2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series
Schedule Announced:
The 2008 NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series schedule was announced today and
for the sixth consecutive year, the championship will be
contested over 25 races. The 2008 season will be the 60th
anniversary of NASCAR, which was incorporated on Feb. 21,
1948.
*The schedule begins at Daytona International Speedway in
February, concludes at Homestead-Miami Speedway in
November and features an unprecedented NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series-NASCAR Nationwide Series doubleheader at
California Speedway.
*The series will visit the same 22 tracks as in 2007 and
in the same order as the current schedule. Fifteen events
will be held in conjunction with the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series, while 10 races are scheduled as either
"stand-alones" or in conjunction with NASCAR Nationwide
Series races.
*On Feb. 23, California Speedway will host NASCAR
Craftsman Truck and NASCAR Nationwide Series events, which
for three seasons have been scheduled on separate days
during the track's first of two NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
weekends.
*In another shift, Gateway International Raceway's event
will run a week later than in 2007, on Sept. 6, the
weekend following the Labor Day holiday.
*Martinsville Speedway, one of four tracks to have
scheduled an event in each season since the series was
created in 1995, will host its 20th race on Oct. 18.
*Among active tracks on the schedule, Texas Motor Speedway
has hosted the most NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.
Texas will host its 21st and 22nd NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series races in 2008, on June 6 and Oct. 31 and joins
Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway as tracks
hosting two events in 2008.
Busch, Trucks will not run at Iowa next year
Stock car racing fans will have to
wait until at least 2009 for a chance to see a Busch
Series or Craftsman Truck Series event at Iowa Speedway in
Newton. The track's 2008 slate will include return visits
by the IndyCar Series and NASCAR's Grand National
Division, but the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series will
not expand next season, Iowa Speedway's vice president and
general manager Craig Armstrong said Monday. "They are
certainly looking at us as a prospect for 2009 and
beyond," said Armstrong.
JB Takes the Checkered Flag
Photo By: Tom Devette
A Short Night for Johnny at Berlin
Raceway
The open wheel cars invaded
Berlin Raceway last night in which Johnny drove the #74
Supermodified. Johnny won his heat race and was
leading the 50 lap feature when the rearend let go and
forced him to retire from the event.
Johnny Finishes 7th at Delaware Speedway
The results from the ISMA
Modified Feature -
Delaware 50: 1. Dave McKnight
(94), 2. Ryan Litt (07), 3. Chris Perley (11),
4. Mark Sammut (78), 5. Mike Lichty (84), 6. Michael
Barnes (22), 7. Johnny Benson Jr. (74), 8. Mike Ordway Jr.
(10), 9. Dave Trytek (35), 10. Rob Summers (97).
Mods Returning to Michigan
by Ron Verash
This Saturday, the ISMA Super Modifieds are returning to
Berlin Raceway. But for many, Super Modifieds are but a
distant memory. Some may say "What are they?", some will
wonder where they came from? My first thought on a
super is it was a class without much of a rulebook.
Here is the history of the Super
Modified. After World War II, Stock Car racing became
very popular. With the resumption of new car
construction, many cars from the 30's were in junkyards
throughout the country. The only ovals were horse racing
tracks at the County Fairground. In short time, stock
car racing was taking over the ovals. Several Farmers,
seeking a better source of income, converted their crop
fields for race tracks. Down in Indiana, Joe Hamsher was
one of the first to do just that. Other tracks included
Bob Kitzmiller's track {Kalamazoo, which opened in 1950,
the same year as Mottville Speedway}, South Bend,
Elkhart Speedway, Osceola, Goshen Fairgrounds, Millburg,
Sister Lakes, Hastings, Marne, with countless others. In
fact, Hartford Speedway was the old Van Buren
Fairgrounds and they ran Horses as well.
The early racers were basically
jalopies, not too fast, wrecked often, and were mostly for
fun. As crowds increased, the payoff increased, and the
drivers and mechanics were looking for ways to make the
car a little faster. Now it was getting a bit more
serious. They started cutting off extra weight, souping up
the engines, trimming off fenders, learning about stagger
with tires, and trying stuff that may not have worked as
planned. The name for these cars were called Modifieds.
They ran for extra money as the more experienced drivers
raced this class, and they found the money to pay for
their efforts.
To the Middle 50's these cars had the
frame trimmed down for only the driver to fit inside,
little if any body panels, the motors with several
modifications, and the gas tank was placed behind the
driver. A driver out of Saginaw, Johnny Roberts came to
Berlin with a car that was unlike the others. A
single-seat upright "modified". The announcer called it a
"Super Modified" as she was very quick, and won many
races.
Shortly after, many cars were junked,
as all the top drivers designed the new stage Super
Modified. Running on dirt and asphalt, the competition was
reaching a very high level. Some of the stars back then
were Jimmy Nelson, Bud Meyering, Mort Anderson, Gail Cobb,
and Gordy Vanderlaan. These cars were now Fuel Injected,
no clutch or transmission to save weight, and running
wider tires.
