
really wasn't sure I wanted to do that," Benson said. "But
what I wanted to make sure is that the track is going to be
open another 50 years." (04-15-05)
Benson Tours MIS Renovations;
Looking Forward to Return to Hometown Track in June
Nascar Craftsman Truck Series
driver Johnny Benson of Grand Rapids (left) surveys the new
Race Operations Level with the AAA Motorsports Fan Plaza in
the background on April 14th at Michigan International
Speedway with MIS President Brett Shelton (right).
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Hometown favorite Johnny Benson has had
his ups and “upside downs” at Michigan International
Speedway over the years, with his MIS debut in a 1993 NASCAR
Busch Series race ending upside down on the backstretch. But
one thing is for certain, he’s proud of his hometown track,
which has provided plenty of memories for him during his 10
plus years racing at the 2-mile oval.
Benson stopped by MIS on
Thursday to tour the largest renovation project in the
history of the facility and to meet with the media to talk
about the first ever June NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race
at MIS on June 18th.
“I enjoy coming here and I love
racing here and every time we come through the doors its
always been open arms for the drivers, owners and race
fans,” said Benson, who will next wheel his No. 23 Toyota
Tundra for Bill Davis Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series on June 18 at MIS. “I’m proud to say that I’m from
this area. To say that this is my home race track on the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is something I’m very proud
of. With all the new renovations I’m even more proud of it
today than ever.”
Benson, who said he has always
enjoyed MIS for its side-by-side racing, feels that not only
will the racers be impressed with the changes for 2005 and
beyond, but what it really benefits are the thousands of
fans who descend upon MIS for its three big race weekends.
“For the people that come out
and support this racetrack there is now even more to see and
do,” said Benson. “It gives the fans even more to do before
and after they watch us race. I haven’t spent that much time
on this side of the race track, but I do remember sitting in
the grandstands watching my dad race here when I was 10
years old.”
The project, expected to be
completed prior to the season opening Father’s Day Weekend
tripleheader, which includes the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series,
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA RE/MAX Series,
includes a reconfiguration of the “front door” to the
speedway now called the AAA Motorsports Fan Plaza. The
26-acre area includes a newly redesigned area for
merchandise trailers, corporate displays and a plaza area
where fans can relax and also take in the Walk of Champions,
which will honor all of the great racing champions at MIS
since it opened in 1968 to the present.
Currently, the AAA Motorsports
Fan Plaza is taking shape with construction crews moving
dirt and readying the area for paving.
The other part of the renovation
project includes a tri-level tower which holds the brand new
Champions Club presented by AAA, corporate suites, and an
additional space for media partners and sanctioning body
race operations. The new Champions Club presented AAA,
Suites and Race Operations level concrete has been poured
and workers are busily installing heating and cooling, while
also building walls inside each area.
While the renovations are a big
part of the improvements that at MIS for 2005, another big
improvement will be the schedule, with the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series running in June along with the ARCA RE/MAX
Series and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Benson will be the
first to tell you that it’s a great enhancement for the fans
as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
“To come here on a NEXTEL Cup
weekend where there will be a lot of people to see a great
race is very exciting,” Benson said. “That’s only better for
the Craftsman Truck Series and it's better for me because
I’ll have even more fans here to cheer me on.”
In last year’s NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series race at MIS, Benson made his series debut in a
Toyota for Bill Davis Racing, a seat which he held for the
rest of the year and into 2005. While he had no experience
with the race team prior to last year’s MIS race, he worked
his way through the field from the 31st starting
position to finish a solid fourth.
“Bill Davis called with an
opportunity to run here at MIS and I said yea, I have to,
it’s my hometown track, he said. Usually in the (NEXTEL) Cup
car it seems like the race is very long and I was running
really well and we were making adjustments and cruised
around for awhile. I finally asked how many laps there were
to go and he said 29, I was like, I better get going! From
there, with Bill spotting, we were able to work our way up
and ended fourth which was a great day for us.”
“Bill was happy and had a good
time after the race and we were chuckling about it,” Benson
went on to say. “It was my first race here in a truck and I
was being careful and watching what everyone was doing and
all the sudden the day went by really quickly. I was used to
being in a 3 ½ to 4 hour race so the shorter race really
caught me off guard.”
After visiting his hometown
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series track, Benson can’t wait to
come back in June and improve on last year’s fourth place
finish.
“I’m excited coming here to MIS.
One because it’s my hometown, two because I think we’re
going to have a pretty competitive truck and third and
upmost is to see all the improvements when they are done. I
can’t wait to see it in June.”
“I like the construction part of
it and I like to build race cars from the ground up and see
the process,” he added. “It’s an honor to come out and see
it now and then get to see it in June when it’s all done.”
