Autograph Session
Johnny joined several NCTS
drivers for pictures and autographs at the Nebraska
Furniture Market, which is located directly across from the
Speedway on Friday, April 27th.
Johnny and Terry Cook
Photo By: Judy Benson
Top Five Finish for Johnny in Kansas
Johnny and the #23 Bill Davis Racing team worked hard this
weekend to earn his 1st 4th place finish at Kansas
International Speedway. Johnny is now 7th in the point
standings. PR to follow.
Tripp and Johnny
Johnny To Debut at Richmond in Nextel Cup Series
Johnny Benson will drive a Wyler Racing Toyota in next
weekend's Nextel Cup race at Richmond International
Speedway, Benson said this week. Benson, who drives a
Bill Davis Racing Toyota in the Craftsman Truck Series, will
be entered in the No. 46 Camry at Richmond. Wyler Racing
fields the No. 60 Tundra for Jack Sprague in the Craftsman
Truck Series.
Wyler and Benson tested a car of tomorrow
at Richmond earlier this month. "It tested
pretty good and we were really happy with it," Benson said.
"[Crew chief] Tony Furr and the guys did a tremendous job.
It was a pleasure to go there, work with the guys and work
with that new car."
Benson said there is a possibility Wyler
Racing could enter more Nextel Cup events later in the year.
"Hopefully the race goes well enough that we get to go do
more," Benson said. "That is still a question mark. I don't
know what their plans are; they'd like to race more Cup
events. It is so sponsor-driven now. It costs so much money
to field a truck, let alone a Cup car. I think
that Dave Wyler and his father are doing everything they can
to try to run some races this year. Whether I'll be a part
of that, I don't know. I just know that I'm a part of the
Richmond deal for sure and hopefully I'll be able to run
some more races."
Berlin Announces 2007 Hall of Fame Nominations
Online fan voting has started
Berlin Raceway announced the names of the 15 nominees to be
considered for induction into the track's Hall of Fame in
2007. These 15 people will be voted on by the public over
the course of the 2007 season, and up to three of them will
be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual Boyne
Machine Berlin Raceway Driver Awards Banquet in November.
This fall's inductees will join the six members who have
been inducted to date: 2005 inductees Chester and Rose
Mysliwiec, Charles Mysliwiec and Richard Mysliwiec
(track co-founders) and 2006 inductees John Benson
Sr. (racer), Bob Knight (racer) and Harry Obie (car owner).
The Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame presented by Boyne Machine
Co. was created as a means to permanently immortalize its
greatest drivers and contributors. Its 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. Inductees are
commemorated with high-quality engraved bronze plaques
permanently placed on a concrete "Hall of Fame" wall outside
Turn 1 at the track.
The nominees were selected from submissions made by Berlin
Raceway fans. The selection committee narrowed the list down
to 15 names, among them drivers, track employees, car owners
and engine and chassis builders. Eleven of the nominees are
second-time nominees; new to the list this year are racers
Gail Cobb, Duane Knoll and Jimmy Nelson and car owner Bill
Ponstein.
Drivers must have been retired from the sport of race car
driving for a minimum of five years and must have achieved
significant accomplishments on the track at Berlin Raceway.
Lifetime Achievement candidates must have a minimum of 20
years service to auto racing at Berlin Raceway and must have
made a considerable impact upon Berlin Raceway.
Starting now, fans can vote for their top three choices
online at www.berlinraceway.com. Fans may also vote via
ballot in the raceday program during races. To be inducted,
a nominee must be listed on at least two thirds of the
ballots. The top three qualified vote-getters will be
inducted.
The 2007 Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame nominees, in
alphabetical order, are:
Ralph Baker, Holland, Driver
(b. April 23, 1930)
Baker was one of the premier Berlin Raceway drivers in the
late 1950's and 1960's. He began racing at Berlin in 1957,
first running Modifieds, then becoming one of the first
drivers to race Late Model stock cars when he raced an ARCA
race at Berlin. Baker won many races at Berlin, including
the 1961 Tri-State race and the 1962 Spring Championship
race. His career took him traveling on the USAC and ARCA
series tours in the late 1960's, but Baker never forgot his
roots at Berlin Raceway, where he can still be found every
Saturday night.
