Berlin - $5 Night - July 4th
This Saturday, July 4, at Berlin
Raceway is Stars and Stripes Night. The USA Modifieds
will return along with the Kerkstra Services Pro
Stocks, Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinders and Young Guns.
There will also be Trash Can Bowling, a post-race
fireworks show
and $1 beer and $1 hot dogs. Admission for ages 6 and
up will be $5 and kids five and under are free. Pit
passes for those 14 and over is $25 and the first race
starts at 7 p.m.
06/27/09 - Saturday
Dear JB Fans,
This is
a day of celebration .....
Happy Birthday Johnny!
Photo By:
Tom Devette
As much as I would like to
say that Johnny's birthday cake will have more candles
than I would have .. I have to admit he may be a
tad younger than me ...
Johnny continues to
recuperate at home in Charlotte walking at least two
times a day and managing his pain associated with his
broken bones. (To think I complain when I break a
nail!)
I stopped by the post office
yesterday after work to pick up the fan club mail.
It was full of get well cards - thank you. I'm in
the process of batching them up and sending them on to
Johnny. It's my intention to send them on a weekly
basis.
Until next time ...
Barb
Jeff Bloom wins Summer Spectacular
VanHaitsma, Thomas, Muyskens and Reimersma also
take trophies
It
was an action-packed night of racing at Berlin
Raceway. The Auto Value Super Sprints made their
first of three appearances with Jeff Bloom taking the
win. The Coors Light Late Models ran two features and
Terry VanHaitsma and Tom Thomas each notched one in
the win column. Chris Muyskens went to Victory Lane
again in the Engine Pro Super Stock division, as did
Dan Reimersma in the Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinders.
The Coors Light Late Models kicked the show off with a
make-up 40-lap feature; the #32 Ross Meeuwsen and #13
Tim DeVos lead the field to the start. Trouble on
track before a lap was completed forced a complete
restart when #19 Nick Shotko spun on the front
stretch. The #21 of Terry VanHaitsma was racy right
off of the bat, claiming third on lap 3. Just two
laps later, #24 Lee VanDyk brought out the second
caution with his spin on the frontstretch. With the
double-file restarts, had the advantage on the outside
and got around Meeuwsen, but he didn’t get far.
VanHaitsma was closing in the leaders and their
spirited battle for the lead. At half-way, the #15 of
Brian Maxim and #61 Alec Carll spun in turn 1. After
the restart, VanHaitsma pulled to the outside of
Meeuwsen, swung around him and DeVos to take the
lead. VanHaitsma took off with the lead as Meeuwsen
and DeVos continued to battle for position. The car
on the move and making up the most positions was the
#1 of Randy Sweet who drove from 18th to
fifth. VanHaitsma took the win by 2.728 seconds over
DeVos and Meeuwsen. The rest of the top ten were #222
Caleb Bisacky, Sweet, #82 Tom Thomas, #28 Scott
Thomas, #11 Leroy Magoon, #6 Dave Zagaiski and #27
Billy Shotko.
After a few heat races, the Coors Light Late Models
were up again, this time with Scott Thomas and Tom
Thomas on the front row. Just two laps in, caution
was out for Magoon; his car stalled while trying to
join the field. Tom Thomas took the lead on the
restart and by lap 12, he had almost three seconds on
the field. That was erased just one lap later as a
caution for debris stacked the field back up. T.
Thomas took the outside lane for the restart and took
off. The car on the move was the #19 of Nick Shotko
who went from 17th to 10th in 20
laps. With seven laps to go, leader Thomas was in
traffic and beginning to lap cars. Tom Thomas finally
got back in to victory lane in dominating fashion,
3.853 seconds over Meeuwsen. Sweet, S. Thomas, DeVos,
VanHaitsma, Bisacky, B. Shotko, N. Shotko and #55
Chris Anthony rounded out the top ten.
The 30-lap Auto Value Super Sprints were next and #55
Curt Shumaker and #46 Jimmy Swain lead the field to
the stripe. Just after a lap was complete, #24 Bill
Tyler spun coming out of turn 4, bringing out the
first caution of the race. When the cars were
restarted, #26 Jeff Bloom was close behind the leaders
and the #42 of Jason Blonde was in hot pursuit. Bloom
took the lead on lap 7 and four laps later, Tyler
encountered problems and dropped out of the race.
Blonde took the lead on lap 11, but the leaders
quickly caught slower cars and Bloom took advantage of
that and took the lead back. On lap 20, Blonde
returned the favor and took the lead just as Bloom
did. On lap 22, a three-car accident involving the
#70 of Dorman Snyder, Shumaker and #20 Kyle Flint came
to rest in turn 3, this brought out the red flag and
during this caution, leader Blonde pulled in to the
pits, giving up his lead, to change a flat tire. The
lead was given to Bloom. Once the race was restarted,
second place #9 Chad Goff was unable to catch Bloom,
he got the win by just over a half of a second. Goff,
#07 Jeff Banyas, #07 Ryan Litt, #99 Sondi Eden,
Snyder, Swain, #10 Ryan Davis, #3A Mike Astrauskas and
#44 Teddy Alberts completed the top ten.
The Engine Pro Super Stocks rolled next, #26 Chris
Muyskens started on the pole with #77 Andrew Nylaan on
his outside. Muyskens took off with the lead and #18
Denny Anderson was challenging Nylaan for second and
one he cleared him, Anderson began reeling in Muyskens.
