Benson Continues on Despite
Texas Setback
By: Charles Krall - Truckseries.com
Johnny Benson came into the 2006 NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series searching for the first win of his
career in a truck. He will close out the season with at
least four checkered flags, and despite a speed bump in the
road at Texas he remains mathematically alive for his first
series championship.
Benson is no stranger to battling for
championships. Benson was one of the strongest drivers in
the ASA AC Delco Challenge Series in the early 1990s,
earning the series rookie of the year title in 1991 and
following up with a series championship in 1993. Benson
moved to the NASCAR Busch Series in 1994, again picking up
the series rookie of the year award. In 1995, Benson gave
owner Bill Baumgardner the first of his three consecutive
series championships. While Randy LaJoie took over Benson's
old ride and took it to two more Busch Series titles, Benson
moved to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, again scoring the
rookie of the year crown in 1996.
There was one Cup Series win in his
career; Benson cashed in at Rockingham in an injury-plagued
2002 season. But even with just one win, Benson was a threat
to win several more. He nearly stole the Brickyard 400 in
his rookie year, and came within a handful of laps and one
ill-timed caution from winning the Daytona 500 in 2000.
With his Cup ride gone at the end of
2003, and he decided to again chase the Busch Series
championship in 2004. Benson teamed up with James Finch and
Phoenix Racing, and the combination was strong, nearly
winning at Nashville as the leaders crashed all around him.
But after just ten races, Finch decided to go another
direction leaving Benson out of a ride once again.
He didn't stay out of a ride for long.
Benson climbed behind the wheel of Bill Davis' No. 23 Toyota
Tundra at his home track, Michigan International Speedway,
in June 2004 and he's been a fixture in the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series ever since.
Davis paired Benson with long-time Truck
Series crew chief Rick Ren midway through 2005 and the pair
clicked. The combination hit its stride in 2006, with four
wins - Michigan, Milwaukee, Nashville, and Loudon - and they
currently sit second in the series championship standings.
Todd Bodine was expected to be the
dominant force for the championship in 2006, and he didn't
disappoint. He jumped out to a large lead early in the
season, but Benson and Ren used their hot mid-season streak
to close the gap. They never wavered from their strategy;
they didn't race for points, they have stayed fast in their
pursuit of checkered flags. While the championship may be
out of reach, Benson will take the same approach at Phoenix
and Homestead as he did the previous 23 races in 2006.
"In our position, we're just going to
race to win," Benson said. "I feel that our chances for the
point championship are pretty much over. Mathematically,
it's still possible. I don't see Todd Bodine having four bad
races in a row. With that being said, we're just going down
there to win and do the best we can."
If Benson runs the table - leads the most
laps and wins both races at Phoenix and Homestead - the most
points he can score is 380, meaning he would end the season
with a maximum of 3,649 points. If Bodine doesn't lead a lap
in the final two races, all he needs to do is average a
13th-place finish in both races to pick up his first career
championship.
"That's all we have really done all year
and have been fortunate to have won four races, have a lot
of top fives and a lot of good success," Benson said. "But
with Atlanta, having a mechanical problem and of course,
this past weekend with a mechanical problem - it has pretty
much taken us out of the points."
The success he and his team have shared
in 2006 is not due to any one person or any one thing in
particular. But Benson and Ren worked hard on making the No.
23 Toyotas just as strong in the final stages of a race as
it was in the opening stages, and it has paid off.
"We had decent success in 2005 but didn't
win a race," Benson said. "We were so close. The first
two-thirds of the race always went extremely well, and then
we fell off a little bit on the last third of the race. We
worked really hard over the winter to try to make sure that
didn't happen this year. I think as far as the team,
preparation, Rick (Ren) and everybody involved, they have
really made that last third of the race a little more
successful for us this year."
With the championship so close, Benson is
primed to make another run at it in 2007. All that is
missing is the writing on the dotted line. "We're
working on trying to make that happen," Benson said. "We're
trying to get Rick (Ren) to stay there. I'm trying to stay
there. We've all kind of turned our stuff in, but I haven't
heard anything back yet. I know the sponsorship deal is
done. I've read that I'm going to be there. I think things
are looking good for next year, but until they sit down and
say we're going to go do it is one thing.
