MIS Infield Scoreboard Comes Down
Another historical day occurred at Michigan International
Speedway on Thursday, May 22 as the original infield
scoreboard located next to the Infield Care Center was
torn down. The scoreboard had been a staple on the MIS
grounds for nearly 40 years.
With a new 110-foot, state-of-the-art
LED scoreboard recently installed, it was time for the old
scoreboard, which featured only the top five positions in
the race, to come down. Crews from Don Bell Signs, as well
as MIS maintenance staff, oversaw the demolition of the
historical piece.
The “Position 1” part of the sign,
along with the “Michigan International Speedway” top
portion of the old scoreboard will be kept as historical
MIS pieces. “It was a really old scoreboard that has
been around for 40 years,” MIS President Roger Curtis
said. “Although it was the end of an era for the old
scoreboard, it is the beginning of a new one with the new
LED scoreboard, which is the first of its kind in
motorsports anywhere in the world. We’re very excited
about the potential of this board and what it will be able
to do on a race weekend.”
The new scoreboard will be tested in
conjunction with next week’s ARCA RE/MAX Series test
session, scheduled for May 28. The new board will feature
technology that is the first of its kind in motorsports
and be ready for the LifeLock 400 race weekend on June
13-15.
Kershaw to Play MIS Concert
Michigan International Speedway has partnered with its
official beer sponsor and its NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series race sponsor to host the Miller Lite Rock N’ Racing
Concert presented by Cool City Customs, featuring a
post-race performance by country music sensation Sammy
Kershaw on Saturday, June 14.
The concert will take place after the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Cool City Customs 200, which
is slated to begin at 3 p.m. Local recording artist ‘3D’
from Detroit will open for Kershaw.
“Michigan International Speedway,
Miller Lite and Cool City Customs believe in delivering
fun to all of our fans and that means more than just great
racing,” track President Roger Curtis said. “The concert
has always been one of the many highlights that make
NASCAR races at MIS more than just ‘events.’ Sammy Kershaw
is one of country music’s great performers and we’re glad
he’ll be here to help us kick off our 40th season.”
Fans that have purchased tickets to the
Cool City Customs 200, which will feature many of today’s
hottest drivers such as Kyle Busch, Johnny Benson
and Todd Bodine, can use their ticket stub for gate
admission to the post-race concert and witness one of
country music’s greatest performers outside of Turns 1 and
2.
Tickets for the Cool City Customs 200
are available for $40 each with children 12 and under
admitted free. Tickets can be purchased by visiting
MISpeedway.com or calling 800-354-1010.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for me
to perform at Michigan International Speedway in front of
some of the greatest NASCAR fans in the country,” Kershaw
said. “I appreciate Miller and Cool City Customs for
giving me this opportunity. I guarantee it will be a fun
show for everyone.”
Donny Lia Wins Mansfield
Johnny Finishes 8th
Rookie Donny Lia drove with the savvy of a veteran and the
tenacity of a bulldog as he knocked David Starr out of the
way on the 250th and final lap to win the Ohio 250 NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series race at Mansfield Motorsports Park
Saturday afternoon.
On the final lap, Lia went into Turn 1
with his NationRides.com/ AutismSpeaks.org Chevrolet
Silverado underneath leader David Starr's Pit-Now.com
Toyota Tundra from the Red Horse Racing stable. As the two
continued into Turn 2, Lia gave Starr's truck a hard
shove, knocking it out of the way as the New England
native grabbed the lead for the first time.
They headed into Turn 3 three-wide, as
Todd Bodine joined the fray on the bottom, trying to nose
his Lumber Liquidators Tundra under Lia on the bottom, but
as the trio exited Turn 4, Lia held off Starr, with Bodine
losing traction and finishing third. Completing the
top-five finishers were Terry Cook's Wyler.com Tundra and
Mike Skinner's Toyota Tundra Toyota.
Lia, who had never even scored a
top-five finish in his prior seven NCTS starts, claimed
victory for the first time in a Truck, also giving TRG
Motorsports its first victory as a team. It was the 22nd
time in series history that the race-winning pass was made
on the final lap.