The first caution of the race on lap 17 when the #76
Warren Speet and #5 Cal Castle made contact with the
frontstretch wall. On the restart, Anderson grabbed
the lead, but before the cars got going, caution was
out again for the #51 of Justin Ryan who hit the wall
in turn 3 and came to a stop just before the
start/finish line. With the double-file restart,
Anderson chose the inside, giving Muyskens the outside
and he promptly took the lead. With three to go,
Anderson was there, but unable to make the pass.
Muyskens took the checkers and the rest of the top ten
were Anderson, #1 Brian Wiersma, #55 Dave Lake, Nylaan,
#8 Billy Eppink, #11 Nick Bonstell, #98 Bob Bliss, #10
Bob Spencer and #13 James Haney.
The Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder B feature rolled
next; #20 Angela DeVos and #07 Clayton Brown started
on the front row, but it was #47 Don McNabb who took
the lead. McNabb was immediately challenged by #80
Daryl Davis. Coming around to turn the second lap of
the feature, DeVos and McNabb made contact and McNabb
came to a stop on the frontstretch. He was rear-ended
by #65 Andy Church and also involved in the caution
was #64 Michael Church. After a red flag for
clean-up, the race resumed with Davis leading. Davis
and Brown swapped the lead, but Davis was the one who
prevailed. Brown had to settle for second and the
rest of the top five were #61 Charlie DeJong, #20
Tyler Nawrocki and #2 Buck Spencer.
The final event of the night was the Burnips Equipment
4-Cylinder A feature, #11 John Elam and # 51 Brad
Hastings were on the front row. Hastings lead, but he
was being chased by #7 Ryan Hamm, #6 Ben Kleis, #100
Jason Scheid, #14 Jason DeVos and #13 Dan Reimersma.
On lap 8, Hamm took the lead and caution flew; Kleis,
Scheid and Hastings made contact and went off of the
backstretch. Hamm took off on the restart and on lap
11, Reimersma was setting him up to take the lead when
the caution came out again. #81 Mike Reavis spun and
while sliding across the track, he collected #15 Mel
Parsons and #51 Mike Johnson. With four laps to go,
Reimersma got a run on Hamm, Hamm threw the block, but
Reimersma was able to take the lead. Hamm was quick
to recover, but coming out of turn 4, Hamm over-drove
and Reimersma got the win. Hamm, DeVos, #26 Brian
Tillema, #9 Nick Curtis, #7 Jake Loesch, Elam, #024
Cole Roelofs, Sheid and #28 Phil Speet completed the
top ten.
Next Saturday, July 4, at Berlin Raceway is Stars and
Stripes Night. The USA Modifieds will return along
with the Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks, Burnips
Equipment 4-Cylinders and Young Guns. There will also
be Trash Can Bowling, a post-race fireworks show and
$1 beer and $1 hot dogs. Admission for ages 6 and up
will be $5 and kids five and under are free. Pit
passes for those 14 and over were $25 and the first
race starts at 7 p.m.
Hornaday Wins in Memphis
Ron Hornaday continued his
winning ways by earning the pole position and taking
the win at Memphis Motorsports Park. Brian Scott
was 2nd followed by David Starr, Aric Arimola and Matt
Crafton. Hornaday continues to lead the point
standings.
NASCAR Community
Thanks to the NASCAR
drivers, officials, crew members and their families
who inquired about Johnny's status after his accident.
Word spread quickly in the early morning hours Sunday
after the crash. They sent their prayers and
best wishes in hopes that Johnny would be okay.
GR Press reporter, Steve Kaminski was in
Brooklyn, MI and shared his comments with us.
"Just so you know. I was at MIS yesterday, and your
brother certainly has a lot of people praying for him.
I had a lot of people stop me and ask me about him.
Drivers expressed concern, too. Jeff Gordon told me
some really nice things about Johnny, too during his
press conference".
My phone started ringing early Sunday morning with
crew members frantically trying to find out
information. I was told that Tony Stewart and
Mark Martin talked about him in their interviews.
Even though Johnny is not racing in the CUP series -
he had their full support.
In the days following the
accident, Johnny's phone kept beeping with voicemails
and text messages. It's nice to know that people
care.
That's why NASCAR racing is the best - a community
always pulls together.
Barb
Spectrum Hospital
Thanks to the
doctors and nurses in the emergency room who quickly
assessed Johnny's situation and provided quick medical
care. The ambulance driver's drove in record
time to get him to the downtown facility.
Thanks to the doctors, nurses, nurse's aide who
handled Johnny's care for the time he was checked into
the hospital. Everyone was so nice and caring -
right down to the aides who replenished the bedding,
to those who ordered the food and brought in the food
trays. It didn't matter what time of day - they
always asked - is there anything else you need?
Berlin Raceway
Thanks to the
safety crew for their actions in getting Johnny out
safely from his #21 super modified. Johnny's
comments: "They did what they
did to get me out safely. I have been around races
that should have been more professional than what we
have at our local track. (Berlin's crew) is as good as
any place where we have been."
To the Berlin employees who handled situation at
hand just moments after the wreck and the inquiries
from the media and concerned fans. Thanks to the
efforts of Mike Blackmer and Kevin Streigle for their
support of Johnny and the JBFC.
