Benson's Busy Week Includes Stops
at Berlin Raceway
By: Steve Kaminski
The week of June 8
will be busy for Johnny Benson Jr., since he hopes to
compete in four races in a four-day span. The
biggest of the four might be the one that takes him
from Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn to
Berlin Raceway in Marne the afternoon of June 13.
Benson, of Grand
Rapids, returned to Berlin on Tuesday afternoon for a
test session before jumping on a plane for Dover, Del.
Benson, the defending NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series champion, races at Dover International Speedway
on Friday.
Benson said he plans
to race in the Truck race at MIS at 1:30 p.m. on June
13, then head over to Berlin for the 7 p.m. Open Wheel
Spectacular. Benson plans to race his homemade
Supermodified in the International Supermodified
Association sanctioned race that evening.
Just how does Benson
plan to get from MIS to Berlin, which is about a 2
1/2-hour drive? "I haven't got that figured out
yet. But we are working on it," he said. "I could
drive it, but that might put me a little bit behind. I
don't know, maybe I will fly over. I'm still working
on that part of it.
"If we get delayed
there for any reason, that will be the kick part. But
with TV, they always start on time. The only question
is, if there is weather. As long as the race goes
smooth for everybody, we should be able to get out of
there in pretty good shape."
Benson, 45, hopes to
race twice in June at Berlin. The track will
host a June 10 midweek special, a CRA Super Series
race featuring NASCAR star Kyle Busch. The track
also will host a Late Model program that night, which
Benson plans to enter.
Also, he plans to
race his Supermodified in an ISMA race at Toledo
Speedway the evening of June 12. "It is going to
be a busy week, but it's a fun week because I get to
go home and go out to the races," he said.
Benson is seventh in
the Camping World point standings heading into Dover.
The green flag will drop at 5 p.m., but the race will
air at 8 p.m. on Speed Channel.
He plans to enter
eight ISMA races this season, including last weekend's
race at Waterford Speedbowl in Waterford, Conn.
Benson was second quickest in qualifying and running
in the top five when he dropped out due to mechanical
failure. "I thought I passed a guy for fourth,
and then it quit running," Benson said.
"I'm not sure why. I
don't know if it was electrical or an ignition box or
something. Those are the bugs we are trying to work
out before we get to Berlin.
"These cars are so
different, and they are so fast. Really, they only run
a second or a second-and-a-half faster than the Late
Models here, but the g-forces are so high. Even though
most of the races are 50-lap races, it's tough to
breathe at the end with the aspect of trying to deal
with the centrifugal force."
Tire Problems Ruin Dover Race
By: Allen Madding
Early in the running of the AAA Insurance 200 at
Dover, pole sitter Ron Hornaday experienced a tire
failure and sustained significant damage which
virtually eliminated the points leader from the event
less than 40 laps into the race. Hornaday returned to
the race with less than 30 laps left in the event but
was unable to stay out. Hornaday finished 26th in the
event - 157 laps down to the leader. NASCAR’s John
Darby and Goodyear representatives quickly inspected
the tire as all three of NASCAR’s top divisions were
running the same tire at Dover. The tire did not show
indications of a failure due to too much camber as the
tire showed very even wear across the tread. Goodyear
did not offer an explanation for the failure.
On lap 77, James
Buescher developed a vibration. As Buescher was trying
to decide what to do regarding the vibration, a
caution came out. As Buescher crossed the start finish
line to acknowledge the yellow and waiting for the
pits to open, the right front tire on the No. 10
Maxxforce.com Ford exploded and tore the right front
fender off the truck. Fortunately for Buescher, he was
not at full speed.
Over the course of
the day, a pattern developed – tires began failing
after 27 laps and the failures were typically right
side tires. Teams became quite concerned and
contemplated pitting every 25 laps but could not do
that with the tire limits imposed by NASCAR. Crew
Chiefs petitioned NASCAR for assistance, and NASCAR
responded by allowing one extra set of tires for each
team.
Race leader Kyle
Busch and the second place truck of Colin Braun
suffered tire failures almost simultaneously with 17
laps left in the 200-lap event. Busch rallied to a 9th
place finish while Braun finished 22nd.
