2008 WAM JAM Concert
Recording artists’ Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Lou Gramm and John Waite have all confirmed their attendance for the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports (WAM) Second Annual WAM JAM Charity Concert.

This year’s event will be held on Oct. 18 at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis, N.C. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. with the first act on stage at 5:00 p.m.

“We are very excited to host the Second Annual WAM JAM,” said Cyndi Johns, President of WAM.  “What a great way to spend a fall evening in North Carolina. All of the ladies affiliated with WAM are thrilled we have the opportunity to listen to some great music, while at the same time raising money and awareness for WAM.

Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, home of the Kannapolis Intimidators, hosted the inaugural WAM JAM.   "The Second Annual WAM JAM Charity Concert will be an exciting event to benefit WAM, which supports our local community,” said Tim Mueller, Vice President of the Kannapolis Intimidators.

Tickets for this event may be purchased by calling the stadium box office at 704-932-FANS (3267) or by visiting www.intimidatorsbaseball.com.  For more information on WAM please visit www.waminc.org.

Anthony, Nylaan, Davis, Speet take checkers
Benson fast, but not fast enough

A rainy afternoon didn’t dampen the mood at Berlin Raceway Saturday night, as four racing divisions took the track for exciting racing action. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points leader Johnny Benson made a surprise appearance to race his Coors Light Late Model machine, but couldn’t quite pull off the victory over Chris Anthony. Other winners were Andrew Nylaan, Allen Davis and Mike Speet.

The Instant Cash Advance Sportsman feature was first up on the track,
racing in an extra-length 30-lap feature to celebrate Instant Cash Advance Sportsman Night. Caution came out quickly for a second-lap mishap that landed #6 Terry Bockheim off the backstretch. On the lap 2 restart, #33 Allen Davis made the pass for the lead around polesitter #00 Dennis Mann. #38 Mo Davis followed and kept up with his son Allen. Two laps later points leader #44 Brian Van Zalen clawed his way up to third position. At the halfway point it was a three-car breakaway, but on lap 16 the caution flag flew for debris in turn 4, erasing the two-second lead that the three cars had built over the rest of the field.

Bockheim made an impressive move up to fourth late in the race but was
shut down by the three-car train. They held their lead positions until  the final lap, when the pressure that Van Zalen had been applying to Mo Davis finally paid off and he got by the #38 in the final turn to finish second behind Allen Davis, who picked up his second win of the season. Mo Davis finished third with a slick move to hold off Bockheim, who finished fourth. Allen Davis's brother #88 Tony Davis rounded out the top 5, making the top 5 a family affair, with three Davises included.

In the Engine Pro Super Stock 30-lap feature, points leader #1 Brian Wiersma spun on the first lap from his seventh starting position,  forcing a complete restart. #55 Dave Lake started on the pole and jumped out to an early lead over #77 Andrew Nylaan and #10 Bob Spencer.  The three cars were beginning to break away from the rest of the field, but their momentum was thwarted when #3 Travis Nylaan flew off the backstretch on lap 10 to force a red-flag condition. Back under green,  Andrew Nylaan challenged Lake for the lead by jumping to the inside. The two raced side by side for two laps, with Nylaan edging Lake out by a nose at the line each lap, before a caution for a blown tire on the #66 Nate Walton machine. The caution was a break for Nylaan, who benefited from the single-file restart to claim sole position of the lead. Caution was waved again on lap 20 as #05 Ray VanAllsburg hit the turn 4 wall. Nylaan held the lead on the restart and cruised to his first win of the season as Lake worked to hold off Spencer for second position. #15 Mat  McClarren and #18 Denny Anderson completed the top 5 .


The Coors Light Late Model feature cars took the track next. Polesitter #8 Dakota Carlson jumped to the lead on the start over #55 Chris Anthony and #27 Billy Shotko. Benson started his #10 Late Model in 11th position, but shot up through the field quickly and was consistently  the fastest car on the track. Carlson and Anthony jumped to a 2-second lead over Shotko, who was three seconds ahead of a battle between brothers #28 Scott Thomas and #82 Tom Thomas 15 laps in. #32 Ross Meeuwsen and Benson raced just behind the Thomas brothers.