Thank you!
|
Johnny and Mike Blackmer during
driver introductions Saturday night
|
The Benson
family would like to thank you for your well
wishes and thoughts during this time.
|
Berlin Raceway - June 27th
The Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints join the
Late Models, Super Stocks and 4-Cylinders for another
exciting Saturday of racing under the lights at Berlin
Raceway. The Late Models will see an extended feature
of 60 laps while the Auto Value Super Sprints will be
the night's main event and tear up the track for 30
lighting fast laps! Tickets for Adults are $15, kids
6-12 $5 and 5-under free; gates open at noon.
RaceTalkRadio.com
RaceTalkRadio.com ownership combines NASCAR writers
Dennis Michelsen and Mike Harper with the creative
talents of digital media artist/hillbilly Lori Munro.
This unique blend has produced some of the most
cutting edge programming in the racing industry!
Speed TV's Bob Dillner and Victory Lane Productions'
Doc Love have been added to the mix to bring short
track race fans the best coverage on the planet! In
addition to our weeknight coverage of racing from the
grassroots to NASCAR, RaceTalkRadio now offers some of
the biggest short track racing events on the weekends
too!
Former XM Radio genius Joe Castello joined forces with
aceTalkRadio this year to bring a little WFO to RTR!
Mike Harper's "Spin Out Zone" section keeps racing
fans updated on the latest NASCAR news along with
cutting edge commentary on NASCAR every week!
Whether you have a "Racing Gene" or are just a NASCAR
fan…RaceTalkRadio will entertain and sometimes annoy
or perplex you with our unique spin on racing!
Tune in every night to RaceTalkRadio.com. As our
official spokes-pup Carbon Super Sport says, "Sit
down, strap in, and sound off on RaceTalkRadio.com!
NASCAR Hall of Fame
Announces Opening Date
The NASCAR Hall
of Fame announced May 11, 2010 as the official grand
opening date for the state-of-the-art facility under
construction in Charlotte, N.C. “This is a very
exciting time in the development of the NASCAR Hall of
Fame,” said Winston Kelley, Executive Director of the
NASCAR Hall of Fame. “We’re less than a year away from
opening the doors that will give visitors an
unparalleled experience of the energy, excitement,
technology and incredible history of NASCAR – a sport
that is so closely tied to our city, our region and
our rich heritage in racing.”
As part of the announcement, the NASCAR Hall of Fame
unveiled three new artifacts that will be featured in
the facility when it opens next year. Included among a
host of interactive displays, exhibits and artifacts
will be the blazer that Ned Jarrett wore while he
commentated the 1993 Daytona 500 in which his son,
Dale, staved off Dale Earnhardt to claim his first
Daytona 500 win. The artifact represents the close
family ties within NASCAR, a sport in which fathers,
sons, brothers and cousins race with each other, for
each other and against each other. To date, the NASCAR
Hall of Fame has announced two major artifacts for
display in the Hall – the Plymouth Belvedere that
Richard Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967, and an epic
collection of NASCAR awards and memorabilia donated by
Raymond Parks, including the first NASCAR trophy ever
awarded a team. Exhibits that will showcase artifacts
such as these at the NASCAR Hall of Fame are currently
under development.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame will launch a comprehensive
sales campaign this fall, including ticket and
membership sales, and will feature the marketing
tagline “Where the race lives on.” The NASCAR Hall of
Fame broke ground in Charlotte on January 25, 2007 and
will open May 11, 2010. The facility will honor the
history and heritage of NASCAR and the many who have
contributed to the success of NASCAR. The Hall of Fame
will comprise 150,000 square feet, including exhibit
space, state-of-the-art theater, a Hall of Honor that
will house the commemorations of Hall of Fame
inductees, numerous interactive entertainment
experiences, a themed restaurant, retail outlet, and a
modern media center for the industry. The Hall will be
owned by the City of Charlotte and operated by the
Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.
Hornaday Wins at
Milwaukee
#33-Ron
Hornaday Jr. celebrated his birthday in dominant
fashion, leading 180 laps, to pick up his second win
at Milwaukee and also for the season in the Copart 200
at The Milwaukee Mile. It is his 41st NCWTS win.
Rounding out the top ten were; #8-Dennis Setzer,
#16-Brian Scott, #30-Todd Bodine, #10-James Buescher,
#60-Stacy Compton, #81-Tayler Malsam, #6-Colin Braun,
#24-David Starr, #25-Terry Cook. #88-Matt Crafton fell
to second place in the point standings after finishing
16th at Milwaukee. There were 8 lead changes among 6
drivers, with 5 cautions for 23 laps
Johnny Released from Hospital
By: Steve Kaminski
Johnny Benson Jr. was released from Spectrum
Butterworth Hospital on Tuesday, and among the first
things he did was return to his dad's race shop in
Grand Rapids to check out his damaged and burned
Supermodified.
"I may leave the
engine up here and take the car back home with me,"
said Benson, who resides in the Charlotte, N.C. area,
in an attempt to size up how he is going to repair his
open-wheel car.
Benson was seriously
injured in an International Supermodified Association
race Saturday night at Berlin Raceway in Marne.
Benson said he
suffered three broken ribs, a broken right wrist and
left-side scapula. He also broke his collarbone where
it connects his sternum. He suffered minor burns.