Out in Oswego, New York, the old
Modifieds were still the top class. The track would hold a
prestigeous race every Labor Day weekend called the Oswego
Classic. Very, very good money was payed, but it only for
Modifieds. In 1961, the Promoter, Harry Caruso, open the
rules to allow any type car race as long as it was open
wheeled. The prize money was better than any race held in
Michigan and Indiana. Two Michigan teams called Oswego and
asked if their car was legal. To their surprise, Harry
Caruso was quite eager to see what these Michigan cars
could do at his Track.
The Behnke Trucking team with Art
Bennett, and the Mace Thomas team with driver Gordon
Johncock drove the 12 hour haul to New York. What they saw
was basically Modifieds running against their Supers. The
two Michigan cars cleaned house, timing over 2 seconds
faster than the next Modified. In the race, Johncock blew
the motor, and Little Art Bennett, took the easy win.
Harry Caruso was so impressed with these cars, that he
started running them the following season.
Michigan drivers dominated Oswego for
the coming years with Dave Paul winning the classic in 62,
with Art Bennett taking the point title. Other Michigan
stars running at Oswego were Nellie Ward, Nolan Johncock,
Eldon Schrader, Bob Paul, Jim Gresley, Wayne Landon,
Johnny Benson, Sr, and Johnny Logan. Others racing in
Michigan primarily were Buddy Stewart, Bill Beard, Nick
Rowe, the Mid engine car of John Davis, Bill Heeney, Larry
Gathman, Jim Eberstein, Jackie Lindout, Bill McClure,
Jerry Peloquin, Jack Conley, and Jimmy Murphy.
The supers were racing for purses for
$300 in Michigan, where as Oswego was paying $500 to win.
This was why there was so much interest in heading to New
York. The area fans got to liking the drivers so well that
they let the teams pull into their place in the wee hours
of the morning and let them stay there rather than a
motel.
The Supers were getting expensive as
Berlin dropped them in favor of the Super Stocks {modern
day Late Models} in 1968. The Supers continued at Jackson
Motor Speedway until it's closing a couple years later.
Several drivers were retiring, plus not many younger
drivers were getting into the Supers as Stock Cars were
gaining popularity. Without rules, many tricks were tried.
It seemed when the cars went to 8 cylinder, big slicks,
and fuel injection, it put alot of teams out of racing.
In Northern Indiana, we had the Tri
State Racing Association. The top drivers were Kenny Fry,
Dick Bandy, Jim Blount, Dude Weaver, Frank Demske, Kenny
Lee Bowser, Ozzie, Buck Cravens, Lanny Scott, Carl Jack
Hall, Willie Stutzman, Dave Roahrig, Tom Jewell, Ernie
Nash, Billy Jo Havens, Mike Bingamen, Walt May, to name a
few, but when South Bend, and New Paris split, within 2
years, it was dropped from the weekly show.
Marv Carman started Tri-Sac in
1972. It ran Supers and Sprints together with drivers
such as Duane Spangler, Roger Bible, Jack Calabrase, Curt
Kelley, Duane Knoll, Bill Davis, Danny Johnson, Harold
Reynolds, Butch Fedewa, Tommy Marks, Jackie Lindout, Sammy
Sessions, Galen Short, Bob Psurney, Bill Heeney, Wayne
Landon, Marv Carman, Jerry Carman, Bob Seelman, Johnny
Logan, Ron Koehler, Jeff Bloom, Fred Seltenright, Dean
Best, and Ozzie. Their hometrack was Kalamazoo, but they
also raced specials at Owosso, Berlin, and Hartford. Who
could forget those Dick Loehr invitationals with the Texas
drivers facing Tri Sac's best?
In 1979, Butch Dowker introduced the
Titanium Roadster. This utilized a metal, Titanium, that
was lighter than Aluminum, but stronger than Steel. They
had this metal on their Drive Shaft, Univeral Joints,
Torsion Bars, both Axles, and Bumpers. The car was banned
from Oswego N.Y. Speedway after a terrible crash on the
frontstretch. They felt that car was just too unsafe. Tri
Sac would end it's fine run in 1981-82. I think Fred
Seltenright was the last champion.
In 1982, A group based out of Sandusky
was formed called ICAR. Founded by Larry Boos and Roger
Holdeman, this division combined Sprints, Supers,
Roadsters, and Rear Engines all running with a cubic inch
limit of 362 in. ICAR raced at Berlin, IRP, Sandusky,
Salem, Illiana, Queen City, Wichester, Spartan, and Flat
Rock. Shortly into it's second season, this group
disbanded. South Bend tried running them weekly starting
in 1980. Some of the cars were cars from the 70's, while a
couple designed a new chassis. That ran for 5 years, and
Jerry Sletz ran the Midwest Supers in the mid 80's. They
lasted but a couple seasons. A lot of groups were tried,
but just could not sustain any momentum.