When the yellow
waved for the tire problems encountered by Busch and
Braun, Brian Scott and Dennis Setzer elected to roll
the dice. When all the other teams hit pit road to
replace right side tires during the yellow, Scott and
Setzer stayed out. Brian Scott went on to win the
event, his first win of his career in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series.
The event left a
number of drivers and crew chiefs with unanswered
questions to the cause of the tire failures seen over
the course of the day. Some pointed to the fact that
rain had washed all the rubber off the track and the
concrete surface is quite abrasive. The NASCAR
Nationwide Series did not see as many tire failures as
the NASCAR Camping World Series encountered. NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series crew chiefs were quite concerned but
likewise did not see as many failures as the Truck
Series had.
With the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series,
and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series all utilizing the same
compounds over the weekend, it seemed quite peculiar
that the Truck Series had so many tire failures in
such short runs. It also causes one to wonder how this
year's Brickyard 400 will compare to last year's tire
fiasco at the Brickyard.
Spot Light On ...
|
Russ
|
Russ works for
Johnny on a daily basis. He drives and
maintains the motorcoach. You can find Russ
working hard on Johnny's super modified and late
model. June is going to be a busy month for
Russ especially the week of June 10 - June 13th.
|
Memphis Truck Race
Lands Sponsor:
After lacking a
title sponsor for much of the year, June's NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series race at Memphis Motorsports
Park has a new identity: the MemphisTravel.com 200
presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts. The Memphis
Convention and Visitors Bureau takes over the title
sponsorship of the race, which is an extension of a
longtime partnership between the track and the bureau.
CVB president Kevin Kane said NASCAR racing in Memphis
is a great vehicle to promote the city as a tourist
destination. O'Reilly had been the title sponsor of
the Memphis Truck race since 2002, but reduced its
race sponsorships across the board after signing on as
the official auto parts store of NASCAR.
Copart to
Sponsor Milwaukee Mile Event
The Milwaukee
Mile is pleased to announce Copart, an online vehicle
remarketing company that sells more than 1 million
cars per year, has been named entitlement sponsor of
the speedway's Friday night, June 19 Copart 200 NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event. The Copart
200, as the event will be called, is an extension of
Copart's involvement in NASCAR, specifically with the
Truck Series teams of Germain Racing with driver Todd
Bodine and Kevin Harvick Inc. with driver Ron Hornaday
for a set amount of races this season. This is the
first time Copart will be a NASCAR event entitlement
sponsor.
Dover
Tire management was the priority
of the Truck race in Dover. After leading 23
laps in the middle stages of the race, Johnny fell
victim to a tire issue. The tire gave away and
damaged the front end of the #1 Toyota Tundra.
An engine issue at the end forced Johnny to retire
giving him a 20th place finish. Brian Scott won
his 1st Truck race followed by Dennis Setzer, David
Starr, Jason White and Johnny Sauter.
Race - Postponed
A persistent shower and lack
of lights washed out the Truck Series race at Dover on
Friday, moving it to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. Ron
Hornaday will start from the pole.
Drivers / Teams Support Autism
Teams in all three series to
sport Autism Speaks logo during race weekend at Dover:
Since the title of the Sunday, May 31, 2009 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway
was announced, the NASCAR community has come together
to offer their support for a great cause. Drivers and
teams in all three of NASCAR's national series have
answered the call to sport the Autism Speaks blue
puzzle piece logo on their vehicles as a sign of
support for the nation's leading autism science and
advocacy organization. Participating drivers and teams
include:
*Johnny Benson, #1 Toyota Tundra
*Max Papis, #9 GEICO Toyota Tundra
*TJ Bell, #11 VisitPIT.com Toyota Tundra
*James Buescher, #10 International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150
*Rick Crawford, #14 International Truck & Engines Ford F-150
*Brian Scott, #16 Albertsons Toyota Tundra
*David Starr, #24 Autism Speaks/ HT Motorsports Toyota Tundra
*Terry Cook, #25 Cajun Industries Toyota Tundra
*Todd Bodine, #30 Copart Toyota Tundra
*HT Motorsports Toyota in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,
have taken their support to the next level. David
Starr's Toyota Tundra will sport Autism Speaks'
signature puzzle piece logo, "It's time to listen,"
phrase and website address AutismSpeaks.org on their
quarter panels. Starr will also feature the same
messaging proudly on his hood.