Ray Baker, Spring Lake, Engine Builder
(b. Aug. 30, 1942)
One of the premier engine builders in Berlin Raceway
history, Ray Baker has built winning engines for the likes
of Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, Sr, Neil Bonnett, and
Darrell Waltrip. From 1966 to 1994, the founder and former
operator of Baker Engineered Racing Engines supplied engines
for Berlin drivers Bob Senneker, Butch Miller, Fred
Campbell, Mike Eddy, Ed Howe, Tom Maier, John Benson Sr,
Randy Sweet, Bob Sensiba and Don Rand, plus many others.
Dick Carter, Breckenridge, Driver
(b. Aug. 17, 1934–d. Aug. 14, 1965)
One of the greatest dirt-track racers of all time in
Michigan, Carter began racing at Berlin in 1955 and won the
1957 Season Championship by lapping the entire field of cars
in 100 laps. He also won the Spring Championship race in '61
and the Tri-State Championship race in '63. Carter holds the
supermodified track record on Berlin's half-mile dirt track
at 22.16. Carter's outstanding racing career was cut short
on August 14, 1965, when he died in a crash while leading
the field (after setting fast time, winning the fast car
dash and winning his heat race).
Gail Cobb, Ada, Driver
(b. July 18, 1937)
Gail Cobb began a long and storied racing career at Berlin
Raceway in 1966 when the Grand Rapids Speedrome closed down.
He continued racing at Berlin until his retirement in 2000.
During his Berlin career, Cobb raced Supermodifieds, Late
Models and Sportsman cars. Gail ended his career by winning
the 2000 Sportsman title at Berlin Raceway. At 63 years of
age, Gail was the oldest driver to win a Berlin Raceway
championship. He was known as a tough, hard-nosed,
no-nonsense racer who earned the respect of the entire
racing community.
Ed Howe, Beaverton, Driver/Car Builder
(b. Dec. 9, 1938)
In addition to over 200 feature wins as a driver, Howe's
company, Howe Racing Enterprises (which he still owns and
operates), revolutionized the Late Model chassis. He has had
drivers in his house car such as Bob Senneker, Tom Maier,
Mike Eddy, Larry Moore, and Rodney Combs.
Duane Knoll, Muskegon, Driver
(b. Nov. 29, 1933)
Knoll raced at Berlin Raceway from 1957 to 1978. He won
the Berlin Raceway season track championship in 1963 and the
Modified Championship in 1966, as well as winning 30-some
features in his career at Berlin Raceway on both dirt and
asphalt. He ran several classes of cars at Berlin Raceway
during a career that made him known for being a very
skilled, successful driver and a crowd favorite. Knoll was
the last driver to win a feature on Berlin's half-mile dirt
track before it was paved in 1966.
Jimmy Meyer, Holland, Flagman
(b. December 14, 1934)
Meyer served as Berlin Raceway's official flagman from 1967
to 1997, earning the respect of drivers, car owners,
officials and fans for his authoritative and flamboyant
flagging style.
Jimmy Nelson, Flint, Driver
(b. May 19, 1930 - d. Aug. 21, 1965)
Nelson raced at Berlin Raceway from 1960 until his death in
1965, when he suffered a horrific crashed while leading a
feature race at the Grand Rapids Speedrome in 1965, just one
week after the death of his friend Dick Carter. Nelson was
known as a fearless hard charger and a real showman who
never failed to leave the fans in awe. He was well-liked by
both drivers and fans during his short but outstanding
Berlin racing career.
Bill Ponstein, West Olive, Car Owner
(b. Dec. 16, 1941)
Ponstein is recognized as one of Berlin Raceway's most
successful car owners during the past 15 years. Ponstein's
driver, Dave Lake, captured the Pro Stock title in 2006,
giving Ponstein his fourth Berlin track championship.
Ponstein earlier guided Bob Holley to three consecutive Late
Model titles during the 1990s. He also has fielded cars for
Bob Senneker, Charlie Dunshee and Chris Orr as well as his
son, Andy Ponstein; his current drivers are Lake and Ryan
Gruppen. Ponstein himself raced for three years at Berlin.
Johnny Roberts, Wheeler, Driver
(b. January 18, 1931)
Roberts raced at Berlin Raceway from 1955 to 1961. He
changed the racing landscape at Berlin in 1957 when he built
a radically new race car, the first true Super Modified race
car to race at Berlin. His speedy new Super Modified car
forced the rest of the field to imitate him in order to keep
up. Throughout his career Roberts was almost unbeatable. The
mid-season championships in 1957, 1958 and 1959 were among
many victories in his seven-year Berlin Raceway career.