Kalamazoo had Open Wheel Spectaculars
through starting in 1983, with several to follow. Kazoo
even had Supers on Sunday afternoon's in July- August
1983. From that point, the only Super Mod shows in this
area were the ISMA Supers on the Michigan Tour or going to
Sandusky. What used to be Kalamazoo, M-40, and Berlin for
the weekend is now down to one event as Toledo has the
Supers on Friday. At this point ,there are probably no
more than 120 Supers in throughout the Country. The East
Coast, Ohio Region, Oswego, and some out West. That's it.
It is so important now to support
what we have remaining with the ISMA and MSA Groups.
After the M-40 Show, and even the Berlin show, take time
to go down and thank these gentlemen who traveled up to 18
hours to put on a show of speed, bravery, and precision.
With many of the cars, the children can sit in them as the
ISMA group is very friendly. They may sound different with
that New England accent, but they are good conversation.
The one thing about the Supers is that they started here,
and we can say that they are coming home one more time.
JOHNNY BENSON INTERVIEW: “IT’S GOING TO BE A TOTALLY
NEW EXPERIENCE”
John Houghton - Delaware Speedway PR
|
With the ISMA Super Modified race
upcoming this Friday, September 28 at 8:00 PM
anticipation is high as “the cars Delaware Speedway
was built for” are set to return. As an added bonus
to an already exciting race, current top NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series driver Johnny Benson is
scheduled to compete in the event.
“I
couldn’t tell you the last time I was [at Delaware
Speedway],” said Benson at his shop in a phone
interview on Monday. “I came up and watched a Late
Model race -- that was about twenty years ago. It’d
be back when I lived in Michigan. I went there
(Delaware) to watch, but outside that I’ve got zero
knowledge about the race track except twenty years
ago. It’s going to be a totally new experience.”
“I’m
looking forward to it” he added. “The Super Modified
has been a blast to do. Brad Lichty gave me an
opportunity to run some races. I was just going to
run my home track (Berlin Speedway) on Saturday, but
he said come over here and see what happens!”
“Berlin
is my home speedway and that’s where my concentration
is. I’m getting more comfortable with the car. It’s a
shakedown deal. We’re just going to have some fun [at
Delaware] and then run the race at home. Stay out of
trouble, but run the race.”
Benson,
among his long list of career accomplishments is a
regular in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series had some
thoughts of his own on the differences between the
truck and the aggressive looking Super Modified.
“You
really can’t compare this type of car to the truck,”
said Benson. “They’re a pretty neat car but to me
they’re all race cars: 4 wheels, and a steering
wheel. All cars are a balancing act to get it where
you think it needs to be to run with a race. We’ve
had some good luck and some bad luck (in the Super
Modified); I’ve run 4 races with the thing.”
“They’re
difficult to drive, but they are still a race car,” he
added. “Tighten it or free it up. I don’t have a
vast amount of knowledge on what do on these yet so
that’s where I rely on my team. It’s a really neat
car and I enjoy it.” |
Congratulations!
To one of JB's longstanding fans - Terry Honeycutt of
Texas who won the 360 Stock Championship at the Texas Dirt Motorplex. We are proud of you!
T. Thomas, Lake, Hull and Bockheim win Features
T. Thomas,
Bursley, Tillema and Lake named 2007 Champions
Marne, MI-- Berlin Raceway
saw four champions crowned on Saturday night as points
battles came to an end for the 2007 season on Championship
Night. Tom Thomas, Mike Bursley, Brian Tillema and Andy
Stormzand all clinched the 2007 championships in their
respective divisions tonight. Thomas claimed back-to-back
championships while Bursley, Tilllema and Stormzand were
first-time champions. In tonight's feature races, Tom
Thomas, Dave Lake, Dave Hull and Terry Bockheim took home
the trophies.
The Instant Cash Advance
Sportsman division kicked the night off with a
caution-free feature with #6 Terry Bockheim and #22 Ken
Roelofs on the front row. Bockheim took the lead from the
drop of the green flag while fast qualifier #15 Garison
Jewett, who started 7th, was steadily moving
through the field, passing #33 Allen Davis for 4th
on lap 10. It took Jewett 3 laps to catch #97 Andy
Stormzand who was entrenched in a battle for 2nd
with Roelofs. The 3-car battle for second allowed
Bockheim to pull away. Stormzand got by Roelofs with two
laps to go and was making a run at Bockheim, but Stormzand
ran out of time. Bockheim lead all of the laps and got
his second win of the season; Stormzand, Jewett, Roelofs,
A. Davis, #11 Tim Stuart, #81 Marc Coleman, #57 Allan
Troup, #67 Mike Welch and #40 Dave Culter made up the top
ten. Andy Stormzand was crowned the 2007 Instant Cash
Advance Sportsman Champion by 210 points over Jewett.