"I feel confident that that is going to
happen and it will probably move forward with the program to
try to make another shot at the championship. I thought 2005
we were going to have that opportunity, and we started off
good and then kind of fell in the midseason and then came
back again at the end. This year going into the season, when
we unloaded at Daytona, our goal was to be a championship
contender and we've been able to accomplish that goal."
For Benson, it would complete the circle.
He's taken the team from a contender to a race winner; and
from a race winner to a championship contender. All that's
missing is the final piece of the puzzle, and with his
history of winning championships 2007 could see another
trophy added to his collection.
Teleconference Transcript with Johnny
Benson
TruckSeries Report
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Johnny Benson is
currently second in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points
standings - 137 points behind leader Todd Bodine with just
two races remaining in the 2006 season. So far this season,
Benson has four wins (Michigan, Milwaukee, Nashville and New
Hampshire), 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.
Benson and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series return to action Friday, Nov. 10, for the Casino
Arizona 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. Benson
finished 3rd at Phoenix last season. The Casino Arizona 150
is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. ET.
What do you feel your chances are
to still win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship?
"Probably based off the last two weeks, not very good, at
least on our end. Todd (Bodine) has struggled the last
couple of races, and we've had some mechanical failures.
Anytime we've tried to capitalize on his misfortunes, we
ended up with a bigger misfortune."
You have finished third and fifth
in the past two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at
Phoenix. Is there something about the track that suits your
driving style and that might give you an advantage this
weekend? " When we look back at the last five, six,
eight races, we definitely performance wise have done
extremely good. I expect Phoenix to go decent. I expect
Homestead to go decent. They are tracks that we have had
good finishes at. Phoenix is a flat track. I like flat
tracks. Since they've redone Homestead, it's a great place
to race. I think we can excel at those tracks and run real
competitive with an opportunity to go for a victory there,
and that's what our plans are."
The spot you are in in the
points, are you in a position that you have to go for the
win or is it more trying not make a big mistake?
"In our position, we're just going to race to win. I feel
that our chances for the point championship are pretty much
over. Mathematically, it's still possible. I don't see Todd
Bodine having four bad races in a row. With that being said,
we're just going down there to win and do the best we can.
That's all we have really done all year and have been
fortunate to have won four races, have a lot of top fives
and a lot of good success. But with Atlanta, having a
mechanical problem and of course, this past weekend with a
mechanical problem - it has pretty much taken us out of the
points."
What has been the biggest
surprise with your team in 2006? "Probably being
able to finish off the last part of the race. We had decent
success in 2005 but didn't win a race. We were so close. The
first two-thirds of the race always went extremely well, and
then we fell off a little bit on the last third of the race.
We worked really hard over the winter to try to make sure
that didn't happen this year. I think as far as the team,
preparation, Rick Ren (crew chief) and everybody involved,
they have really made that last third of the race a little
more successful for us this year. But to sit there and point
to say which helped it and which didn't, is pretty hard to
dissect. I think as a whole that's the part we worked on
over the winter, and this year has shown that on the race
track."
You went from a team last year
that didn't win a race to winning four so far this season.
Your team became a championship contender because of those
finishes. Are all the pieces in place for the No. 23 team to
return in tact next year and make a run for the 2007 NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series championship? "We're working
on that. We're working on trying to make that happen. We're
trying to get Rick (Ren) to stay there. I'm trying to stay
there. We've all kind of turned our stuff in, but I haven't
heard anything back yet. I know the sponsorship deal is
done. I've read that I'm going to be there. I think things
are looking good for next year, but until they sit down and
say we're going to go do it is one thing. I feel confident
that that is going to happen and it will probably move
forward with the program to try to make another shot at the
championship. I thought 2005 we were going to have that
opportunity, and we started off good and then kind of fell
in the midseason and then came back again at the end. This
year going into the season, when we unloaded at Daytona, our
goal was to be a championship contender and we've been able
to accomplish that goal."
Do you plan to stay in the NASCAR
Craftsman Tuck Series or would you like to get back in to
NEXTEL Cup? " If an opportunity came along within
Toyota to go to the Cup Series, I would probably look at it
pretty seriously. Right now, I love running the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series. It's fun racing. It's competitive.
And it just seems to be a lot less trouble, I guess you
could say with everybody. It is a great series. I love
racing for Bill Davis Racing and everybody involved and
being with Toyota. It would be pretty hard to get me to move
unless there was a great opportunity."