Tickets to all 2005 events at
MIS are on still available, including the season-opening
Father’s Day weekend, which includes exciting enhancements
to the weekend schedule, including the ARCA RE/MAX Series
Hantz Group 200 on June 17, the MIS June debut of the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series on June 18 and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series on June 19. Tickets can be purchased by logging on to
www.MISpeedway.com,
or by calling the MIS ticket hotline at 1-800-354-1010.
(04-14-05)
Martinsville - A
Fans Perspective
By:
Cliff Calton (Ancsandman)
Hi Ya'll ....First off I want to say how great it was
to see all the JB fans there...His support was well shown!
After the race started Johnny was saying that
his truck was....tight tight tight!!!...even though he
seemed to be holding his own. He told them that they
need to take 1 1/2 rounds out of the right side and put 1 in
the left. Which they did on the first pit stop.
After the pit stop, Johnny mentioned that he was still tight
and that he really didn't know what to do. After some
time he said that they needed to take out 5 rounds out of
the right side and take a pound of air out of the left rear.
On the 2nd pit they took 3 1/2 rounds out and did the air
pressure. On the next run Johnny said it was still
tight and he really didn't know what to do this time.
About half way through this run his truck almost hit the
wall in turns 3 and 4. He came on the radio and said that
his truck was really loose after that and that he thought
his back brakes went out. They told him to hang on
and they'll would try and fix his problem on the next stop.
This is when he went a lap down. JB got lucky because just
after he went a lap down the caution came out and he got the
lucky dog.
After his pit stop they told JB that there
wasn't any brake dust on the rear wheels, so he
really didn't have any back brakes and for him to do the
best he
could to finish the race. There wasn't much talk after
that....but Johnny did a great to stay on the lead lap and
finish the race without rear brakes. GREAT JOB JOHNNY
AND GANG!
(04-12-05)
Special Thanks to Cliff for his fan report - we appreciate
it!
Berger Chevrolet
Gives You a Chance to Win
OnStar is running a promotion at
Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You have a
1 in 3000 chance of Winning! Just visit Berger
Chevrolet, press the OnStar button in the designated Hot
Button vehicle. Speak with the OnStar advisor who will
notify you if you are a potential winner. Right now
get $1,000 Hot Button Bonus Cash on any 2004 or 2005 car or
light-duty truck. Berger Chevrolet has over 800
vehicles in stock to choose from! Good Luck!
(04-14-05)
Wednesday Berlin Test
Session
Berlin Raceway held a test session on a sunny Wednesday
afternoon for drivers to get ready for opening night.
Joining Johnny in this test session were Tim Steele, Billy
Shotko, Lee Anderson, Scott Thomas and others. It was the first time
that Johnny hit the track driving his new late model.
Unfortunately, he has to make some adjustments that can not
be ready for opening night - so Johnny will NOT be racing
this weekend. (04-13-05)
Berlin Raceway - Opening Night!
Weekly Racing with Coors Light Late Model, Engine Pro Super
Stock, Standale Interiors Pro Stock and Standale Lumber
Sportsman divisions. Gates open at 11 a.m. and racing gets
under way at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets:
$11 in advance and $12 at the gate for general admission;
$25 for pit passes (16 and older only). Kids 3-12 are half
price and 2 and under are free. Have Dinner on the Deck!
This is a special opportunity to watch the race from the
Standale Lumber Deck located in Turn 1. Package includes
race ticket to the "best seat in the house" and an
all-you-can-eat dinner buffet of hamburgers, hot dogs,
potato salad, chips and soft drinks, served from 6:30 to 8
p.m. Price is $20 per person and packages can be purchased
in advance (616-677-5000 ext. 14) or at the gate, based on
availability. (04-13-05)
Homestead To Install Lights
Homestead-Miami
Speedway President Curtis Gray today announced plans to
install lights around the 1.5-mile track before this year's
Nov. 18-20 Ford Championship Weekend finales for NASCAR's
Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series. Work is
scheduled to start immediately, and plans call for running
the Nov. 18 truck event under the lights and starting the
Nov. 20 Cup finale at 4 p.m. and finishing under the lights.
The track says the starting time for the Nov. 19 Busch
Series event will be announced later. "When one thinks of
the greatest championship sporting events around the world,
one thinks of prime-time, electric atmospheres," said Gray.
The Miami Herald reports that the project will cost more
than $8 million and says the track is also considering
installation of additional seating before this year's event.