"With 25 laps to go, I got on the radio
because I could see what was going to happen," said Lia,
27, the reigning NASCAR Whelan Modified Series
champion from Jericho, N.Y. "I knew we could do it. I
wouldn't be driving this truck if I didn't think I could
do it. But so soon? No. I can't believe it."
Starr was surprisingly calm afterwards,
especially given that he had led the previous 170 laps
before being shoved out of the way on the last lap.
"I really thought we had this one, but this is just great
short-track racing," said Starr, who had his best finish
of the year after leading only one lap in the first six
races of the season. "I love these short tracks. You never
know what's going to happen."
Of the hit he took from Lia, Starr
said, "It was just enough to break my momentum. He just
got into (Turn) 1 a little harder than I did. He slid up
and got up into my left rear, just enough to break
traction. When you break your forward bite, I mean, that's
everything here."
Third-place finisher Bodine, who
inherited the points lead, was considerably less
conciliatory about Lia's banzai charge to victory. "What
Donny did to David was ridiculous," said Bodine.
Defending NCTS champion Ron Hornaday
Jr. was one of many drivers who saw his truck torn up in
the race, getting caught in a multi-truck scrum early on
en route to a 35th-place finish in the 36-truck field.
With seven of 25 NCTS points races now in the books,
Bodine leads Rick Crawford by 8 points, with last week's
winner, Matt Crafton third, 45 points of Bodine. Johnny
Benson is 58 points back of Bodine, while Hornaday
fell all the way to fifth, 64 points out of the lead. The
top nine drivers are separated by just 100 points.
Congratulation, Rose Hafner!
You are the winner of the JBFC Annual contest for
correctly predicting that Johnny would win his first pole
of 2008 at Mansfield Speedway! Other JB fans who
were the runner-up included
Roger
Brandt, Richard Bullene, Terry Honeycutt and Jim Manning!
Johnny Earns Pole!
Bill Davis Racing's Johnny Benson, driver of the No. 23
Brangus Toyota Tundra, captured the Keystone Light Pole
award for the Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park in
Mansfield, Ohio. Benson posted the fastest lap of this
afternoon's session with a 110.004 mph lap in 16.363
seconds on the challenging half-mile oval.
Bill Davis Racing teammate
Mike Skinner in the No. 5 Toyota Tundra rounded out the
front row with a 16.405 second lap at 109.723 mph.
Johnny Selects Kyle Busch
By: Johnny Benson
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny has
selected Kyle Busch to win at the repaved track at
Lowes Motor Speedway. To view the complete article -
Click Here.
Benson, Crafton,
Speed and Sprague to Headline Race Fest in Downtown
Mansfield
As has
been tradition since 2005, the Ohio 250 weekend in Mansfield
will officially kick off with Race Fest in downtown
Mansfield. This year’s event will feature the transporter
parade with 32 of the race team transporters parked on Park
Avenue West and several of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
most popular drivers signing autographs in the gazebo in the
town square.
“This
promises to be the biggest and best edition of Race Fest
yet,” said Mansfield Motorsports Park public relations
manager Charles Krall. “Everyone is excited about it. The
transporter drivers always look forward to it, the drivers
are excited, and I just can’t wait for it to get here.
Usually you expect the action on the race track to be the
highlight of the weekend but I really think what we have
going on downtown will be very close. It’s going to be a
really good time.”
Headlining the event will be 2004 Ohio 250 winner and
three-time series champion Jack Sprague. In four starts at
Mansfield, Sprague has never finished lower than second and
the stop in the Buckeye State is always one of his
favorites. Alongside Sprague will be former NASCAR
Nationwide Series champion Johnny Benson, Ohio-based
ThorSport Racing’s Matt Crafton and Shelby Howard, and
former Formula One pilot Scott Speed. Others that will be
signing include home state drivers Tim Cowen and Jack Smith,
Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates Justin Marks and
Brian Scott, and series newcomer Keven Wood. Wood is the
grandson of Glen Wood, one of the founding members of the
famed Wood Bros. Racing Team.