Can you compare the present
challenges in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to the past
challenges in your career? "No matter where you
race at, the challenges are all the same. You're racing to
win. You're racing to accumulate points the best that you
can. It really is not any different no matter where you run
because the challenges in competition really are all about
the same. The only differences that you get into is the
style and how you race in each series. I think in the Cup
series, a lot of the times you kind of hang out until the
end of the race - although I think some of that has changed
now. In the Truck Series, you've got to run hard pretty much
the whole race. You only get two opportunities with the pit
stops to make adjustments, and you can't get too far behind
knowing that there's only going to be two stops during the
race."
Considering success you had early
in the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series are you happy with how
your career has gone? "Absolutely. I've enjoyed 95
percent of my career in racing. It's been good to me. I
don't feel the sport owes me anything or anything like that.
You seem to hear a lot of drivers think that racing in one
aspect owes them something. But it doesn't owe me a thing.
It's given me great pleasure and great competition
throughout it. I'm looking for many, many years to continue
doing it whether it be in the NASCAR level or otherwise. I'm
going to keep racing until my desire to win is gone. One
that happens, I will leave the sport and walk away, but it
will be a long time before that happens."
How are your approaching Phoenix
being 137 points behind the leader? "We're really
looking at these next couple of races no different than we
have the last 10. We've done everything we can to try to be
competitive for the championship. We've had some things bite
us. We've had races that haven't gone as planned. You get to
that point - we were 180 plus points out at one time and we
were able to work all the way up to 70 points or less. In
these last couple of weeks had we not had a mechanical
problem, we would probably be leading the points. That's
just how it works. For some reason, it looks like it's just
Todd's (Bodine) year. No matter what happens, he ends up in
a good spot even if he runs bad. It's just one of those
deals where we are doing everything we can. I think we have
performed on the race track and shown that. With some
failures, it's just unusual. The drive shaft thing (at
Atlanta) is very unusual. I have had three drive shaft
failures in my career let alone having one a week ago.
Toyota has just done a tremendous job with our engines all
year. This was the first failure we've had in a long time.
And the first one this year for sure. And it wasn't a
devastating - well, devastating in the points - but it
didn't disintegrate the engine or anything. It's just
something that happened that was not real common but does
happen from time to time. Had those factors or those
problems happened in the beginning of the year, you wouldn't
think of it as a big of a deal as it has been happening in
the last two races. We're doing everything we can. We've
been competitive. I've felt that we have out run a lot of
the competition the last 10 to 15 races. It's going to end
up where it ends up. We're not going to dwell on either end
of it."
Rally Hats
When the tough get going, what
does the team do for Johnny? They put their hats on
backwards to "rally" him back. This worked at Las
Vegas!
Berlin Banquet Photos
By: Tom Devette
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|
Dr. Richard Harris and
John Benson Sr. |
Tom Thomas collects
his championship hardware |
Phoenix Fan Ready For Race
Bobbie McQueen of Arizona
is ready to show her support for her favorite driver, crew
chief and team. Her hat is ready for action!
Berlin racing legends Benson,
Knight, Obie inducted into Hall of Fame
Three
distinguished figures from Berlin Raceway's storied past
were honored as the latest inductees into the Berlin Raceway
Hall of Fame presented by Boyne Machine Company on Friday
night as part of the annual Boyne Machine Berlin Raceway
Awards Banquet. Grand Rapids natives John Benson Sr., Bob
Knight and Harry Obie were introduced as the 2006 inductees.
This year's sophomore class of inductees was the first class
to be selected via fan vote from a list of 15 nominees. Fans
voted both online at www.berlinraceway.com and at races all
season long. High-quality commemorative bronze plaques with
engraved likenesses of each Hall of Fame member were
unveiled during the presentation Friday and will be
permanently placed on the Hall of Fame wall outside Turn 1
at Berlin Raceway.
John Benson Sr. was introduced to the sellout crowd of 600
by his long-time business partner, Dr. Richard Harris.
Benson's 15-year Berlin Raceway career (1966-1980) began
with a supermodified before he switched to a late model in
1969. Benson dominated the 1970's at Berlin, winning seven
track championships ('71, '72, '73, '74, '76, '77, '78). He
won 202 features in his career at tracks all over the
Midwest during his 25-year racing career, mostly at Berlin.