The Coors Light Late Model
feature rolled next; #57 Alan Marcott and #28 Scott Thomas
led the field to their final green flag of the season. On
the start, S. Thomas had the advantage and took the lead
from Marcott and two laps later, #82 Tom Thomas got around
Marcott as well. The cars settled in to single file until
lap 24 when T. Thomas caught and passed S. Thomas for the
lead. T. Thomas pulled away from the field and by lap 42,
#222 Caleb Bisacky was battling S. Thomas for second; he
made the pass with three laps to go. T. Thomas got his 8th
win of the season in dominating fashion; 8.299 seconds
over Bisacky. The rest of the top ten were S. Thomas,
Marcott, #00 Ross Meeuwsen, #27 Billy Shotko, #77 Terry
VanHaitsma, #1 Randy Sweet, #30 Bryan Clay and #6 Dave
Zagaiski. Tom Thomas was also named the 2007 Coors Light
Late Model Champion for the second year in a row, 270
points ahead of Terry VanHaitsma.
In the De-Jay Slick Truck
Pro Stock division, the drivers had a little trouble
getting the race started as caution was out before a lap
was completed; #11 Nick Bonstell spun out of turn 3.
After a complete restart, #51 Weston Jewett took off with
the lead and there was a 3-wide battle for 2nd
between #76 Brian Tillema, Bonstell and #20 Dave Hull.
Hull was making impressive moves to get to the front,
getting by Tillema and Bonstell and quickly closing on
Jewett by lap 9. Lap 14 saw a pass for lead, Hull got by
Jewett while #15 Scott Root was coming on strong. Root
blew by Tillema and Jewett in the same lap and began to
reel Hull in on lap 18. Caution was out again on lap 18
for an incident involving #51 Weston Jewett, #76 Ryan
Gruppen and #24 Lee VanDyk. With 6 laps to go, Root and
Hull were in a fierce battle for the lead. It looked like
Root was going to get by, but on the last lap, he lost
ground; Hull got his second win of the season and
celebrated by doing donuts on the frontstretch. Root,
Tillema, #52, Bruce Chase, Gruppen, #5 Jack Russell,
Bonstell, #8 Kevin DeGood, #80 Jason Hoogerhyde and #10
Justin Regnerus rounded out the top ten. The 2007 De-Jay
Slick Truck Pro Stock Champion was also named; Brian
Tillema earned the title, beating VanDyk by 47 points.
The Engine Pro Super Stocks
30-lap feature was the final event of the evening; #5 Ray
VanAllsburg and #15 Mat McClarren started on the front
row. After running side-by side on lap 1, VanAllsburg was
the leader, but he wasn’t able to get a comfortable lead
as #71 Kyle Ballard was on his bumper. #55 Dave Lake
joined the battle for the lead a few laps later and deeper
in the field, the points contenders #23 Mike Bursley and
#1 Brian Wiersma were battling for the 7th
position. The first of six cautions came out on lap 9;
#18 Denny Anderson, #10 Bob Spencer and #78 Tony Staffen
spun in turn 2. On the restart, leader VanAllsburg was
under attack by Ballard, but caution flew again 3 laps
later for the spinning car of #88 Tim Sweeney. The
restart was single file, but Bursley was on a mission to
get around Wiersma, he finally made the pass on him on lap
16. Meanwhile, the battle for the lead was heating up
between VanAllsburg, Ballard, Lake and #X Ray Clay. After
another caution and restart, Ballard was still pressuring
VanAllsburg and Bursley was tearing through the field. On
lap 25, caution was out again, #12 Josh Slade’s car came
to a stop by the turn 4 pit gate. After the track was
clear, they were back to racing; once again, Ballard was
on VanAllsburg’s bumper. The caution that changed the
face of the points race came out on lap 25. Wiersma, who
went in to the feature 7 points behind Bursley, made
contact with #77 Andrew Nylaan going in to turn 2.
Wiersma and Bliss went off the backstretch and #8 Billy
Eppink was also caught up in the incident. With five laps
to go, Lake was making strides to pass Ballard and 3-wide
battle for the lead ended up with VanAllsburg spinning out
with one lap to go. Ballard inherited the lead, but by
the time the cars got back to the stripe, Lake had made
the pass on the outside and won his second race of the
season, celebrating with donuts on the frontstretch.
Ballard, Clay, Bursley, #15 Pete Ruttan, Bliss, McClarren,
#13 James Haney, Spencer and #F1 Randy Veldman were the
top ten. The 2007 Engine Pro Super Stock Champion was
Mike Bursley by 29 points over Brian Wiersma.
The night was capped off
with a terrific fireworks display and a post-race
celebration on the frontstretch with the 2007 Champions.
Meet Matt Weber
Matt Weber handles the catch can duties for Johnny
during the pit stops at the
Craftsman Truck Series Events. He also travels with
the crew and works on the truck as a mechanic during the
entire race weekend.
Mark resides in Martinsville, Virginia - originally from
Galion, Ohio. He is currently single.
Why do you
work on a NASCAR team? I have been involved
with racing my whole life. Started out with Sprints
in Ohio. My dad was a crew chief. Went racing
at Wayne County Speedway, Lakeville and Mansfield when it
was still dirt.
What has
been your most rewarding moment in your racing career?
Winning as a crew chief in 2005 at Sharon Speedway with
driver Jamie Martin.
What has
been the most challenging moment in your racing career?
Trying to get into NASCAR from the local ranks with no
connections. Started with an ARCA team in Indiana.
Sent out over 250 resumes within three years.