(04-12-05)
Labonte Golf Tourney Raises
over $130k
The Bobby Labonte Celebrity
Golf Classic presented by ConAgra Foods raised more than
$130,000 for the Bobby Labonte Foundation, officials from
the foundation announced April 10. The Bobby Labonte
Foundation supports numerous charities and non-profit
organizations, including the Victory Junction Gang Camp and
the
North Carolina Quarter-Midget Association. The event
took place over two days at the prestigious Ballantyne
Resort in Charlotte, N.C., with dinner and auction on April
4 followed by golf on April 5. In addition to Labonte,
NASCAR drivers Terry Labonte, Tony Stewart, Jason Leffler
and Johnny Benson participated, as did J.D. Gibbs,
president of Joe Gibbs Racing, Steve Addington, Labonte's
crew chief and Greg Zipadelli, Stewart's crew chief. Jim
Cantore from The Weather Channel, Marty Roe, lead-singer for
Diamond Rio and Larry Ziegler from the PGA Champions Tour
also participated.
(4-11-05)
Rusty Wallace and
Bobby Labonte at Berlin
Berlin Raceway
announced today that NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Rusty Wallace
and Bobby Labonte, both former circuit champions, will
appear at the track in 2005. The drivers will appear at
Berlin's most prestigious events, on Wednesday, June 15 and
Wednesday, August 17. Fellow NASCAR driver and Grand
Rapids native Johnny Benson, defending race winner of both
events, will also race in both events.
Wallace will appear on
Wednesday, June 15, for an autograph session with fans as
part of his "Rusty's Last Call" farewell tour, celebrating
his final year of racing on the NASCAR Nextel Cup tour.
Wallace will sign autographs during The Berlin 100 presented
by Meijer and Tony's Pizza but will not race in the event
due to a contract stipulation with team owner Penske Racing.
Wallace is in his 22nd and final season on the Nextel Cup
circuit and won the championship in 1989.
Wallace's last visit to
Berlin was in the early '80's with ASA (American Speed
Association). Berlin Raceway Director of Race Operations
Mike Strevel said he looks forward to Rusty's return to
Berlin and said there is another guest appearance in the
works.
"It's a privilege and an
honor to be one of the few short tracks included in Rusty's
farewell tour," Strevel said. "It's been 20-plus years since
Rusty Wallace has last been at Berlin, so this will be one
of the rare occasions that he will be here. We haven't
worked out all of the details yet, but there is a
possibility that his son, Steve, will come with him to race.
Steve is only 17, and he is going to race in the Busch
Series this fall when he turns 18. If that happens, it will
be a great chance to see the next generation of Wallaces on
his way up the ranks."
Labonte will return for
the second straight year on Wednesday, August 17, to race in
"The Chet" Open Invitational presented by Comerica. He
will be avenging his 14th place finish to winner Johnny
Benson in last year's "The Chet" in an attempt to better
that mediocre finish. Labonte will be driving one of
Benson's two Late Model cars that he build specially to race
at Berlin.
The 2005 season marks the
fourth straight season that Berlin has brought in two NASCAR
drivers and is the first year that both have been Cup
champions. Drivers who have come to Berlin in the past three
years are Tony Stewart and Ken Schrader (2002), Stewart and
Dick Trickle (2003) and Michael Waltrip and and Bobby
Labonte (2004).
Tickets for The Berlin
100 on June 15 and "The Chet" on August 17 are $25 in
advance and $27 on the day of the race. Pit passes are $30
(16 and older; available day of race only). Children 3 to 12
are half price and 2 and under are free. Tickets are on sale
now. For more ticket information please call Berlin Raceway
at (616) 677-5000. (04-11-05)
Johnny Returns to
Michigan This Week
Good News! Johnny has put the finishing
touches on his new late model that he along with Russ
Hoekwater have been working hard on all winter long.
They are making the trip to Grand Rapids this week so Johnny
can test it at his favorite track - Berlin Raceway. If
the testing goes well and he feels that the car is race
ready, he will be making an appearance at the opening night
of Berlin Raceway this Saturday, April 16th. Check
back here for final details.
(04-10-05)
California Photos -
By:
Mike Laczynski
The JBFC would like to
thank our member, Kent Gilley for getting his colleague to
share photos of Johnny with the JB Fans! We appreciate
it! (04-10-05)
17th Place Finish
at Martinsville
It wasn't
one of their better days in Martinsville, Virginia for the
Kroger 250. Johnny started 17th and ended his day in
the same position. The Toyota Tundra could not recover
from tight conditions no matter how hard the crew tried to
make adjustments. Complete PR forthcoming.
(04-10-05)
Johnny Featured on
Truckseries.com
This week Johnny was featured on the front page of
Truckseries.com. We appreciate all the coverage they
are giving Johnny and the #23 Bill Davis Racing team.
To view the entire article -
click here.
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