On lap 21 Benson shot to fifth around Meeuwsen and Scott Thomas, but he  had a lot of ground to make up to catch the leaders. Meanwhile Tom Thomas had caught Shotko and battled for third. Thomas won the battle,  taking the position and then moving around Carlson into second shortly thereafter. At the halfway point, Benson was the fastest car on the track by a full two-tenths of a second. Benson rocketed to the inside of Shotko and into fourth position on lap 31. Five laps later Benson put away Carlson for third, but an inopportune caution reverted scoring to the previous lap, placing him back in fourth. It didn't matter, as Benson flew around Carlson for the third position on the restart and set his sights on the leaders. But Anthony managed to hold off two-time defending track champion Tom Thomas as well as Benson, who had caught the leaders but didn't have enough left to get around either. It was Anthony's second win of the season and of his seven-year career. Meeuwsen finished fourth and Carlson finished fifth.

The Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder "A" feature was a wild one, with a quick caution on lap 3 for a three-car pileup in turn 1 involving #2 Buck Spencer, #T11 Jim Rhodes and #354 Chris McKinley.. #00 Robin Maley led early followed by #15 Mel Parsons, but Parsons took a wild ride through the frontstretch grass and mud on lap 5, dropping him down several positions. Meanwhile #76 Mike Speet took the lead on lap 7. #14 Jason DeVos was making an impressive run through the field, challenging Maley for second on lap 10. DeVos shot between Maley on the high side and the lapped #100 car of Jason Scheid to take second position, but Speet had opened up a two and a half second lead and was unstoppable. Speet took his second checkered flag of the season, followed by DeVos, Hamm, #00 Mike Dutcher and Maley.

In the 4-Cylinder "B" feature, #07 Jason Emanouil led from start to finish, followed by #81 Bob Hultz, #12 Darrell Holtzlander, #42 Joe Norder and #174 Jackson Walker.

Racing action resumes next Saturday night, August 30, with the Auto Value Super Sprints returning to Berlin to try to set another track speed record, presented by AT&T. The Super Stock, Pro Stock and Sportsman divisions will joint the sprint cars. It’s also $1 beer and $1 hot dog night. Tickets are $15 for adults, half price 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 and the first race begins at 7 p.m.

Kyle Busch Wins at Bristol
Johnny Finishes 4th
By:  NASCAR.com

Kyle Busch stole the spotlight from guys like Jimmie Johnson and Johnny Benson at the annual Wednesday night Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, as he dominated the O'Reilly 200 leading 145 of the 200 laps, cruising to his third victory in the Truck Series this season and 17th among all three national series

Busch was able to hang on after a green-white-checkered finish thanks to a record number of cautions at Bristol as the yellow flew 12 times on the night. Todd Bodine challenged Busch the final 15 laps but was unable to pass him and finished second. Polesitter Scott Speed came home third with Benson fourth and Rick Crawford fifth.

Benson, the points leader, came up short in his quest to make Truck Series history. Looking to become the first driver to win four consecutive races, he finished fourth but maintained his points lead thanks to problems for second-place driver Ron Hornaday.

The race was red-flagged for 13 minutes when Hornaday was involved in a multi-truck crash with Crawford, Shelby Howard and Bryan Silas on Lap 177. Hornaday finished 24th and went from being 45 points behind Benson to 119 points back.

NASCAR Now
Johnny is scheduled to be part of the panel on NASCAR Now this Monday, August 25, 2008.  This show is on ESPN2 between 5 - 7 - check your local listings. 

Johnny Positioned to Make History
Johnny Benson (#23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) earned his way into an elite group of drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Saturday with his win at Nashville Superspeedway.

Benson became the fifth driver to win three races in a row joining drivers Ron Hornaday, Jr. (#33 Camping World Chevy), teammate Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) and former series champions Greg Biffle and Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota).  Third time was the charm for Benson, who previously fell short in 2006 and 2007.