He added that he
only remembers parts of the accident, and he praised
Berlin's safety crew for its quick work. "I
remember hitting the wall, and I got knocked silly,"
Benson said. "The next thing I remember was that the
flames were flaring up around me, but by then, I
already had people there working on it.
"They did what they
did to get me out safely. I have been around races
that should have been more professional than what we
have at our local track. (Berlin's crew) is as good as
any place where we have been."
Benson, the
defending NASCAR Camping World Trucks champion and a
1981 Forest Hills Northern graduate, laughed when
asked if he is going to race again before the year is
out.
"I would be racing
in two weeks if I had a ride," said Benson, who lost
his ride last week when his Red Horse Racing team
closed shop due to lack of sponsorship. "They are
racing in Milwaukee this weekend, and that might have
been too soon.
"This is part of
racing. Wrecks are going to happen. But I won't be out
too long. I have to go to Charlotte and see my regular
doctor and do my normal checkup thing, and do what it
needs to be done
Johnny Awake and Alert
Johnny Benson, Jr. was competing at his home track,
Berlin Raceway, last night when he was involved in
an accident early on in the ISMA SuperModified
50-lap feature event. Benson was transported to
Spectrum Hospital and is currently listed in serious
but stable condition.
The Grand Rapids driver, who started deep in the
field, was making his way toward the front early in
the event when he made contact with Larry Lehnert,
driver of the #92. The two cars, who were entering
turn #3 at more than 120 miles per hour, made
wheel-to-wheel contact and that sent both cars
spinning towards the outside barrier. Both cars
bounced off the wall and slid back down the track as
Benson's #21 machine caught fire. The Berlin Raceway
safety response team was positioned just a few
hundred feet away from the incident, and were at the
scene to extinguish the flames just seconds after
the red flag was thrown.
The Life EMS emergency response crew, along with
Berlin Raceway officials and safety team, worked
carefully to extract Benson from his race car.
Benson was awake and alert during the process and
gave race fans a wave when loaded into the
ambulance.
"He was pretty sore, but he seemed to be doing well
last night when I talked to him," Benson Sr. said.
"The car's driver side hit the wall hard, and it's a
testament to the Hans (head and neck safety) device
and the safety seat in the supermodified car that
held him in place so well. I have to commend the
safety crew and ambulance crew at Berlin Raceway for
their quick response - they did their job well,
putting the fire out quickly and taking care of
Johnny."
Benson Sr. said the fuel line was cut in two when it
was pinched between the rear axle and the frame. The
alcohol-based fuel that these supermodified cars use
burns blue and very hot, and Benson managed to come
out of it with barely any burns due to the quick
response by the safety crew. The frame of the car
was not bent badly, and all of the safety aspects of
the car held up well, which allowed Benson to escape
without major injuries.
"We go to tracks all around the country and Berlin
Raceway has done an amazing job in handling and
taking care of Johnny and his family. This is
certainly one of the finest groups that we work with
anywhere," ISMA SuperModified Race Director Jerry
Kritzman said following the event.
Chris Perley and Bradley Galedrige
win Open Wheel Spectacular Brian Wiersma also takes
checkers
Marne, MI-- The Open Wheels cars made
their first appearance at Berlin Raceway and taking
home the trophies were the cars of Chris Perley (ISMA
SuperModifieds), Bradley Galedrige (USAC/WOMS Midgets)
and Brian Wiersma (Engine Pro Super Stock).
The dual-sanctioned USAC/WOMS Midgets
25 lap feature rolled first with #23 Dave Troyer and
#21 Tom Fedorczyk on the front row. Once the green
flag was dropped the #29 of Bradley Galedrige took the
lead while the rest of the field raced side-by-side
and was pulling away from the field. With five laps
in, the field had gotten single file and the #26 of Al
Galedrige was slowly catching him. The first caution
happened on lap 5, #97 Phil Rutledge spun between
turns 1 and 2. This allowed A. Galedridge to catch B.
Galedrige and the two of them put just over 11 seconds
between themselves and the rest of the field Bradley
Galedrige got the win and the rest of the finishing
order was A. Galedridge, #6z Kim Hughes, Fedorczyk, 30
Doug Dietsch, #21 Dick Osborn, #5 Dan VanderMolen, #22
Aaron Shroad, Troyer and Rutledge.
The #1 of Brian Wiersma and #18 Denny
Anderson brought the Engine Pro Super Stocks to the
green flag and while Wiersma took off with the lead,
the battle to watch was between the #12 of Josh Slade
and #26 Chris Muyskens for 9th. The first
caution of the night came out on lap 11 when #5 Ray
VanAllsburg spun on the frontstretch. With
VanAllsburg to the back, #44 Brian VanZalen moved up
to second and he was on the front row for the double
file restart. VanZalen found himself with the lead,
but three laps later, caution was out again. Muyskens
spun on the frontstretch and involved in the incident
were the cars of #15 Mat McClarren, #F1 Randy Veldman
and #10 Bob Spencer. Once the race was restarted,
leaders VanZalen and Wiersma raced side-by-side for a
number of laps and while Wiersma was scored as the
leader, VanZalen was still there challenging.
