NOVEMBER NEWS

 

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
 

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 .....

Why do you work on a NASCAR team?  What drives you to be part of the fastest growing sport in the USA?   
There are a couple reasons I work on a NASCAR team.  I've always loved racing from a young age and was lucky enough to meet the right people to get in.  Unlike my other teammates, I do not work in the shop during the week.  I'm just a race day guy.  I like it like that since I can still keep it a hobby that is fun.  I have a great job that I love during the week and then to top it off I get to go racing on the weekends.  I tell people that one of the main reasons I work on a NASCAR team is that I was never good enough at any other sport to play it professionally but here I am and can compete at the top levels of our sport.  I love the competition and enjoy working with my teammates.

What would you like to say to the JB fans?  
Thanks for all of your support.  I've been on the team since JB started driving for us and we know we've had some ups and downs but it's always nice to see his fan base behind him.  JB is one of the best drivers I've worked for and he's very cool to hang around.  I've always liked JB but I respect him even more after getting to know him personally.
For the complete interview with Dan  - click here

 

NASCAR Official

Danielle Riggs

The NASCAR world is no longer just a sport for men.  Women are becoming involved as NASCAR officials. At Martinsville, the NASCAR official assigned to the #23 pit was Danielle Riggs.  She is one of the original women who entered this field and has worked on all three series - Nextel Cup, BUSCH and the Craftsman Truck. Danielle is always smiling, energetic and serious.  Prior to the start of the race, she watches over the trucks to ensure no one touches the trucks once they are parked.