What would
you like the fans to know about you?
Single and looking .... Support means a lot and we try
to make the fans proud!
What would
you like to say to the JB fans? JB is one of
the coolest drivers you will ever meet. He is down to
earth .....
Thank you,
Matt for sharing with the fans!!
Berlin
Raceway 2007 Champions
to be crowned Saturday
Congratulations, Tom Thomas!!!
Berlin Raceway’s 2007 points
season comes to an end on Saturday, September 22 and
champions in all four divisions will be crowned. Coors
Light Late Model driver Tom Thomas and Instant Cash
Advance Sportsman driver Andy Stormzand both earned their
7th wins of the season last Saturday and they
used the double points night to clinch the championships
in their divisions. Just the opposite is happening in the
Engine Pro Super Stock and De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock
divisions. Both of those titles will not be decided until
the checkered flag falls on Saturday night.
Even though the
championships are locked up in two of the divisions, the
battles for second are still going strong. In the Instant
Cash Advance Sportsman division, Garison Jewett currently
sits second after jumping two positions from last week.
He is just 22 points ahead of Allen Davis and 33 points
ahead of Ken Roelofs. Another close race for second is
happening between Billy Shotko and Terry VanHaitsma in the
Coors Light Late Models. VanHaitsma and Shotko have taken
turns occupying that spot, but VanHaitsma is currently
leading Shotko by 16 points.
In the De-Jay Slick Truck
Pro Stock division, Brian Tillema still holds the lead
over Lee VanDyk by 17 points and Bruce Chase is trailing
Tillema by 75 points. Chase isn't out of the title hunt
by any means, but in order for him to win the
championship, he would have to earn maximum points (210)
and both Tillema and VanDyk would have to finish near last
place. The trio has been very consistent this season,
always managing to finish near each other at the end of
every race; it will be very interesting to see who will
come out on top this weekend.
The Engine Pro Super Stock
division has raced 18 times and it has become the closest
battle at Berlin. A mere two points separate Mike Bursley
and Brian Wiersma. After getting his 6th win
of the season, Bursley finally took the point lead from
Wiersma this week. At the beginning of the season,
Wiersma started out as the point leader and his
consistency has kept him in or near the lead. Bursley, on
the other hand, began the year 18th in points.
He has been clawing his way to the top all summer, but
mechanical failures earlier in the season just might keep
him from celebrating a championship Saturday night for the
second year in a row. Like the Pro Stocks, this will make
for an exciting final points race.
All drivers will be in
action this Saturday, September 22 to get their share of
the $40,000 year-end points fund bonus prize. Tickets for
Championship Night are $12 for adults, $6 for children
6-12 and free for 5 and under. Pit passes are $25.Gates
open at 12:15 p.m. and the first race begins at 7 p.m.
Berlin’s racing season
doesn’t end when the champions are crowned as three
special events round out the 2007 racing season. The Open
Wheel Extravaganza is scheduled for Saturday, September
29; Bus Mania returns to the track on Saturday October 6
and the season finale is the 4-Cylinder 150- lap Enduro on
October 13.
Edwards has Edge in New Hampshire
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny predicts that Carl Edwards will
have the advantage in New Hampshire. To view the complete article -
Click
Here
Hornaday Wins at New Hampshire
Johnny Finishes 8th
Rains may have dampened
everyone's spirits early in the day, but a dominant
performance left two-time series champion and current
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday in a
jubilant mood following the New Hampshire 200 on Saturday.
Hornaday started from the pole after qualifying was
cancelled by the early morning rains and from there
dominated, leading 174 laps en route to his fourth victory
of the 2007 season. Eric Darnell was was
second followed by Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine, Mike Bliss,
Rick Crawford, Ted Musgrave and Johnny Benson.
Tom Thomas Wins at Berlin Raceway
The Coors Light
Late Model 150-Lap feature had #101 Joe Bush and #37 Terry
Senneker on the front row. Senneker jumped out to a big
lead early and there was a great five-car battle happening
for 5th, but a debris caution came out on lap
7. On the restart, Senneker took off with the lead and he
began lapping cars on lap 21. After another debris
caution on lap 26, Bush didn’t let Senneker get too far,
but a few laps later, he was checking out again. By lap
35, the cars were mostly single file and spread out on the
track. Lap 48 saw the first pass for the lead when Bush
got around Senneker, two laps later #21 Terry VanHaitsma
and #82 Tom Thomas also got by Senneker. Thomas proceeded
to get by VanHaitsma and then passed Bush for the lead on
lap 51. After Thomas took the lead, there was a long
green flag run and after back-to-back cautions for #1
Randy Sweet, Thomas was the leader after segment 1.
The second segment was filled with cautions, the first of
the segment came on lap 76; #70 Ted Omlor went off the
backstretch. Thomas had a great restart and started to
check out, but caution was out again on lap 96 when Sweet
hit the turn 1 wall. Three more cautions waved in close
succession and Thomas was able to maintain the top spot
every time. The “Big One” happened on lap 135; VanHaitsma
spun and #32 Ross Meeuwsen, #77 Tim Yonker, #16 John
VanDoorn, #00 Alec Carll, and #22 Caleb Bisacky were all
involved. After another caution for #57 Alan Marcott
hitting the wall, VanHaitsma was challenging Bush for 2nd.