VanAllsburg brought out the last caution of the night
when he spun on the backstretch and this time the
restart was single file. VanZalen couldn’t catch
Wiersma again, though. Wiersma got the win and the
rest of the top ten were VanZalen, #8 Billy Eppink,
#55 Dave Lake, Anderson, #98 Bob Bliss, Spencer, #76
Warren Speet, #9 Justin Ryan and #77 Andrew Nylaan.
The ISMA SuperModifieds were the last
to run and #44 Bobby Haynes, Jr. and #9 Danny Lane
lead the field to the green flag for their 50 lap
feature. The cars were just coming around to take
their second lap when a wreck in turns 3 & 4 with
#21 Johnny Benson and #92 Larry Lehnert resulted
in the Benson car on fire. The fire was quickly
extinguished and after a red flag for clean up, the
race was restarted and #78 Mark Sammut swiftly
established himself as the leader. The #11 of Chris
Perley, who was going for his fifth win at Berlin
Raceway, had made his way up to third by lap 9 and
then took second on lap 14. The second caution came
out on lap 32, the #9 of Danny Lane spun on the
backstretch. This bunched the field back up, putting
Perley on Sammut’s bumper. It only took Perley four
laps to get around Sammut and once he was clear, he
took off and found himself in lapped traffic. The #41
of Mike Ordway, Jr. brought out the third caution of
the night when his machine stopped on the front
stretch. This set up a nine-lap shootout, but Sammut
was unable to do anything with Perley. Perley go the
win and the rest of the top ten were Sammut, #84 Mike
Lichty, #29 Russ Wood, Haynes, #35 Jeff Holbrook, #05
Jeff Abold, #97 Rob Summers, #5 Vern Romanoski and #95
Craig Rayvals.
Coming up at Berlin Raceway is the
2-day ASA Late Model Weekend. Starting with Friday,
June 19 presented by Kowalski will feature the Coors
Light Late Models running 75 laps, the Engine Pro
Super Stocks going 50 laps and the Young Guns. It’s
also $1.00 Beer & Hot Dogs night! Tickets are $10 for
adults and 12 & under are free. Pit passes for those
14 and over are $25. Stick around for Saturday when
the ASA Late Model North Series takes the track for
100 laps. Joining them will be the Kerkstra Services
Pro Stocks and Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinders; there
will also be a pre-race ASA autograph session. Tickets
will be $15 for adults and $5 for kids 6-12 with those
5 and under free. A 2-day package price is also
available for adults for just $20. Pit passes for
those 14 and over are $30 and a 2-day pit package is
$50. Racing on both nights start at 7:00 p.m. and for
more information, please visit
www.berlinraceway.com
.
Congratulations!
The JBFC would like to
congratulate Rick Anderson who won a
NASCAR 2008 winner's circle hat signed by Johnny and
to Norm Welch who won the JBFC helmet.
Congratulations, JB fans!
Brian Campbell wins Rowdy Busch 125
Over 5,000 fans were on hand to witness a thrilling
night at Berlin Raceway. Kelsey Steele scored her
second win of the season in the Young Guns division
while Scott Thomas got his first win of the season in
the Coors Light Late Models; winning the CRA Super
Series Rowdy Busch 125 was Brian Campbell.
The Young Guns took the track first;
#32 Gabe Ensing was slotted to start on the pole
position, but his wreck in the heat race took him out
of contention. #16 Kelsey Steele moved up to take
his space next to #19 Dalton Haney. From the drop of
the green flag, Steele took off with the lead and by
halfway, had put almost four seconds between herself
and Haney. Haney had his hands full with #6 Brandon
Hermiller who took second place from him on lap 11.
Hermiller began to catch Steele, but he ran out of
time. Steele got her second win of the season after
leading all of the laps and finishing behind her was
Hermiller, Haney, #18 Mitch Meppelink, #101 Lauren
Bush and Ensing.
The Coors Light Late Models were up
next for their 100-lap feature, #00 Ryan Meldrum and
#82 Tom Thomas were on the front row. T. Thomas was
the early leader and the first caution of the night
came out on lap 8; Meldrum spin in turn 2 after a
battle for second with the #19 of Nick Shotko. The
#12 of Tim DeVos and #10 of Johnny Benson were coming
to the front fast and by lap 24, leader Thomas began
lapping cars.
After a caution on lap 27, the double file restart
bunched the field back up. Before that lap was
completed, caution was out again; N. Shotko and #27
Billy Shotko spun while racing hard for second
place. Meanwhile the #28 of Scott Thomas was slowly
catching leader T. Thomas and on lap 55, using a
slower car as a pick, S. Thomas took the lead and let
T. Thomas fall in to DeVos’ clutches. DeVos overtook
T. Thomas on lap 66 while S. Thomas had stretched his
lead out to just over 3 seconds; just 10 cars remained
on the lead lap.
With 10 to go, DeVos was cutting in to S. Thomas’
lead, but he was unable to catch him. Scott Thomas
took his first win of the season in dominating
fashion, lapping all by 6 cars. The rest of the top
ten were DeVos, #32 Ross Meeuwsen, T. Thomas, #55
Chris Anthony, #10 Johnny Benson, #101 Joe
Bush, #1 Randy Sweet, #21 Terry VanHaitsma and N.
Shotko.
The finale of the night was the CRA
Super Series Rowdy Busch 125 and on the front were the
cars of #21 Terry VanHaitsma and #155 Chris Anthony.