Fans in attendance will also have the chance to take a tour
of the several of the racing transporters. Those tentatively
scheduled to be open for tours are Kevin Harvick Inc.s’ No.
33 Camping World rig (driver Ron Hornaday); Circle Bar
Racing’s No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International rig
(driver Rick Crawford); Germain Racing’s No. 30 Lumber
Liquidators rig (driver Todd Bodine) and BHR-VA’s No. 18
Dodge Motorsports rig (driver Dennis Setzer).
Many
show cars will also be on display adjacent to the gazebo.
Tim Cowen will have his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series No. 42
Cowen Logistics Ford F-150 on display alongside his No. 75
Ford Taurus NASCAR Camping World East Series car. Danny
Jackson will have his USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series car and
Jack Smith and Mike Osgar will have their ASA Late Model
Series cars on display. Charlie Shultz will have his winged
ISMA supermodified on hand as well. Others may be also be
added in the next week.
A unique
addition to Race Fest is the Women’s Auxiliary of
Motorsports Cook-Off, which will feature several drivers
barbequing a small meal to be judged by a select panel of
BBQ experts. WAM will also have a memorabilia auction with
several pieces of racing history from the Cup, Nationwide,
and Truck Series up for auction to the highest bidder.
Nearly
40 vendors will be on hand, there will be inflatables for
kids of all ages to jump in, and several of the neighboring
restaurants will be running Race Fest specials for the fans
on hand. Mansfield Motorsports Park will have its souvenir
trailer on hand and fans will be able to purchase the
weekend’s souvenir program with a complete entry list and
weekend schedule. Tickets for upcoming MMP events will also
be available. Those in attendance will also have the chance
to check out an Air Force Mini Jet F22 and try their skills
on the
Isenhart Motorsports Late Model racing simulator.
Race
Fest kicks off at 5 P.M. when the transport rigs roll down
Park Avenue West from their staging area in the Sears
parking lot at the Richland Mall. The driver autograph
session kicks off at 6 P.M. and the driver Q&A session will
follow at 7 P.M. The transport rigs will roll for the MMP
paddock at 8 P.M. Live music from the Line Drive Band will
continue until 8:30 P.M.
Tickets
for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250 are now on
sale, and can be purchased via the track website,
www.mansfieldmotorsportsonline.com. Fans can also call
the track ticket office at (419) 525-RACE (7223), or visit
the speedway office at 100 Crall Road.
Start of Tuesday Testing Delayed
Nationwide Series testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway is being
delayed this afternoon as general maintenance to the Turn 1
SAFER barrier has taken longer than expected. Several teams
have already departed after the first of two days of series
testing at the track. Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle, Joe
Gibbs Racing's Johnny Benson and Denny Hamlin, Kevin
Harvick Inc.'s Kevin Harvick, Rusty Wallace Racing's David
Stremme and Steve Wallace and JR Motorsports' David Green
left after Monday night's session.
Nationwide Testing At Lowes Motor Speedway
Johnny Testing
#18 For Joe Gibbs Racing
The NASCAR Nationwide Series has an open weekend as far as
competition this week but will be on-track Monday and
Tuesday, May 12-13 for a test session at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway.
More than 40
drivers representing more than 20 teams are expected to
participate in the session at the 1.5-mile track. This will
be the fourth scheduled test of the season for series teams.
Other tests were at Daytona International Speedway, Las
Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
Each day the
garage opens at 11 a.m. with the first practice session
scheduled from 1 – 5 p.m. Following a one-hour break,
practice resumes from 6 – 9 p.m. The garage closes at 9:30
p.m.
Barb's Blog -
Berlin - May 10th
Johnny returned to Grand Rapids this weekend in order to
race his #10 late model at Berlin Raceway. Russ and Johnny
made the long trip from Charlotte Friday and arrived in town
late Friday night …
The track opened at noon on Saturday and
the competitors were lined up to get into the pits. Everyone
on the team needed to sign in and get a wrist band. One
enhancement to the pit area at Berlin in the opportunity for
driver’s to purchase their pit stall and add a concrete slab
in their area. This allows the teams to set up their car on
level ground. Does Johnny have his own pit stall? Yes, he
own two of them - which are side by side.