He made the pass on lap 138 and was on a mission to catch
Thomas, but he was unable to do so. Thomas notched his 7th
win of the season, finishing 3.180 seconds ahead of
VanHaitsma. Bush, #28 Scott Thomas, Bisacky, #8 Dakota
Carlson, Yonker, #15 Brian Maxim, VanDoorn and #27 Billy
Shotko rounded out the top ten.
Skinner Needs To
Rally, Benson Gunning For Third Straight Win
Eight, and four.
Those are the
numbers to remember this week as the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series embarks on its 2007 stretch run.
Eight races remain;
only four points separate standings leader Ron Hornaday
Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet), from second-place
Mike Skinner (No. 5 XM/Toyota Tundra Toyota).
And if that weren't
drama enough, Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used
Vehicles Toyota) - currently fifth in the series standings
- is aiming for his third consecutive victory.
He'll attempt the
feat in Saturday's New Hampshire 200 at New Hampshire
International Speedway, and if successful, will duplicate
Skinner's trio of consecutive wins posted earlier this
season at California Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and
Martinsville Speedway.
Back
to the standings battle: It's the series' second-closest
margin after 17 events. Hornaday leads the standings for
the first time since 1999 - the third leader of '07 -
following Jack Sprague (No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota) and
Skinner.
And with Skinner
seeking to re-gain the series lead he lost last week at
Gateway International Raceway, and Benson's bid for three
consecutive victories, consider that Skinner finished
second in this event last September - to Benson. The two
also started last year's event one-two: Skinner with the
pole, Benson with the outside pole.
Berlin Photos
By: Tom Devette
Berlin Raceway Points Contenders Looking to Gain Ground
Saturday
Champions to be crowned September 22
Berlin Raceway’s points season is coming to and end; with
two weeks until Championship Night, one including the
Boyne Machine weekend where double points are on the line,
no one can feel like they are out of the woods just yet.
It would take something major to knock Tom Thomas or Andy
Stormzand from the top spots in their divisions, but in a
sport where luck is the name of the game, anything is
possible.
In the Coors Light Late Model division, Tom Thomas of
Grandville is well on his way to becoming a back-to-back
track champion and nabbing the $10,000 year-end points
fund bonus prize. With six wins this year, four fast
qualifiers and just one finish outside of the top ten,
Thomas seems to be in control of the top spot with 2,845
points. He also managed to get 20 bonus points this
season by earning the hard charger award four times.
While Thomas seems to have the lead locked up, West
Olive’s Billy Shotko (172 points behind) and Hudsonville’s
Terry VanHaitsma (184 points behind) have a great battle
going on for second; they are separated by a mere 12
points. Shotko earned his first-ever victory in the Coors
Light Late Model division this year, has 4 fast qualifiers
and has only finished outside of the top 10 three times.
VanHaitsma, who finished 2nd in the point
standings last year, also got his first feature this
season, has earned three fast times in row and received
five bonus points for being the hard charger once. Shotko
and VanHaitsma have been cutting Thomas’ lead down each
week, but they might run out of time.
Complete Story
Section 31 at Gateway
Johnny was well represented in
Section 31 at Gateway International Speedway during the
Labor Day weekend. Johnny gave them plenty to cheer
about as he passed the most trucks! They were
rewarded with a trip to victory lane.
In Victory Lane
Judy Benson, Marliyn and Bob
Mellema
Rick, Kyle and Glenda Royster
Johnny and Bonnie Fischer
Bush
delivers dominating performance
Clay, VanDyk, Roelofs and
DeVos add to win totals
Joe Bush, Ken Roelofs, Ray Clay and Tim
DeVos all scored win number two in their respected
divisions while Lee VanDyk notched win number seven in the
De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock division in a thrilling night
of racing. Bush, VanDyk and DeVos were dominate forces in
the Coors Light Late Model, De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock
and 4-Cylinder divisions while Clay and Roelofs were
involved in close on-track battles in the Engine Pro Super
Stock and Instant Cash Advance Sportsman divisions.
The evening started with the
return of the 4-Cylinder class, an unprecedented 38 cars
showed up at Berlin Raceway! The 4-Cylinders once again
put on a great show for the crowd; #26 Brian Thome and #21
John Pluger were on the front row. The racing was
exciting; excellent battles were happening everywhere on
the track for every single position and the drivers were
pushing their cars to the limit in the 15-lap feature. #4
Tim DeVos went on to win the 4-Cylinder feature and he is
the first-ever back-to-back 4-Cylinder winner.