Benson is one of the most knowledgable racers in the
industry and, after retiring from racing himself, became a
car owner and passed his knowledge on to many drivers,
including his son, NASCAR driver Johnny Benson Jr. He owns
and operates Benson Speed Equipment. Benson's wife Judy and
daughter Barb were also in attendance.
Track historian Dick Lee introduced the second inductee, Bob
Knight. Knight raced at Berlin Raceway on the dirt from 1951
to 1966 and was known as the toughest driver to beat during
that period. Knight won the Mid Season Championship race at
Berlin for four straight years (1960-1963) and won the
season championship in 1961. That same year, he also won
Kalamazoo Speedway's season championship on pavement, making
him a track champion on two different surfaces in the same
season. Knight passed away in 1980. His award was accepted
by his grandson Rick Knight; in attendance were three of
Knight's children and eight grandchildren.
Former track champion and current Coors Light Late Model
driver Randy Sweet introduced inductee Harry Obie, who was a
longtime car owner and innovater at Berlin Raceway. After a
short driving career (1952 to 1955, when he was forced to
retire after he was injured going to the aid of a fellow
driver who had crashed), Obie became a car owner, fielding a
car for Eddie VanderLaan beginning 1956. Randy Sweet was his
next driver, from 1972 until Obie's retirement from racing
in 1980. The Obie/Sweet team won the 1975 Berlin Raceway
Late Model championship. In 1980, with the help of Sweet,
Harry founded Obie Manufacturing and was a major innovator
of new racing products such as the rack and pinion steering,
spindles, and much of the equipment that both Sweet
Manufacturing and Obie Manufacuring sell today. Obie passed
away in 1996; his award was accepted by his wife Gerry Obie
and his son Vic Obie.
Jenison-based Boyne Machine Company, led by co-owner Mike
Blackmer, is the presenting sponsor of the Berlin Raceway
Hall of Fame, which was established a year ago as a means to
permanently immortalize the greatest drivers and
contributors of Berlin Raceway, one of the longest
continuously running short tracks in the country. The Hall
of Fame mission is to preserve the rich history and heritage
of Berlin Raceway by recognizing and honoring outstanding
individuals who have made significant accomplishments in and
contributions to the sport of auto racing at Berlin Raceway.
This year's group of inductees brings the total number of
Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame members to six; last year's
inaugural inductees were track co-founders Chester and Rose
Mysliwiec, Charles Mysliwiec and Richard Mysliwiec. Up
to three individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame
each year. Eligibility for the Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame
may be in either Driver or Lifetime Achievement categories.
Anyone is welcome to nominate a candidate for consideration
by completing a Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame Nomination Form
(available online at www.berlinraceway.com). Nominations
must be received by February 16; at that time the Selection
Committee will select the candidates to be included on the
ballot. Voting is open to all race fans and can be done all
season long at races or online at www.berlinraceway.com. To
be inducted, a candidate must be named on at least
two-thirds of the ballots.
Boyne Machine Driver Awards Banquet honors
the best of Berlin Raceway in 2006
Berlin
Raceway's annual Boyne Machine Driver Awards Banquet
presented by Standale Lumber, Van Manen Petroleum Group and
AAA Michigan was held Friday night at the Pinnacle Center in
Hudsonville, and a sold-out crowd of 600 drivers, crew
members, families and car sponsors were in attendance to
honor the 2006 award winners. Four first-time champions
headlined the awards presentation, which recognized 59 of
Berlin's 134 drivers in the four racing divisions for their
points finishes and other accomplishments.
Tom Thomas of Grandville, won four races and posted
13 top-five finishes on his way to his first-ever Coors
Light Late Model championship. Thomas, a 33-year-old 14-year
Berlin Raceway veteran, broke through to win the
championship after finishing between third and fifth place
in every season from 1998 through 2005. Allendale's Nick
Shotko, a 26-year-old in his seventh season of Berlin
racing, used three victories, 11 top fives and 10 fast
qualifying times to help him claim his first-ever Engine Pro
Super Stock championship after finishing third in 2005 and
second in 2006. Howard City native Dave Lake claimed
his first championship in 15 years, riding eight victories
to the championship in the De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock
division after finishing runner-up a year ago. And
second-year driver Shawn Simon of Rockford bettered
his second-place finish from last season with a championship
in the Standale Lumber Sportsman division by winning two
races and finishing in the top five 15 times.