Anthony took off with the lead and just as the field
started lap two, caution was out. An attempt at going
three-wide did not work and #51 Alec Carll, who was on
the outside, made contact with another car which sent
his machine into the wall and he slide on his side to
the middle of turns 1 and 2.
Once the cars were restarted, #23 Chris Koslek and #22
Chris Eggleston scooted past #51 Kyle Busch and they
went after VanHaitsma for second and the trio found
themselves entrenched in a battle on lap 18. Just two
laps later, caution was out for an incident involving
#2 Josh Slade and #90 Becca Kasten; this let the field
catch up to leader Anthony who was checking out.
Eggleston was all over VanHaitsma on the restart and
that let Anthony drive away from the field again.
Eggleston was on the move and had reeled in the leader
once he got past VanHaistma and he was challenging for
the lead on lap 50 and took it one lap later.
The cars settled in to a long green flag run and the
car to watch was the #20 of Brian Campbell. On lap
86, Campbell had made his way up to second by passing
#72 Scott Hantz on the outside at the start/finish
line. It didn’t take long for Campbell to catch and
passes Eggleston for the lead and then he started
pulling away from the field. The final caution of the
night happened with 10 laps to go, Hantz spun on the
backstretch. On the restart, the battle for fourth
got rowdy when VanHaitsma, Hantz and Busch went
three-wide in turn one and made it work. There was no
catching Campbell, though. He dominated the last part
of the race and won by 2.219 seconds. The rest of the
top ten were Koslek, Eggleston, VanHaitsma, Busch,
Hantz, VanDoorn, Kasten, Anthony and #37 Jordan Dahlke.
Up next at Berlin Raceway is the Open
Wheel Spectacular featuring the ISMA SuperModified
with Johnny Benson, Jr., USAC/WOMS Midgets and
the Engine Pro Super Stocks. Tickets are $18 for
adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and
under. Pit Passes are $30 for those 14 and over;
races start at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please
visit
www.berlinraceway.com.
Rowdy Busch 125 up Next for CRA Super Series
at Berlin Raceway
Kyle Busch & Johnny Benson Jr. to be on hand and
racing!
The Rowdy Busch 125
Presented By Auto Body Xperts CARSTAR at Berlin
Raceway in Marne, Michigan is the next CRA Super
Series event on the 2009 schedule on Wednesday, June
10th featuring NASCAR star Kyle Busch. The event will
be a CRA Super Series non-points 125 lap special event
that will pay $4000 to win and $500 to start.
"We look forward to
having CRA with this event," remarked Michael Blackmer,
the Promoter of Berlin Raceway. "The CRA events at
Berlin in the past have been great races. The Rowdy
Busch 125 will be another great show with NASCAR star
Kyle Busch competing against some of the best CRA
drivers and the great group of local talent that
always comes out to compete in these types of events!"
The Rowdy Busch 125
Presented By Auto Body Xperts CARSTAR will be the
eighth CRA Super Series event held at Berlin Raceway.
10-time Berlin Raceway Champion Fred Campbell has won
three of those events, the most of any driver. His son
Brian Campbell won the Boyne at Berlin 125 last
October. Other CRA winners at Berlin include three
time series Champion Scott Hantz, former Berlin
Champion Ross Meeuwsen and Tim Curry. The CRA Super
Series will return to Berlin Raceway on August 8th for
a 125-lap points event.
Former winners Brian
Campbell, Hantz and Curry top a list of talented
drivers entered for next Wednesday's event. Hantz and
John VanDoorn have each scored one victory apiece this
season with the CRA Super Series and are currently
tied for the series points lead. VanDoorn is looking
to get a CRA victory at his former home track after
strong showings in each of the series last two events
at Berlin. Other CRA regulars expected to compete
include multi-time series winner Boris Jurkovic, Adam
Purdy and Robert Maynor. Former series regular Zach
Taylor will be behind the wheel of the Tim Steele
owned machine, based out of near by Coopersville,
Michigan.
The Rowdy Busch 125
will have plenty of local Michigan talent racing in it
including Phil Bozell, Terry VanHaitsma, Casey
Berenbrock, Jay Carll, Chris Anthony, Chris Koslek,
Josh Slade, John Long, Jordan Dahlke, Seth Moody and
Keith Herp. Chris Eggleston from Erie, Colorado has
also entered. He was the most recent winner with the
ASA North Late Model Series at Grundy County Speedway,
he drives for the 5K Motorsports Team out of
Wisconsin.
There will be an open
practice on Tuesday, June 9th, pit gates open at 2pm
with practice going from 5 to 9pm. Busch will be
signing autographs in the pits on Tuesday night from
9:30pm until 10pm. Pit gates open on Wednesday, June
10th at 12noon, practice will begin at 2pm with
qualifying at 5pm. Busch will sign autographs on
Wednesday from 5:30pm until 6:30pm at the main
concourse. The race program will begin at 7pm and will
include the Rowdy Busch 125 Presented By Auto Body
Xperts CARSTAR along with the Berlin Outlaw Late
Models in the Tech Financial 100, featuring
NASCAR veteran Johnny Benson racing in that
event and the Berlin Young Guns in a special 20 lap
feature event.
More information on the Rowdy Busch 125 Presented By
Auto Body Xperts CARSTAR is available at
www.berlinraceway.com. More information on the CRA
Super Series is available at
www.craracing.net.