Johnny had a lot of help this weekend …
Thanks to Jim Kurtz, Jason Blain, Tom Moe Jr., Ron Piechocki
and Brian Prinz for all of their help! Barb Kurtz did not
let Johnny down - she always makes him chocolate chip
cookies when he is in town. I decided to bring food to keep
them going for the long day. By the time I arrived at 1:30
pm they were busy airing up tires and getting ready for
practice.
Terry
VanHaitsma stopped by to talk to Johnny about his #21
racecar.
Tom Thomas also stops by. (I call him my other brother!)
I run out of the hauler to take a photo. JB tells Tom to
turn their backs on me ...
(See, I get no respect)
Finally get a nice photo!
Brent Ashcroft from the
local FOX station gets to the track. He is taping an
interview with Johnny at the track for his Sports Ticket
segment for Sunday night.
The JBFC has a table on the concourse.
Glenda and her son Kyle drive up from Indiana to help me
sell souvenirs and watch Johnny race. Kyle drives go carts
and is over the age of 14 so this is the first race that he
gets to go into the pit area.
Another race … Another contest for fan
club members. I remembered to bring my camera on the
concourse - so I took photos of the fans for future posting.
Thanks for everyone who stopped by! Stay tuned for
when I post your photo in the future!
Attention Robert Ripley! I can’t believe that the
Whitecaps game was more important than coming to Berlin.
At least your son made it to Berlin to watch Johnny race
and he even wore a JB shirt- ha! PS … You need to sign
him up for the fan club …. See you on the bus trip!
The races begin and it’s time to wrap it
up from selling souvenirs and head down to the pit area.
Kyle is excited to watch the 4 cylinders from the top of the
hauler.
It was time for Johnny’s heat race. Every
driver wears ear plugs so they can hear the race director
call the green and when a caution comes out. Every car has a
transponder for scoring purposes. Berlin does a great job of
printing sheets at the end of the practice sessions to give
the competitors a chance to see how they are stacking up
against each other.
After Johnny’s heat race - there is a
whirlwind of activity …
Glenda and Kyle head to the grandstands
to watch the race with my dad and Mike and Bonnie Fischer.
That way they can leave right after the race. I decide the
best place for me to watch the race is inside the truck. I
have a good view of them shooting out of turn 4 and down the
front stretch.
Lined up for the main event ...
The race is 50 laps … Johnny starts mid
pack. (He qualified 3rd - but I did not write
down where he started). One of the early cautions was caused
by a spin by the #32. I was surprised to see that he got his
position back and not sent to the back since he caused the
caution. Another thing I did not understand was one
particular car decided he was going to double up at the
start. I didn’t think that was right - so I got our of the
truck and talked to one of the track officials. Bob was very
nice to explain to me that when the leader took the green -
the field could go. I said really - cause they are not even
to the line coming out of the 4th turn. I really
didn’t agree with that - but I guess that’s why I’m not the
race director - ha!
The field got strung out and leader Terry
VanHaitsma starting to lap the field. Johnny ran lap after
lap and run with out incident until he was dirt tracking
with another car coming out of turn 4. (Of course, this
happens right in front of my view!).
In the closing 5 laps, Johnny is running
6th and VanHaistma is leading. I decide it’s time
to get out of the truck and head to the back of the hauler.
I have another good view of VanHaistma getting bunched up in
turn 3 and losing the lead. (For some reason, I am having
flashbacks of Martinsville!) It’s sad to see VanHaitsma lead
all those laps!
Johnny pulls into the pits and looks over
his car. The guys debrief on what was going on with the
handling and make notes for their return trip on August 2nd
…..
I saw Terry VanHaistma as he walked away
from the tech inspection. I told him he did a great job and
I was sorry his win slipped away. I just got to say - he was
very pleasant and showed true class and sportsmanship.
So,
Congratulations to Terry VanHaitsma!