The Instant Cash Advance
Sportsman 20-lap feature rolled next, #51 Sara Moerman and
#11 Tim Stuart started on the front row. Stuart took the
lead early and due to tight racing, caution was out on lap
2. #15 Garison Jewett and #59 John Evans made contact and
collected #38 Maurice Daivs and #8 Sadie Klein. After a
lengthy clean-up, there was a single-file restart; #6
Terry Bockheim and #88 Tony Davis were navigating through
the field. While trying to pass #22 Ken Roelofs for 2nd,
Bockheim got loose and had to back off. This let Roelofs
pursue leader Stuart. With two laps to go, Roelofs got
around Stuart and got his 2nd win of the
season. Stuart, Bockheim, T. Davis, #81 Marc Coleman, #57
Allen Troup, #33 Allen Davis, #97 Andy Stormzand, #89 Kirk
Meissner and #67 Mike Welch were the top ten.
In the 25-lap De-Jay Slick
Truck Pro Stock division, #11 Nick Bonstell and #3 Travis
Nylaan were on the front row. After two laps of
side-by-side racing, Nylaan cleared Bonstell for the lead
and began to check out. Further in the pack, #15 Scott
Root and #76 Brian Tillema were battling for 6th,
#52 Bruce Chase and #24 Lee VanDyk were also moving
through the field. VanDyk had just passed Chase for
position as Bonstell caught up to Nylaan and challenged
him for the lead. Nylaan and Bonstell were racing hard
and after contact was made between the two Nylaan’s car
spun coming out of turn 3, almost collecting VanDyk.
After the restart, VanDyk was on Bonstell's bumper and by
lap 19 VanDyk passed Bonstell for the lead. VanDyk
visited Victory Lane for the 7th time this
season and the rest of the top ten were Tillema, Bonstell,
#76 Ryan Gruppen, Root, #50 Justin Regnerus, #80 Jason
Hoogerhyde, Chase, #51 Weston Jewett and #44 Brian
VanZalen.
The Engine Pro Super Stock
division had a little trouble getting their race started.
Before the first lap was complete, there was a three-car
pile up in turn 3; #6 Bob Bliss got out of shape and while
the other drivers were trying to avoid the incident, #15
Pete Ruttan spun and collected #123 Chris Koslek and #15
Mat McClarren. After a long clean up under the red flag,
the race was completely restarted with Bliss and #12 Josh
Slade on the front row. On lap 2, Slade passed Bliss for
the lead and deeper in the field, fast qualifier #23 Mike
Bursley was on the move. After starting 11th,
Bursley had cracked the top 5 by lap 13. The battle for
the lead was heating up when #X Ray Clay caught Slade;
their two-car battle soon turned into a 4-car battle when
#5 Ray VanAllsburg and Bursley caught up to them. Bursley
made quick work of VanAllsburg and started in on Clay.
Clay was still working on Slade, passing him on the
outside for the lead on lap 23 and Bursley was able to
follow though. For the final seven laps, Bursley was
stalking Clay, but Clay was able to hold him off and get
his second victory of the season by .217 seconds. Bursley,
Slade, VanAllsburg, #1 Brian Wiersma, #8 Billy Eppink, #6
Bob Bliss, #76 Warren Speet, #88 Tim Sweeney and #77
Andrew Nylaan completed the top ten.
Providing the finale of the
evening was the Coors Light Late Models. This raced
featured a lot of green flag racing, #9 Luke Krick and #33
Dave Stehouwer lead the field to the green flag. #101 Joe
Bush showed muscle early in the race, he took the lead
from Stehouwer on lap 5 and never looked back. The only
caution of the night flew on lap 9, #28 Scott Thomas spun
coming out of turn 4. This caution allowed the field to
catch up to Bush, who had checked out, but Bush got a
great restart and proceeded to drive away from the field.
With Bush out of sight, the battle was on for 2nd,
#47 Fred Campbell and #27 Billy Shotko battled most of the
race. The cars of #82 Tom Thomas and #10 Johnny Benson
were also strong, but no one had enough to catch Bush.
Bush got his second win of the season and the rest of the
top ten were Campbell, Shotko, T. Thomas, Benson, #15
Brian Maxim, #222 Caleb Bisacky, S. Thomas, Krick and #33
Monte Tolan.
Trip Bruce to stand in
as Mayfield's crew chief
Trip Bruce, crew
chief for Johnny Benson at Bill Davis Racing will serve as
the crew chief for Jeremy Mayfield in the Nextel Cup races
this weekend at Richmond and next weekend at New Hampshire
International Speedway. Bruce replaces BDR's Joe Lax, who
was suspended for two weeks after a crew member put lead
in a water bottle prior to qualifying last week at
California.
'Used Engine' Program Delivers
Winning Results for Toyota
The results show that the second
time is as good as the first. Gateway winner Johnny Benson
has scored back-to-back victories with Toyota engines that
had been run in an earlier race. Toyota began phasing in
the "used engine" program at mid-season.
Said Laerte Zatta,
Toyota's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manager, "We were
using used engines at a lot of the tests but wanted to be
confident that they would hold up for a second race before
we gave them to the team. We're comfortable with the
engines to last about 800 miles and so far we've been
pleased with the results." Zatta added that only
routine maintenance - changing valve springs and checking
performance on a dyno - is necessary during the 800-mile
cycle. "We're able to offer a discounted price to the
teams for the engines," he said.