The series veteran's victory also marked additional firsts. The win was his fourth of the season each in the last five races. That hadn't happened since Biffle went on a similar hot streak en route to the title. Maybe that’s an omen for Benson, who is looking for his first series championship.   Benson also became Nashville Superspeedway’s first repeat winner in eight races dating to 2001.

While Benson retains his lead in the championship standings, he can’t feel comfortable. He leads by only 45 points over defending champion Hornaday, the closest since 2003 when Brendan Gaughan led Travis Kvapil by seven.

History favors the Bill Davis Racing driver holding or extending his advantage when the series next competes at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 20.  Benson is the defending winner of the O'Reilly 200 as he bids to become the first to win four straight.

Barb's Blogs
There back!  .... It has been quite a whirlwind of activity since my last blog.  The bus trip to MIS, the win at Milwaukee and I had been at the track.  I've had some obstacles - like leaving my camera in Milwaukee and not retrieving until Kentucky and that brother of mine - keeps winning and winning!  Now, it's down to business to get the blogs posted.  I realize they are outdated - but I have some good photos and notes to share.  Hope you enjoy them! 

 

Congratulations!
To fan club member Kurt May who won the fan club drawing for attending the races at Berlin Raceway on August  2nd to watch Johnny race.  Kurt won a 1:24 JB Exide Toyota Tundra.  Congratulations!

A Fan's Perspective
By:  Klaus and Paulette Price

This is the second time we've seen Johnny win at Nashville and we're loving it.

Yesterday we were in the local Barnes and Noble and met a lady wearing a red Johnny Benson tee shirt. Turns out to be Sue from right up the road here in Tennessee and a club member and poster on the board. She and her cousin Linda were going to try to catch Johnny in the autograph session and were hoping to go to the race. We exchanged a whole lot of stories about our favorite driver.

Today, we weren't too sure about Johnny's chances with the qualifying results. But good truck or not, we thought he would finish well.

We met Barb on the "fan walk". Got our hug, thereby cementing a great finish for the #23. LOL

He started the early part of the race loose, loose, loose, but said he would deal with it. The little #23 started to look pretty sporty. After taking tires the first time, he said the new set was horrible, but he would work with it and hope for a caution.

The caution came, but the pit stop was a bit slow and he came out with a lot of spots to make up.

From that point he moved steadily forward. As the laps wound down, he asked Mark (our A-one spotter), to let him know when he got to 20, 15, 10, 5 and (he said) "zero".

He started passing and finally was behind the leader with a handful of laps to go. The rest was a thing of beauty. Each time he passed the grandstands, he was a little closer to the lead. The pass he made for the lead was right in front of us. Then we held our breath for the final three laps.

We don't know if you could tell on television, but Johnny's win was very popular with the crowd tonight. He is the man!!!!!

In an interview after the race, he was happy that there were two guitars now and his daughters would each have their own. They wouldn't have to share. LOL
Johnny Wins at Nashville!
Johnny lead the final three laps to earn the win at Nashville.  Johnny took over the lead from Eric Darnell who finished second.  The rest of the top 5 finishers included Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday.  Johnny continues to the lead the point standings. 
Q & A with Johnny
By:  Mark DeCotis - Floridaytoday.com

For complete Q & A Session - Click Here

Nashville Speedway Offering Discount
Nashville Superspeedway is running a promotion for a discount on tickets at the  Toyota Tundra 200 race in August.

Race fans: receive $10 off each reserved ticket purchased for the Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday, August 9 at the Nashville Superspeedway.  Offer expires Friday, August 8, 2008.  Orders accepted by phone at 1-866-RACE-TIX or online at www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com.  Please use the promotional code: DRIVER

Tickets will include Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying, the Toyota 150 ARCA race, and a post race concert. Not valid with any other promotion, coupon or discount.  Limit four (4) tickets per customer.  Not valid on previous purchases.

All Eyes On Benson at Nashville
After a one-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series gets back in action this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, site of Saturday night's Toyota Tundra 200, race No. 15 of 25 on the 2008 schedule.