Autographs at Dover
Red Horse Racing's Johnny Benson and
T.J. Bell will sign autographs for ticket-holders to
the AAA Insurance 200 Camping World Truck Series race
as Dover International Speedway prepares to host its
10th race in the series on May 29.
The drivers will sign the autographs at the Victory
Plaza stage, near the Monster Monument, from 11:45
a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on race day. For more
information or tickets, call 800-441-RACE or visit
DoverSpeedway.com.
Race
Director's Perspective
By: Wayne Auton
“As we get ready to
head north this weekend for the AAA Insurance 200 at
Dover International Speedway, several things come to
mind when I think of Dover. The first thing is fast,
fast, fast.
“This track can be very
unpredictable because of the high banks and the high
speeds, which can lead to a self-cleaning race track.
The concrete surface also provides an added challenge
that the competitors don’t normally see at some other
tracks.
“The action really heats up at this
time of the year. Last year’s race was the third in a
row for first-time winners which is a record in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. 2008 rookie
contender Scott Speed captured his first win and there
is a good chance we could see a rookie grab the
checkers again this year.
“The biggest obstacle all the
competitors will be facing this weekend at Dover will
be the new pit road. Getting on pit road and down to
pit road speed could be the catalyst to some doing
well and some not doing so well.
ISMA Racing
Last year Johnny Benson Jr. was extremely busy most
race weekends as he pursued a NASCAR Craftsman (now
Camping World) Truck championship. But, he did
manage to eke out some time
to compete in the winged supermodifieds, which are his
second love. This year he has announced that he’ll be
hitting the ISMA trail on eight occasions due to less
schedule conflicts between the two series. His first
appearance in his new 21 will be at Waterford
Speedbowl Saturday, May 23rd.
While the two divisions he will compete in are like
night and day, Benson’s affinity to the powerful
supermodifieds comes naturally. Benson's father is a
former supermodified champion and was the winner of
the 1966 Classic at Oswego Speedway. Prior to his
limited number of runs in the Lichty car in the past
few seasons, Benson had no prior open wheel
experience, but he indicated in a past interview that
he loves racing in the ISMA supermodified division.
"It's a lot of fun racing with the ISMA guys," says
Benson. "There's no mirrors and no spotters, and its
good, clean racing. Each car is unique and there
aren't a lot of rules for the cars compared to what
I'm running in weekly now, so it's a lot of fun. I've
never driven an open wheel car before this and now
I've spent enough time in one of these cars to say I
had to put my own car together."
Benson’s own car was debuted at Berlin Raceway which
one might call his “stomping grounds” last September.
It carries the number 21, which his father’s car
carried back decades ago. While Johnny had a limited
feature run due to new car “bugs”, the car looked to
be a potential winner right out of the box.
Benson's career accomplishments include winning the
1993 American Speed Association championship, the 1995
NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, and the 1996
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Rookie of the Year title.
Benson has one career Nextel Cup Series victory,
coming in the 2002 fall race at Rockingham. Benson
nearly won the 2000 Daytona 500, losing the lead to
eventual winner Dale Jarrett on lap-196 of 200. Benson
is one of 17 different drivers to have won a race in
the Nextel Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, and the
NASCAR Truck Series.
Heading into the newly named 2009 Camping World Truck
Series competition, Benson is currently 5th in points
as he heads into Charlotte. He’s driving the Red Horse
Racing number 1 truck with crew chief Trip Bruce.
While Benson is already on race number 5 of the
25-race Camping World series, he’s also looking
forward to the ISMA opener on Waterford and the seven
other shows he plans on making in 2009. And, you can
bet he’ll be looking to be a winner in this division
too!
Happy Memorial Day
Johnny Benson on a Steady Climb
Johnny Benson
(#1 Toyota) has been on a steady climb, digging out
from being back in the points following Daytona. After
a disappointing 26th-place finish in the season
opener, his results have improved with each race.
Benson, the reigning series
champion, made the move to Red Horse Racing at the end
of last year, not really knowing what was ahead. While
some members of his former team joined him, there was
a lot of work to be done and all the adjustments that
come with being with a new team.