Photo By:
Randy Ellen Photography
The track announcer is calling for late
model pay off. I’m the lucky one to pick it up. I need
to turn the transponder in and sign on the bottom line.
The races are over and the #10 car is
pushed into the hauler. Fans come down in the pit area and
Johnny signs autographs. It’s time to call it a night.
On Sunday morning and Johnny and Russ are
on the road at 8:00 a.m. Talk about a short trip! The
weekend is over …
Hope you enjoyed this blog! Until
next time ….. Barb
Root, Sweeney, Meeuwsen, Hamm and Myers
victorious
Johnny Finishes 6th
After
battling with the weather for the past month, it was
finally a beautiful night for racing at Berlin Raceway.
De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock Driver Scott Root got the
win along with Tim Sweeney of the Engine Pro Super Stock
division, Ross Meeuwsen of the Coors Light Late Models
and winning the first Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder race
of the season was Ryan Hamm in the “A” Feature and Ron
Myers in the “B” Feature.
Rolling off the grid first was the De-Jay Slick Truck
Pro Stock division; #15 Scott Root and #17 Ryan Meldrum
leading the way. Root capitalized on his starting
position by jumping out to the lead. The race for
second was on between Meldrum, #20 Dave Hull, #76 Brian
Tillema and #50 Justin Regnerus. By lap 7, Regnerus had
cleared the fray first and attempted to gain ground on
the leader; Tillema was second to clear that battle and
he took off after Regnerus. The big battle for second
allowed Root to drive away from the field. Lap 13 saw
another battle for second between Regnerus and Tillema
and after a three-lap side-by-side battle, Tillema broke
free and slowly began chopping in to Root's lead. There
were enough laps to catch Root, but not enough to pass
him; Root won by .124 seconds over Tillema. The rest of
the top ten were Regnerus, Meldrum, #11 Nick Bonstell,
#76 Ryan Gruppen, #20 Dave Hull, #15 Garison Jewett, #51
Weston Jewett, and #97.9 Ryan Schnabel.
The
Engine Pro Super Stocks were next, # 71 Kyle Ballard and
#88 Tim Sweeney were on the front row. Sweeny was quick
to take the lead while Ballard was fading. #18 Denny
Anderson shot to second by the end of the first lap and
the top three were evenly spaced out until the first
caution came out on lap 6; #26 Chris Muyskens looped his
car around on the frontstretch. After getting the cars
in order, Sweeney got a great restart and the field
picked up where they left off. Great battles for
positions were going on throughout the field while
Anderson began reeling in Sweeney. Caution was out
again on lap 16; #5 Ray VanAllsburg spun his car on the
frontstretch. On that restart, Anderson didn't let
Sweeney get too far ahead of him and the battle was on
for third between #10 Bob
Spencer, #1 Brian Wiersma and #77 Andrew Nylaan. With
five laps to go, Anderson looked like he was reeling in
Sweeney, but he didn't have enough laps. Sweeney went
on to score his first win of the season and Anderson,
Spencer, Wiersma, A. Nylaan, #X Ray Clay, #12 Josh
Slade, Ballard, #3 Travis Nylaan and #98 Bob Bliss
completed the top ten.
Twenty-seven Coors Light Late Models came out Berlin
Raceway and #21 Terry VanHaitsma and #32 Ross Meeuwsen
lead the field to the green flag; VanHaitsma had a great
start, but caution was out early. #37 Jordan Dahlke
spun going into turn 1. After the restart, VanHaitsma
continued to lead and the rest of the field were all
spread out. Fast qualifier, #12 Tim DeVos, was on the
move, but a caution on lap 5 for the #8 car of Dakota
Carlson halted his progress. Once the field was
restarted, #222 Caleb Bisacky and Meeuwsen had a good
battle going on for 2nd, but that also let
VanHaitsma pull away. Also moving through the field
were the cars of #82 Tom Thomas and #10 Johnny Benson.