Johnny Benson, driver of the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra, comes into the event on a roll, having won the last two races of the season. But Benson's points lead is anything but secure, as defending NCTS Champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is just 15 points behind and Matt Crafton only 31 points back in third. And with a wide-open title race, none of the leaders can afford any kind of slip-up under the lights on Saturday night.

Of three drivers atop the points, Benson has had the most success on the 1.33-mile, D-shaped concrete Nashville oval, winning here in 2006 and posting three top-10 finished in four NCTS starts. Interestingly, Benson is the only previous Nashville winner entered in Saturday night's race. None of the other six drivers who've captured this race will be in the field this time around.

"The track is pretty neat, although it's tough place to pass," said Benson. "It's a finesse-type of race track, where you have to really concentrate to hold it down at the bottom of the track. It also requires a lot of discipline to make sure you don't go into the corner too hard. It is also a special place for Toyota, being they are the title sponsor, so that give all their drivers more incentive to win."

Hornaday, who pilots the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado, was second here last year, his best finish in three tries in a truck at Nashville. He and his Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate, Jack Sprague, will each be trying to complete the "Tennessee Triple" on Saturday night, having previously both scored victories at Bristol and Memphis.

Sprague, driver of the No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevy, has a Nationwide Series win here and a best NCTS finish of second in 2006.
"I have not had the best of luck at Nashville in the past, but I was really pleased with the information we learned from the Chicago test, plus we had a rocket ship of a truck in Kentucky and we are bringing that same truck to Nashville," said Sprague. "Had we not broken a motor in Kentucky, we would have been hard to beat."

Crafton comes into Nashville on an impressive streak, having driven his No. 88 Menards Chevrolet to a finish of fourth or better in each of the last four NCTS races, with a best of second at the Milwaukee Mile. But he hasn't had much success in Music City, with a best finish of seventh in seven starts.

Rick Crawford lost some critical ground in the NCTS points race when he finished 14th and 12th in the last two events in his No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150. Crawford has had an up-and-down time at Nashville, where in his first three NCTS races he had two third- and one second-place finish. But since then, his best finish was sixth and he had two runs of 24th or worse.

By now, the fact that Mike Skinner is winless on the season has been well documented. Saturday night, he could well break through in his No. 5 Toyota Tundra. Skinner has led 250 laps over the last three Nashville Truck races, finishing third last year and fourth in 2005. This could be his night to win the coveted Gibson guitar trophy.

"Nashville is a track that really fits my driving style," said Skinner. "You really roll the center of the corner fast in order to have a shot to win the race.  We tested last week in Chicago and worked on different combinations that would help us really get through the center of the corners.  I am excited to get to the track and see if it helps us.  This team is still in the hunt for the championship.  We have to be on our A-game for the last 11 races of the season to have a chance to race for the championship come Homestead."

Another driver looking to win for the first time at Nashville is 2006 series champion Todd Bodine, who has posted some stout numbers here, posting previous finishes of fifth, eighth and third in his Lumber Liquidators Toyota.

The most intriguing pick for this weekend, though, might well be Ted Musgrave, driver of the Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota. On the surface, Musgrave has suffered a difficult season, having last scored a top-10 finish way back in the fifth race of the season at Kansas Speedway. And even though he hasn't won yet at Nashville, Musgrave has a truly incredible record here, with an average finish of 3.43. In his seven Nashville NCTS starts, Musgrave has finished second three times and third twice, his two other finishes being fourth and eighth. He cannot be discounted.

Red Horse Racing Toyota driver David Starr has one second and two fourth-place finishes here, while Wyler.com Toyota's Terry Cook and Northern Tool + Equipment Ford driver Erik Darnell both will be looking to improve on their respective best performances here.

All eyes will be on Benson as he goes for his third straight this weekend, but expect a wide-open race on Saturday night, as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series seasons begins to head down the stretch.


Benson Poised to Join Elite Group
It is widely known that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is full of tough competition. So it's a rare accomplishment for a driver to win three races in a row.  It's only happened five times.