The hard work and determination is
showing and has Benson right where he was at this
point last year. Sitting fifth in points, he
heads to Lowe's with his focus on his team's continual
climb. "We're excited to be fifth in the points,
especially considering the problems we had at
Daytona," said Benson. "Finishing 26th was a big blow
to us but it really says something about this team, to
be able to battle back to the fifth spot just five
races later. We're really happy with where we
are now and will focus on climbing even more spots in
the coming weeks."
Remember When - 1996 ....
It's 1996 and the future is looking
bright for Johnny as he moves up from the BUSCH series
to the Winston Cup Series. He joined Bahari
Racing and drove for the late Chuck Rider.
For the complete glimpse down memory lane -
click here
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Doug Hewitt and Johnny
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The Shop |
Posing with team after
receiving his award |
Radio Check
By: JBFC
|
There are so many things that need to go right in
order to visit victory lane. One major item
is radio communication. Without it, the
driver and teams need to resort to hand signals
and white boards. Radios are kept charged
and the radio company - such as Racing Electronics
have staff on site to tend to the driver and team
needs. |
Racing Electronics Rep
checking with Trip to make
sure the radios are working |
Truck Series Planted in North
Carolina
By: Jayski
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series didn't appear at
Lowe's Motor Speedway until 2003. The May 15 North
Carolina Education Lottery 200 marks the seventh time
the series has visited the 1.5-mile facility.
North Carolina, however, was among 11 states hosting
events during the series' 1995 inaugural schedule of
20 races.
The famed but now long-shuttered
North Wilkesboro Speedway, a .625-mile short track,
held not one but two races before closing its gates
for good in 1996. Of note, the Sept. 28, 1996 Lowe's
Home Improvement Warehouse 250 was the next-to-final
race held at the historic track.
North Wilkesboro produced several
series milestones. Mike Bliss (#40 Chevrolet), who
would become the 2002 champion after a brief NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series stint with A.J. Foyt, scored his
first series victory in 1995. His crew chief — also a
first-time winner — was Junior Johnson protégé Barry
Dodson. The victory was the first of 36 for 2005 owner
champion Jim Smith, a member of the off-road group
which conceptualized the NCWTS.
|
The 1996 race was noteworthy on a
couple of fronts. Johnny Benson, the 2008 NCWTS
champion, captured his first pole, although it took
nearly 18 hours to make the lap official. Qualifying
began on Friday and concluded on Saturday. Had time
trials been washed out, Benson would have lost
the pole and a spot in the race. |
Photo: JBFC |
The North Wilkesboro race itself
was a snapshot of series competition to come. Mark
Martin's victory was the first of 49 for Roush Fenway
Racing, a team that's participated in every NCWTS race
since late 1995 and won the 2000 championship with
Greg Biffle.
Building Momentum from Kansas
By: Jayski
Ron Hornaday Jr.,
Johnny Benson (#11 Red Horse Racing Toyota) and Brian
Scott (#16 Albertsons Toyota) all used this past
weekend at Kansas to build some early-season momentum
in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
 |
 |
Engine Builder Joey
Arrington and Trip
Photo: JBFC |
Waiting to get
through Tech line
Photo: JBFC |
Hornaday finished in the top five at Kansas, moving
him into second in the standings after posting his
third top five and fifth top 10 of the season.
Benson's second top five and third top 10 of the
season boosted him into fifth in the series standings.
Johnny's Super Mod
Photo By: JB
May 15th - NASCAR Day
The NASCAR day is fast approaching ...
On NASCAR Day, fans,
companies, schools, governments and many others around
the nation show their unity and compassion as members
of the NASCAR Family. They are encouraged to wear a
special NASCAR Day lapel pin, purchased to show
support for the charities of The NASCAR Foundation.
The JBFC is
supporting the NASCAR Competition department in their
quest to raise money and awareness for these
charities. You can help support The NASCAR
Foundation and the causes it supports with your
minimum $5 donation. Please contact them to receive
your collectible 2009 NASCAR Day pin. For
details -
Click here
Please let the JBFC
know that you have made a donation and we will put you
on the wall of fame on the JBFC website along with
entering a drawing for a JBFC helmet!
Happy Mother's Day
Judy and Johnny
The JBFC would like to
wish all of the mothers a "Happy Mother's Day"
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