Robert "Smokey" Steele, Grand Rapids, Car and Engine Builder
and Track Maintenance
(b. 1924 - d. 1976)
Smokey was a race car builder, engine builder and crew chief
for fellow Hall of Fame nominee Bob Knight from 1957 to
1964. Together they won several championship races at Berlin
Raceway in cars owned by track owner Chet Mysliwiec. In
addition, his "day" job was maintaining Berlin Raceway,
including grading and watering the dirt track surface, for
Mysliwiec. He was the grandfather of current Berlin driver
Tim Steele.
AJ Stehouwer, Walker, Car Owner and Race Official
(b. Feb. 3, 1924 - d. 1998)
A.J. was a car owner during Berlin's dirt era, from 1951
until Berlin paved its track in 1966. He was then hired as
pit steward, a position he held until retiring in 1989. A.J.
ran the entire pits during that time, handling lineups on
restarts and making the decision on who was running where.
In addition, Stehouwer was the mayor of Walker for 11 years.
He was the father of current Berlin Raceway driver Dave
Stehouwer and Dave's car owner/crew chief, Ed Stehouwer.
Eddie Vanderlaan, Grand Rapids, Driver
(b. April 7, 1933 - d. November 24, 1991)
Brother of fellow nominee Gordy VanderLaan, Eddie was one of
Berlin Raceway's top drivers from 1953 to 1976. He was
Berlin's Rookie of the Year in 1953 and won the season
championship in 1962. Eddie was successful on dirt as well
as on asphalt after the track was paved in 1966.
Gordy Vanderlaan, Grand Rapids, Driver
(b. July 25, 1928)
Brother of fellow nominee Eddie VanderLaan, Gordy raced at
Berlin Raceway for 12 years, beginning when the track opened
in 1951 and ending in 1962, when he was forced to retire
from racing due to a non-racing injury. He was a three-time
track champion (1952, 1955 and 1959). He also won the
longest race ever held at a short track in Michigan when he
finished first at the 500-lap race at the Ionia Fairgrounds
(a race that was promoted by Chet Mysliwiec).
Bill Wiltse, Grand Rapids, Driver
(b. June 17, 1923 - d. November 5, 1993)
Wiltse began racing at Berlin when the track opened in 1951
and raced here through 1959, racing jalopies, stock cars and
Super Modifieds. Bill won the 1952 mid-season championship
and the 1959 Michigan state championship race.
Ballots, nomination forms, complete eligibility criteria and
selection procedures are available online at
www.berlinraceway.com
Phoenix
Picks for CUP
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny has selected Kevin Harvick to win
in the desert at Phoenix International Speedway.
To view the complete article -
Click Here.
Martinsville Photos
By: Regina and Richie Snyder
Texas Picks for CUP
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny favors Tony Stewart to end up in
victory lane at the Texas Motor speedway.
To view the complete article -
Click Here.
First Night of Racing Cancelled
Berlin Raceway's April 14 season opener and this week's
pre-season Test-N-Tune have been cancelled due to
snow-covered wet grounds.
Opening Night festivities will take place next Saturday,
April 21. The 4-in-1 show plus 4-Cylinder Race is
presented by Trendway/Modern Office Interiors and will
include a $4,000-to-win Coors Light Late Model 50-lap race
plus Engine Pro Super Stocks (30 laps), De-Jay Slick Truck
Pro Stocks (25 laps), Instant Cash Advance Sportsman (20
laps) and 4-Cylinders (10-12 laps). Coors Light Late Model
defending champion Tom Thomas will be featured on a bobble
head to be given away to fans beginning at 3 p.m. It's
College Night ($5 race tickets and special prices on food
and beverages for any college students who show their
college ID), and it's also Report Card Night (kids 12 and
under can show a passing report card to receive a free
race ticket). A post-race party in the barbeque barns will
feature live music from Jimmie Stagger and Busch Light and
Bud Light beer specials.
Gates open at 12:15 p.m. and the first race gets under way
at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, half price for kids
6 to 12 and free for 5 and under. Pit passes for those 16
and over are $25.
Season Ticket Holders may exchange their April 14 season
tickets for Berlin Bucks or for general admission race
tickets for any other race of the same value. Simply bring
your April 14 season tickets to the Box Office on any race
day to make the exchange. The pre-season Test-N-Tune
is rescheduled for next Thursday, April 19, from 5 to 9
p.m. with the pit gate opening at 3 p.m (rain date will be
Friday, April 20). Officials will mount tires on Thursday
from 3 to 7 p.m., rain or shine.