After the first few cautions, the racing calmed down and
by lap 22, the leader was already lapping cars. With
one lap and one corner to go, a lapped car gave an
opportunity to Meeuwsen to take the lead. Meeuwsen went
on to win by .100 seconds over VanHaitsma; Bisacky, #1
Randy Sweet, T. Thomas, Benson, #88 Tim Yonker, #28
Scott Thomas, #55 Chris Anthony and #15 Brian Maxim
rounded out the top ten.
In the
debut of the Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder, 46 drivers
turned out to race! The field had to be split in to “A”
and “B” Features. In the “A” Feature, #550 Dave Lynema
and #77 Gerry Shepard landed on the front row and right
from the drop of the green flag, the racers were three
and four wide going in to turn 1. Lap 3 saw #26 Chad
Wittingen slap the wall between turns 3 and 4, but he
was able to bring his car back to the pits without
bringing out the caution. A change for the lead
happened on lap 4, #7 Ryan Hamm too the spot from #76
Mike Speet. The first caution came out a few laps later
when #2 Denny Holtzlander slammed the wall coming out of
turn 4. Once the cars were restarted, there was no
touching Hamm. He won the first 4-Cylinder race of the
season by a dominating 4.504 seconds over #14 Jason
DeVos. Speet, #354 Chris McKinley, #00 Robin Maley, #00
Mike Dutcher, #550 Dave Lynema, #7 Jake Loesch, #77
Garry Shepard and #77 John Elam completed the top ten.
The “B” Feature also saw great racing action and #4 Ron
Myers took home the trophy and the top five consisted of
#72 Brad Currier, #024 Cole Roelofs, #42 Joe Norder and
#9 Matt Holcomb.
Berlin
Raceway is back in action next Saturday, May 17, for
Schools, Scouts & Speed! The evening will feature the
Engine Pro Super Stocks (75 Laps), De-Jay Slick Truck
Pro Stocks, Instant Cash Advance Sportsman and Burnips
Equipment 4-Cylinders. It’s Girl Scout Night and Reading
Club Night. Also on the card are School Bus Races and
an Electric Car Race. Tickets are $12 for adult general
admission, $6 for kids 6 to 12 and free for kids 5 and
under. Pit passes for those 14 and over are $25. Gates
open at 12:15 p.m. and the first race begins at 7 p.m.
Happy Mother's Day Weekend to
all!
Barb’s Blog - Kansas Race Day
Sorry the Kansas race post is really late, but prior
commitments kept me from getting the job done!
I hope the blogs were informative and filled with just a
little bit of humor. Until next time … Go JB and the #23
team! Barb
Sunny Skies - yippee!
We are so excited to see the sun
shining. Maybe the weather man will be wrong for race
day. Even the flag across the street is at a standstill,
so they may be hope for a good hair day!
We were in such a good mood leaving
the hotel, that we just got out of the parking lot when
I realized the truck was popped up - nice way to start
out!
10:30 am - Arrived at the track.
Traffic was light, We got a parking pass, so we were
able to park inside. (No more rides on the wild tram).
11:00 am - #23 Toyota Tundra is still in the garage -
getting ready for the tech line.
11:15 am - Trip, JB, the tire guy and
engine guy are huddle in the truck taking race strategy.
I hover around, because I have questions to ask. They
notice I have my notebook in hand and says - “Oh no,
she’s back.” They keep on talking business - then it
turns into laughter - so I thought it was my time to
interject. Not so fast they say - they are discussing
serious business - ha! Trip asks if I just wake up on
race day with all these questions - ha! I say, no - way
it’s all about the fans.
11:45 am - JB announces he is going
to the IRL garage. I said must be nice - they will not
let us roam around the way we did last year. He teases -
“I guess you don’t have the right pass! - ha” I said -
“Neither do you”. JB replies, “But I have the pull!
Nice …
Kansas Race
Day Blog
Other Blogs from Kansas Weekend:
April
24th - pm
April 25th -
am
April 25th -
pm
Barb's Photos From Kansas
Q & A - With Trip and Johnny
JB Fans submitted questions to Barb during her trip to
Kansas. Thanks to Johnny and Trip for participating in
the impromptu Q & A session
Trip - Since you know there is rain the forecast - are
you ready for a fuel mileage race? The TRIAD
Racing
Development has been working hard to develop Toyota’s fuel
mileage strategy. We try to be prepare for every race.