The banquet presentations included $40,000 in points fund
money distributed to drivers in each of the four racing
divisions. In addition to the 7-foot-tall champions
trophies, the four division champions each received a gold
championship ring from Tom Davis Jewelers and a Hoosier
jacket.
The top 20 drivers in the Coors Light Late Model division,
top 15 in the Standale Lumber Sportsman and top 10 in the
Engine Pro Super Stock and De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock
divisions were awarded trophies, while Super Stock and Pro
Stock drivers finishing 11-15 were awarded plaques. Prizes
from Lane Automotive, Powder Coating Services and Van Manen
Petroleum Group were awarded to other award winners as well
as via random drawings of drivers during the two and a half
hour awards presentation. The event was emcee'd by track
public address announcer Norm Jelsma and MRN/WMUS race
broadcaster Jeff Striegle and included several videos and
still pictures set to music to capture the scenes and
excitement of the 2006 season.
Click
here for complete list of awards.
Listen to Johnny's Interview
Johnny was interviewed by Charles Krall of
TruckSeries.com after the disappointing race in Texas.
He is very proud of being part of winning the Toyota
Championship and his performance of the team. To
listen to the interview -
click here. Look for the link of the post
race audio on the right side of the screen under Fridays -
drivers.
Congratulations, Dad!
The Berlin Raceway
racing banquet was held last night and the announcement of
the inductees to the Berlin Hall of Fame was announced.
John Benson Sr, Harry Obie and Bob Knight were the first
inductees.
Texas Race Notes
By: Toyota Motorsports
Mike Skinner's third-place finish tonight clinched the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) manufacturer's
championship for Toyota, Toyota's first manufacturer's NCTS
title. This is Toyota's third season, and 73rd race, in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS). Toyota Tundras have
won 24 NCTS races since the beginning of the 2004 Craftsman
Truck Series season.
Johnny Benson, No. 23 NAPA Tundra, Bill Davis
Racing
Are you out of the championship hunt? "Probably.
Now, we have to fight for second. We had a great race truck.
We did a little bit of tuning at the end, and we probably
could have made it up to third. Something broke, not really
sure what it was yet. We had a chance to capitalize, and we
didn't."
"He (Todd Bodine) tried to give it to us, but we can't
take it. Everyone at the team has done a tremendous job all
year long. This is the first failure we've had all year.
It's not meant to be I guess. We had a good truck, I think
we really could have got a few more spots there, and we
couldn't do it."
Toyota Camry Approved
For ARCA Competition
The
Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Toyota
officials announced today at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas that
the Toyota Camry has been approved for competition in the
2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series.
The move broadens Toyota’s base of stock car racing
participation
which began with the Goody’s Dash Series in 2000. The auto
manufacturer moved up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
in 2004 and previously announced its plans to participate in
the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series in 2007.
"We're excited to be welcomed into the ARCA RE/MAX Series,”
said
David Wilson, TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) group
vice president of finance, operations and planning. “ARCA
has a rich history and has played a role in developing
drivers through the years.”
The ARCA RE/MAX Series, established in 1953, features 3400
pound,
steel-bodied stock cars with corresponding auto manufacturer
engine and
body configuration. Drivers and teams compete for the
national championship in a 22-24 race tour featuring a
diverse mix of racetracks ranging in size from .4375 to 2.66
miles in length on paved, concrete and dirt surfaces. Races
in the series are televised nationally (available in 68.3
million US homes) and internationally in more than 80
countries on the Speed Channel television network, in
addition to average race attendance of 600,000 per season.
The series has long been recognized as a top driver
development series for professional stock car racing teams.
“As the ARCA RE/MAX Series has grown and evolved, we’ve
worked hard to maintain a sense of tradition while
incorporating cutting edge
opportunities,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “A true
measure of that
balance is reflected in the range of participation of track
venues, driver
and team participation, marketing partnerships and on-track
competition.
Welcoming Toyota, a global leader in the automotive
industry, will
certainly make our on-track product better and stronger as
we move
forward.”
The 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season kicks off at Daytona
International Speedway on Saturday, February 10, with the
44th running of the Daytona ARCA 200.
Best Wishes, Rick Ren!
The JBFC wishes Rick Ren a speedy
recovery after back surgery this week. We missed you
at the track!