COT Does Not Perform Like A Truck
Since it's debut at Bristol Motor Speedway March 25, the car
of tomorrow has drawn comparisons to the Craftsman Truck
Series entries. With its front splitter, the car more
closely favors - and some speculate races like - those
NASCAR models. Not so, says Johnny Benson.
Benson, a veteran of the truck and Cup
series, drove a Nextel Cup car of tomorrow for Wyler Racing
at Richmond International Raceway during the two-day test
this week. He says that while the car feels different than
the "regular" model, it doesn't exactly perform like a
truck.
"You have to drive it different and a lot
of people have asked me how it drives compared to a truck,"
Benson said. "They are different. This does not drive like a
truck at all, like people think it does, but it drives
different from the cars.
"I don't think it's halfway between them,
it's still more toward a Cup car than it is a truck. I
think, all in all, when they get some time built into these
cars, they'll be fun to watch and drive."
New Manifold for Toyota Teams
In a technical bulletin issued this week, NASCAR has ordered
Toyota Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series teams to use
a different intake manifold in an effort to "level the
playing field" with other manufacturers. The change does not
affect the Nextel Cup Series.
Busch Series Director Joe Balash said
NASCAR informed the teams of the switch during the test at
Richmond International Raceway last week. The sanctioning
body has been working with Toyota officials "for a while" as
NASCAR conducted chassis dynamometer tests this season.
The manifold was declared legal before
the season, but tests have shown it gives Toyota teams a
horsepower advantage. The new intake reduces horsepower,
Balash said. "We looked at all the manifolds on
all the cars," Balash said. "We looked at that particular
manifold as something we can make a change with to keep our
engine box as we talk about in check. It does reduce
the horsepower a little bit in the engine and bring it more
within where we are with the other engines in the series."
One of the Camrys tested on NASCAR's
chassis dyno was Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 99 driven by
David Reutimann. Sources indicated Reutimann's car
registered around 15 more horsepower than any other model.
Crew chief Jerry Baxter said the team took Reutimann's
Nasvhille car to High Point, N.C. earlier this week as
Toyota Racing Development officials worked with the new
manifold. Baxter said the new engine package was close to
the old one. "[Reutimann] shouldn't be able to tell,"
Baxter said. "It's pretty close."
Toyota is in its first season in the
Busch Series and is without a victory. But Toyota Tundras
have swept all four truck races, with Mike Skinner winning
the last three.
Johnny Comments After Testing At
Richmond
JOHNNY BENSON, No. 46 Jack Wyler Toyota Camry, Wyler Racing:
How has today’s test session gone for you? “I’m
pretty excited about being here, that’s for sure. Tony Furr
(crew chief) and the guys are doing a great job. We’ve come
a long way from where we unloaded to now. They’ve made
adjustments that have just made this thing really nice to
drive. I’ve been happy so far with how the test is going,
that’s for sure.”
With this being your first experience with the COT, what
are your thoughts? “It’s not as bad as what you
hear. They’re actually a lot of fun to drive. When you look
at it, there are some irritating spots where you wish it
would turn better in these areas. But until you run these
things at different places, you just have to keep working to
get things figured out. It’s only been two races now,
although I’m sure a lot of these teams have been testing
with them a fair amount. We don’t feel like we’re way off at
all. But the COT is not bad, are there areas where they
could improve? Absolutely. But as they run them and get them
figured out, it’ll get better and better. But I’ve been real
happy with the test for sure.”
Benson Testing at Richmond
Johnny Benson is listed among the 51-drivers scheduled to
participate in the Nextel Cup Series test on April 3-4, 2007
at Richmond Int'l Raceway. Benson will be testing the
#46-Toyota; the car is owned by Wyler Racing.
"Johnny right now is strictly our test
driver," team president David Wyler said Tuesday afternoon.
"He drove our COT down at Homestead this past year. [Team
manager] Tony [Furr] is real comfortable with the feedback
Johnny gave him at Homestead, so that's why we're bringing
him here."
Wyler Racing currently fields a truck for Jack Sprague.
Benson also drives for Toyota in trucks as part of the Bill
Davis Racing stable. "There's a lot of guys in the Toyota
camp that would be a possibility [as a driver]," Wyler said.
"We haven't really focused on that. yet. Until we focus on
our debut, then we'll make that determination." That debut
date is still to be determined. "We haven't determined when
our [debut] is going to be," Wyler said. "This is one of the
steps to prepare us. We'll know a lot more come tomorrow
evening. Our main focus is running competitive. "We could go
out there and run the next COT race, but I'm not going to do
that unless we can be competitive. Until we get to that
point, we'll continue to test."