Benson praised both the concept and
performance. "We'll run them more than one race
before they rebuild them and it should be that way," he
said following his third victory of the 2007 season. "I
think it's good for the sport for us to be able to do
that. And if other teams aren't doing that, hopefully
they'll see that we're doing it … because it definitely
cuts some costs.
"With sponsorships hard to get
nowadays, you have to try to cut costs
somewhere so we really have to say 'thanks'
to the engine builders because they do a tremendous job up
there."
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director
Wayne Auton guessed that prior to Benson's Bristol victory
a two-race engine hadn't won a series race since the 1998
season. "It's a win-win situation," said Auton. "The
engine performs extremely well and it's definitely cost
effective for the owners."
Bill Davis Racing teammate Ryan Mathews
qualified eighth on a two-race engine and was headed for a
top-10 finish before a final lap accident. Germain
Racing's Ted Musgrave matched his best finish of the
season - third - with an engine that was on its third
outing. Michael Waltrip Racing's Josh Wise nabbed his
first series top-10 with a three-race power plant.
HT Motorsports' Terry Cook and Wyler Racing's Jack Sprague
exited the Ram
Tough 200 with engine failures; however,
their units had not previously been used in competition.
S eptember 11, 2001
In Memory
Kenseth Seeks Sweep in
California
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny predicts that Matt Kenseth will
return to California Speedway as the winner of the race. To view the complete article -
Click
Here
Meet Mark Gregory
Mark Gregory is Johnny's spotter for the
Craftsman Truck Series races that are a stand alone event
such as this upcoming weekend at Gateway International
Speedway.
Mark resides in Gallatin, Tennessee. He is married
and has two children and one grandchild. Mark works
as an engineer at Peterbuilt Motors.
Why do you
work on a NASCAR team? Racing is something that
I enjoy to do. I starting helping out Jeremy
Mayfield and followed him through the ranks. I have
always spotted during my career.
What has
been your most rewarding moment in your racing career?
Spotting for John Andretti when he won the Pepsi 400
at Daytona International Speedway.
What has
been the most challenging moment in your racing career?
I would have to say the travel can be the most traveling
- especially when I am traveling on my own - not with the
team since I live in Tennessee.
What would
you like the fans to know about you? That
I also handle the spotting duties for an ARCA racing team
..... I like to do yard work and model cars ....
Family is important to me .....
What would
you like to say to the JB fans? I respect JB a
huge amount for his driving ability and that he know where
the edge is when driving .....
Thank you,
Mark for sharing with the fans!!
Second Annual “Toyota Tundra Skinner Round Up” Slated for
Sept. 27 – 28
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Mike Skinner and his
wife, Angie, will partner with Toyota to host the second
annual “Toyota Tundra Skinner Round Up” Sept. 27-28 in
Daytona Beach, Fla. Due to the success of last year’s
fundraiser for Daytona Beach-area organizations, the
Skinners have expanded the event to two days, and this
year’s event promises to be equally successful.
Festivities kick off 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 27 with the
“Hoe Down Bash” at Daytona International Speedway’s
Boardwalk Pavilion. In the event of rain, the Hoe Down
Bash will move to the NASCAR Busch Series garage area.
Skinner will sign autographs for fans from 6 p.m. to 7
p.m., and his No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra will
be on display. Guests will also enjoy displays from
Daytona Toyota and EZGO Golf Cars, live and silent
auctions, numerous fundraising activities and live music
from Big Engine of Jacksonville, Fla. Guests can also
tempt their taste buds at the “Taste of Daytona Alley,” in
which Daytona’s finest restaurants will sample their
fare.
Tickets are $25 per person and will be available at the
gate. There is no dress code, but guests are invited to
join in the Western theme.
Friday’s events include the star-studded Golf and Poker
Tournaments. Celebrities will hit the links at Spruce
Creek Country Club, and then place their bets at the
Celebrity Poker Table. After last year’s all-or-nothing
showdown between driver Steve Park and NASCAR’s Jim
Hunter, the Poker Tournament should be something to watch
– literally, as SPEED Channel will film the tournament.
Participating celebrities include recording artists Edwin
McCain, Stacy Mitchhart, Eddie Money and Bo Bice (also of
American Idol); NASCAR drivers Ron Hornaday, Rick
Crawford and Steve Park; NHRA drivers Matt Smith and Scott
Kelley; NASCAR’s Betty Jane France and World Series of
Poker Champion Brian Wilson.
The Skinners personally organize and run this annual
event, which benefits Daytona Beach-area charities
including the Council on Aging: Meals on Wheels, Second
Chance Animal Rescue, Safe Kids Coalition and Greyhound
Pets of America. Last year’s Skinner Round Up raised more
than $104,000, and the goal is $125,000 this year.
To help the Skinners achieve their goal, they will accept
any donations. Donations are tax deductible, and checks
can be made out to “HMC Foundation.”
Mike Skinner Enterprises - 221
Cessna Blvd,
Port
Orange, Fl 32128
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