Johnny - Do you
dress differently for cold weather? No - I wear
the same two layer driving suit - regardless of the outside
temperature.
Johnny - When it’s
extremely hot outside, there is a coolant systems that
drivers use. What happens when the temperature is cold, is
there someway you compensate for the drop in temperatures?
No, I just get as comfortable as I can with the heat / cold.
Do you change the
type of oil to compensate for the different range in
temperature outside? No, it doesn’t matter what
the temperature is outside, we keep the engine the same
temperature.
BDR Truck Stable - Still Running Strong
Bill Davis Racing’s Toyota Tundra trio, Mike Skinner,
Johnny Benson and rookie Scott Speed, are on a mission this
season. A Bill Davis Racing team has finished second in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship standings the
past two seasons, and all three teams are vying for a shot
at the title this year.
Bill Davis Racing’s Craftsman Truck Series success is truly
a team effort. All three teams finished in the top-10 last
week at Kansas Speedway. It was the third time in Bill
Davis Racing history all three teams had finished in the
top-10, with the most recent occurrence coming at California
Speedway in February.
“We definitely didn’t start the year like last year,” said
Skinner, who won three of the first four events in 2007,
including two poles. “But we seem to be back in the game
and once Jeff (Hensley, crew chief) and the boys get
rolling, there is no stopping them. Last year our bad luck
came at the end of the year. This time it has been at the
beginning of the season. Hopefully it’s all gone and we can
get back to the top, which is where we should be.”
Bill Davis’s Craftsman Truck Series teams have historically
been strong and the team leads almost every series
statistical category. The team holds the record for most
poles in a single season (11) with Mike Skinner. The team
holds the same record with the same number of poles in the
NASCAR Nationwide (then Busch) Series. Jeff Gordon helped
Bill Davis Racing achieve that record.
“Bill Davis’s truck program has proven to be the one to beat
week in and week out over the years,” said Benson, who
finished second in NCTS points in 2006 and third in 2007.
“This year, Bill Davis Racing as an organization has a goal
and that is to bring Bill Davis his first NASCAR
Championship. We will do everything in our power to make
that happen.”
After completing its 300th truck race this past weekend at
the Kansas Speedway, Bill Davis Racing has accumulated 17
wins, 79 top-five finishes, 123 top-10 finishes and 32 poles
in Truck Series competition. These accomplishments lead all
teams in the Craftsman Truck Series over the past two
seasons.
The increasingly popular Bill Davis Racing truck teams are
proving once again that they are the force to reckon with in
the Craftsman Truck Series garage. With all three teams
gaining momentum as the series rolls into a seven-week
stretch, Bill Davis Racing is sure to be in contention for
the championship entering the season finale at Homestead
Miami Speedway in November. Hopefully, one of the teams
will bring the championship back to High Point.
Johnny Picks Carl Edwards
By: Johnny Benson
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny has
selected Carl Edwards to win at the repaved track at
Darlington
Speedway. To view the complete article -
Click Here.
J
ohnny Picks Kyle Busch at
Richmond
By: Johnny Benson
As a
MSNBC contributor, Johnny has selected
Kyle Busch to continue his red hot streak at Richmond
Speedway. To view the complete article -
Click Here.
Schrader Qualifies the #52
Kenny Schrader joined his team at Rockingham after failing
to qualify for the Richmond race. Johnny had a good
time on Friday during the practice session helping the
Schrader Racing team out.
Flashback to the Rock
Fans ask
.... Is Johnny's name engraved on the "Rock".
Yes, it is ... JB fans locate his name and share
this photo ....
Johnny Heads to Rockingham
Since Kenny Schrader will be filling in for Dario Franchitti
at Richmond this weekend, he needed to someone to practice
and qualify his #52 ARCA racing machine at Rockingham this
weekend. Johnny will be behind the wheel of the #52.
Friday -
Practice: 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Saturday - Qualifying:
10:00 am & 2:30 pm
Photo of #52 at Salem ARCA race
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