Toyota Takes
Manufacturer's Title At Texas
Toyota clinched the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) manufacturer’s
championship in Friday evening’s race at Texas Motor
Speedway when Mike Skinner crossed the finish line third in
his No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Tundra. It marks the first
manufacturer’s title for Toyota since joining the Craftsman
Truck Series at the beginning of the 2004 season.
This year, Tundra drivers have recorded 11 wins in the first
23 races of the year to clinch the title. Tundra drivers
who have finished first in 2006 include Johnny Benson (four
wins), Todd Bodine (three wins), Jack Sprague (two wins),
Mike Skinner (one win) and David Starr (one win). In
addition, Tundra drivers have started from the pole position
11 times in 2006.
Skinner crossed the finish line behind NASCAR Nextel Cup
regulars Clint Bowyer (first) and Kyle Busch (second).
Tundra drive Jack Sprague (fourth) and David Reutimann
(seventh) also registered top-10 finishes at Texas.
Although Toyota clinched the manufacturer’s title, the
chance for two Tundra drivers -- Todd Bodine and Johnny
Benson -- to battle for the driver’s title in the last two
races decreased with Johnny Benson’s 31st-place finish.
Bodine now leads the championship chase by 137 points.
“Our title hopes are probably done,” said Benson, Friday
evening. “Now, we have to fight for second-place in the
points. We had a great race truck tonight, but something
broke. We had a chance to capitalize tonight -- and we
didn’t do it.”
Other Tundra drivers in the field were Ted Musgrave (11th),
Todd Bodine (14th), David Starr (16th), Chad Chaffin (19th)
and Bill Lester (21st).
Trust Fund for Sphar Family
A trust fund has been
established for the children of the late Steve Spahr, a
longtime Bill Davis Racing employee, who died last Friday.
Spahr has been working as a jackman on the #55
Waltrip-Jasper Racing team that has an affiliation with BDR
this season. Fans can contribute to the Trust Fund for Jenna
and Hailey Spahr, BB&T, 2835 Randleman Road, Greensboro,
N.C., 27406. Spahr, 48, had recently undergone surgery for a
tear of the aorta and was recovering at home when he died.
Sad News
#55 Jackman passes:
Bill Davis Racing statement on the passing of Steve Spahr,
#55 NAPA Team Jackman: "Obviously our thoughts and prayers
are with Steve's family," said Bill Davis, owner of Bill
Davis Racing. "Steve was an important part of the Bill Davis
Racing family for many, many years. He was a quiet mentor to
his peers and was both respected and well-liked by everyone
on our race team and many others within the NASCAR Nextel
Cup garage. He will be missed and remembered fondly by
everyone associated with our team." Spahr, 48, worked both
at the shop and at the track performing a wide range of
tasks from engine tuning to suspension work in the shop and
in the past had served as the jackman for the #22 team. Most
recently, Spahr was the jackman for the #55 NAPA Racing
team. A long-time employee of Bill Davis Racing, Spahr had
recently been hospitalized with a tear of the aorta and had
undergone surgery in the Greensboro, N.C. area. Spahr was
recovering at home with his family when he passed away
suddenly Friday evening. The JBFC send it's
condolences to the Steve Spahr Family. Steve worked at
Bahari Racing when Johnny was driving the #30 Pennzoil
Pontiac.
BDR
Announces 2007 Craftsman Truck Lineup
Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner and
Tyler Walker will all compete full time for Bill Davis
Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next season.
Rookie Walker #36will be
sponsored by 360 OTC, as will Benson's for 10 races. Walker,
a Sprint Car standout, competed in three truck events in
2003 and 19 NASCAR Busch Series races during the 2004 and
'05 seasons.
"I can't wait to get
started," Walker said. "I've waited for an opportunity like
this for a long time, and I plan to make the most of it. I
know that chances like this don't come along every day, and
I feel really lucky ... Bill Davis' entire organization is
top-notch." Benson is currently second in the
series standings, 79 points behind Todd Bodine.
Q & A with Dan Mrak
 |
Thank you to
#23 Bill Davis Racing crew member, Dan Mrak for taking
time to answer some questions from the JBFC. Dan
is considered a weekend warrior. Most of the time
he can be found by the truck prior to the race and
enjoys interacting with the JB fans ..... |
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