Don't Count Rideless Johnny Benson Out
By: Steve Kaminski
Driver seeking ride.
Has more than 15 years of NASCAR experience. Won two
championships and 18 races. Johnny Benson Jr. is
going to be OK. Work will find him, especially with a
resume like that.
"I'm going to be
racing," the Grand Rapids stock car driver said Monday
when asked about his next move. "I have a Late Model
race at Berlin Wednesday, then a Supermodified race at
Toledo Speedway Friday, and then I will be back to
Berlin Raceway Saturday for a Supermodified race
there.
"The fans back home are 100 percent supportive in
whatever I race, whether it's in the Truck or Late
Model. That's the real nice thing about coming home.
They always give me so much support."
Benson will race on
after finding out that his Red Horse Racing team had
closed its doors and parked his No. 1 Toyota Tundra
Truck because of lack of sponsorship.
That means the
defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion
is out of a ride as the circuit makes its way to
Michigan International Speedway for Saturday's race,
the ninth stop on the 25-race schedule.
Benson has been a
player on the NASCAR scene since he arrived in the
Busch Series (now Nationwide) in 1994 and won that
division's rookie of the year. He has won races in all
three of NASCAR's major ranks, and has won
championships in Busch and Trucks.
The news of Benson's
misfortune saddened me, because he deserves a shot at
defending his Trucks championship. But the fact he is
the defending champion also is the good news. That
will help his search for a ride someplace else.
My prediction:
Benson will be somewhere back in NASCAR, sooner rather
than later, and for two reasons.
First, Benson is a
tough, tough guy. Don't let that soft-spoken, nice
guy, professorial exterior fool you. Think Die Hard
II, when John McClain jumps out of a helicopter and
onto a moving plane. The reason? McClain says he hates
to lose.
That's Benson. He
hates to lose. Some of his biggest successes have
followed his most discouraging disappointments.
Benson left Jack
Roush Racing after two years of struggling in 1999. He
hopped in an unsponsored car and almost won the 2000
Daytona 500. Benson missed five races in 2002 after
busting his ribs, yet, he returned to win his first
and only Cup race that fall at Rockingham.
The Valvoline Racing
team released Benson after 2003. He joined Bill Davis
Racing the next year in a move that helped rejuvenate
his career, culminating with last year's Trucks
championship.
Second, Benson has
plenty of racing left in him. Some point out that he
will turn 46 this month. But we aren't talking about
an aging veteran who has lost his edge. He is coming
off a championship, which is proof enough that his
skills, desire and commitment are just fine.
It has been exciting
to watch Mark Martin do so well in the Sprint Cup
Series this year. Rick Hendrick gave the 50-year-old
veteran a ride, and Martin has responded with two
victories. I'm hoping Martin's success encourages
other car owners throughout NASCAR to give some of
these veterans a chance, instead of a hotshot kid who
looks good on television.
Other than two-time
Indy 500 winner Gordon Johncock, Benson has been the
most accomplished driver to come out Michigan.
And Benson isn't
done. A chapter closed Monday for Benson, but not the
book.
Disbanding of #1 Team
By: Scene Daily
NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series driver Johnny Benson and crew chief Trip
Bruce weren’t happy to learn they were being released
by Red Horse Racing as part of team majority owner Tom
DeLoach’s decision to shut down the organization’s No.
1 Truck team. Nor was the pair totally surprised when
DeLoach announced on Monday morning that the team was
suspending operations because of a lack of sponsorship
on Benson’s truck.
What Benson and
Bruce don’t quite understand, however, is why DeLoach
disbanded their group and chose to keep the
organization’s other team, the No. 11 group of driver
T.J. Bell, intact.
In addition to being
higher in points, Benson is also the defending series
champion, having won the 2008 title at Bill Davis
Racing, where he spent two years with Bruce atop his
pit box. The two moved to Red Horse together in the
offseason after Triad Racing Technologies bought BDR
and decided not to field a Truck team.
“The 11 is running
without a sponsor and so are we, so, yeah, a bit of a
shock, but that’s OK,” Benson said in a phone
interview with SceneDaily.com Monday. “It’s his (DeLoach’s)
race team. He’s going to do what he wants.”
DeLoach, a retired
Mobil Oil executive who founded Red Horse Racing in
2005 along with co-owner Jeff Hammond, brought Benson
and Bruce over to Red Horse as a package deal for the
organization’s new No. 1 team in 2009. After initial
talks of running only a partial schedule, the team had
planned to run the full season and compete for the
series championship.
“Tom had talked a
good deal about trying to bring us over there,” said
Benson, a winner of 14 races in NASCAR’s No. 3 series.
“He’s the one that came over and courted us to come
over there to try to help out and make a
championship-contender race team. It was plans in the
making; he just changed his mind on moving forward,
and I’m sure sponsorship had a lot to do with it.
“I find it hard to
believe there’s a lot of teams out there getting
sponsorship and things of this nature and us not being
able to get one, being the defending champions, so
that lies back in his hands.”
A car chief, shock
specialist and two body hangers were also let go when
the team suspended operations, Bruce said.
“We were told it was
a lack of sponsorship. He was just going to shut it
down and fire me and Johnny and the core of our group,
so he did, and that’s about all I know,” Bruce said of
DeLoach. “I just walked out. … I work in a forward
pace, and that’s tough for some people. Everybody
wants to win, but some people don’t really want to win
that bad, you know, and it’s tough. I don’t know. It
may have been overwhelming for him - what it actually
takes to win.”
Benson and Bruce had
been pretty pleased with how their season had been
going over the first eight races.
Despite being
seventh in points, Benson was just 155 points out of
the lead. And the Grand Rapids, Mich., native was
coming off a fourth-place finish last weekend at Texas
Motor Speedway.
Bell has one top-10
to Benson’s four and is 20th in the standings.
“I don’t know if
anybody realizes it at Red Horse or not, but I don’t
pay attention to those points, but there was an
opportunity to put a back-to-back drivers championship
together - at the least,” Bruce said Monday. “… That
opportunity was there for that, and it’s not anymore
as of a few hours ago, so I don’t understand that
part. That’s a little confusing. You take the worst of
two performing teams, and you get rid of the good
one.”
Benson, who says he
had a three-year contract with Red Horse, says he
hopes to land another ride - possibly even with Bruce
as his crew chief again. Where Benson might drive
next, though, he doesn’t know.
He doesn’t expect to
compete in Saturday’s Truck race at Michigan.
“Seeing I just found
out about this, I haven’t a clue yet,” he said. “I
don’t have my own truck, so I would dare have to say
probably not unless somebody else is fired.”
RHR Suspends Operation of #1 Team
Red Horse Racing regretfully announces the closure of
the #1 Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Benson. The
decision is effective immediately.
Red Horse Racing
worked to secure sponsorship for the #1 team since
last December but has been unsuccessful in doing so.
“It hasn’t been for a
lack of effort,” says Team Owner, Tom DeLoach. “We had
several people working on finding a sponsor for the #1
and Johnny Benson. I’ve been working on it myself. We
gave it our best shot, and we tried as long as we
could, but nothing materialized. I am saddened that we
were unsuccessful in accomplishing our goal but this
is a tough economic climate and the cost of fielding a
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team with
essentially no support other than our manufacturer is
too much for Red Horse Racing to bear alone.”
Sponsorship for
Benson was thought to be secure before the season
began but the economic downturn kept that sponsor from
being able to participate with Red Horse Racing.
Benson has competed
in eight events behind the wheel of the #1. He and the
team have earned four top-10 finishes including a
fourth place finish at Texas Motor Speedway this past
weekend.
Red Horse Racing will
continue to field the #11 Toyota Tundra, driven by TJ
Bell, as that truck does have some support.
Truck Team's Inability to Land
Sponsor A Little Disheartening' to Grand Rapids'
Johnny Benson
By: Steve Kaminski
No one has to tell Johnny Benson Jr. of Grand Rapids
how tough these economic times are.
Benson is the
defending NASCAR Camping World Trucks champion, but
the plain white No. 1 Toyota truck he drove during the
season's first eight races has served as a reminder
that finding sponsorship is difficult even for drivers
with the most impressive of resumes.
Still, Benson said
Monday he was a little surprised when he learned his
Red Horse Racing team was shutting down due to lack of
sponsorship.
"Part of me was
(surprised)," said Benson, 45. "We have had
discussions about this before, and we were told that
(lack of a sponsor) was not going to be a problem.
Apparently, it is. But we have had this before, and we
are actively looking for something else. We will mosey
on and try to figure out what is next.
"This is not a good
situation for anyone involved. It's not good for the
owner and it's not good for the driver. It's just one
of those deals."
Benson said he will
still compete this week in a pair of races at his home
track, Berlin Raceway in Marne.
Benson is scheduled
to race in Wednesday night's Late Model race, which
will run in conjunction with the Rowdy Busch 125,
featuring NASCAR star Kyle Busch. In addition, he will
return to compete in Saturday's International
Supermodified Association (ISMA) race. He also will
race in an ISMA race at Toledo Speedway on Friday.
However, Benson will
have to find something fast if he is to enter
Saturday's Camping World TruckS race at Michigan
International Speedway. Benson is seventh in the
series points standings, and he is coming off a
fourth-place finish in Saturday's race at Texas Motor
Speedway.
"This is a little
disheartening to see this happen because we wanted to
help build a championship team," said Benson, a 1981
Forest Hills Northern High School graduate.
Red Horse Racing has
been searching for a sponsor for months, but owner Tom
DeLoach reported that the economic climate has made
the search challenging.
"It hasn't been for
a lack of effort," DeLoach said in a statement. "We
had several people working on finding a sponsor for
the No. 1 and Johnny Benson. I've been working on it
myself.
"We gave it our best
shot, and we tried as long as we could, but nothing
materialized. I am saddened that we were unsuccessful
in accomplishing our goal but this is a tough economic
climate and the cost of fielding a NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series team with essentially no support
other than our manufacturer is too much for Red Horse
Racing to bear alone."
Benson and Greg
Biffle are the only drivers in NASCAR history to earn
championships in the Busch (now Nationwide) and Trucks
divisions. Benson won a Busch title in 1995 before
capturing the Truck championship with Bill Davis
Racing a year ago. BDR closed its doors last fall
after Benson won the title.
Benson won the 1989
Berlin Late Model championship, which helped launch
his career. He also won the 1993 AC Delco Challenge
Series American Speed Association championship, and he
was the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year.
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