APRIL NEWS
Website
Over the past month,
johnnybenson.com has gone through cosmetic
changes and the elimination of the JBFC
message board. As Johnny transitions in
his racing career, changes have also occurred
with the JBFC. Last year, the fan club
newsletter was put on hold since Johnny did
not have a full time ride.
The message board was a freestanding
enhancement to this site at an additional
cost. Due to the increased cost and the
lack of participation, this enhancement
was eliminated.
We are currently in the process if
investigating other options of social media to
keep you informed. I appreciate your
understanding and patience as we work through
this process. For those JB fans who were
enrolled in the fan club, you understand that
I do not like to commit, unless we can
deliver.
For those fans who have hung in
there and continued to visit this site, we
have a contest for you! Prize: The
2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Awards
Banquet Program - 2008. This program was
at every table at the 2008 Banquet at the
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on
November 17, 2008. All you need to do is
send your name, address and phone number to:
support@johnnybenson.com
Deadline: Saturday, April
23rd.
Again ... Thank you for
your support of Johnny! We appreciate
it!
Barb Benson
SportsNation Chat with
Johnny
Welcome to SportsNation! Last
Monday, NASCAR Now analyst Johnny Benson will
stop by to chat about this year's season.
Benson is a veteran on the track, having won
the 1995 Busch Series championship as well as
the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series championship.
In addition, he also won the 1996 NASCAR
Winston Cup Rookie of the Year.
Timo (San Diego) Is
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s biggest hurdle the
actual driving or is it in his head? Is it
mostly mental?
It's probably a combination
of confidence and getting the cars to go
their way. This was a great race for Junior
and as most drivers say, the opportunity to
win a race is big and he had it. He just
didn't finish it off right there at the end.
Just having the opportunity is what you are
looking for first.
Kevin Lee (Dallas, TX)
Who has been more
impressive this season ... Harvick or
Junior? Is three top 10s a bigger deal than
two wins?
Probably Harvick's two wins
at this point. It's very hard to win these
races to begin with and he has only led 7
laps in the two wins. That's very impressive
to get in position and then being able to
close it out and win it.
Charlie Tennison (Orlando, FL) Were
you rooting for Junior to win like most of
us?
As anything else, us racers
will ask how good of a race it was. And it
was a great race. Did I want him to win?
Sure. It would have been great. It would
have taken some pressure off of him and I
would have liked to have seen that happen.
Michael J. (Baltimore)
How would you rank
your top 3 drivers right now? You
have to put Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick
right there. They are the two that you see
that are jus always in the thick of winning
races. Kyle Busch is also right there. He
has been dominating he just hasn't been
winning the races.
Jason (Charlotte) What is the
biggest issue facing NASCAR right now in
your opinion? I think just the
economy. Dealing with having the three and
four night minimum stays at hotels, gas
prices, etc. It's a big challenge for the
fans. NASCAR itself doesn't really have one
outstanding issue.
Jeremy Dalton (Tennessee) How
much do NASCAR drivers argue over money with
their team owners? We're all seeing what's
going on in the NFL and possibly NBA ...
curious what that dynamic is like in racing.
Is it pretty easy to divvy up the purse.
Most drivers have contracts as far as
a set salary and then percentages of wins.
It's pretty black and white for the drivers.
There isn't a whole lot of problems there.
Mack (TX) Johnny, who's your favorite
for the Chase this season? Out
of just one guy it's so hard to say. The
three drivers I mentioned earlier certainly
have a great shot. It's hard to pick anyone
else at this point.
Tracy (CT) Hi Johnny! What did
you think about a Truck regular finally
winning one? Great! There are
times I have run with all the guys there and
was able to win some races but to go in
there and pass with a couple laps to go it
was just a great race to watch for sure.
Bob (OH) What's your take on
Kevin Harvick? He seems to be racing at the
top of his game. If you go
back and look at last year he was very good
all the way up into the Chase. This year he
really hasn't done anything differently. He
may be a little ahead of last year but he
has been consistent for quite some time now.
It' just when it gets to the Chase can he
hold onto that consistency.
Ryan (Reynoldsburg,Ohio) Does
Danica have what it takes to overtime become
a top 10 cup driver? Those
questions are hard to answer. She does have
some talent but in the same breathe I'm not
sure she is ready for the Cup yet. I think
it is too early for me to make that comment.
I just think she needs more time in
Nationwide.
MIke (Texas) Are you watching any
baseball?
I'm am watching
a little bit of college basketball! I'm an
"at the end of the year" guy when it comes
to baseball and football and basketball. I
watch the championships in other sports but
mostly I'm all racing!
Thanks for the questions! I'm sure in the
future I'll be doing more chats so I look
forward to talking to you again!
Benson Talks About Coaching
Danica
By: jrmracing.com
Just because
you haven’t seen Johnny Benson around the
track in a while, doesn’t mean he’s not still
actively involved the sport he loves. In
fact, when JR Motorsports Co-Owner Tony Eury
Jr. was looking for a driver coach for Danica
Patrick, he picked up the phone and dialed
Benson. A 47-year-old native of Grand Rapids,
Mich., Benson is a proven NASCAR veteran with
two championships and 18 career victories
across its top-three series.
“Tony Jr.
left me a message to give him a call,” said
Benson, who owns over 500 NASCAR starts. “I
did, and we talked about me coming down to
Daytona to meet up with Danica and see if
there’s anything I can do to help her out.
Tony said he just really wanted to work on the
car, and it was awful hard for him to do
both. I’ve always admired Tony Jr. and Tony
Sr., and everything they’ve done, so I was
more than happy to go down and meet with
them.”
“It’s one of
those things,” Eury Jr. added. “Even though I
enjoy coaching Danica and setting the car up,
my priority needs to be focused on getting the
car just right. Johnny was able to come in
here and purely focus on coaching her, leaving
me to do what I need on the racecar.”
Benson’s
mentoring of Patrick isn’t the first time he’s
served in that capacity. A year ago he was
coaching Trevor Bayne, the reigning Daytona
500 Champion. Benson sat down with
JRMracing.com following the Bristol race and
spoke about what he’s seen during his
four-race stint with Patrick and the No. 7 Go
Daddy team.
JRMracing.com: Take us through Danica’s
progression from Daytona earlier this year to
her run at Bristol last weekend?
Benson: “It’s
been good. First, I’ve got to say, I think
she’s got herself in a great program with JR
Motorsports. It’s a top-notch deal, great
equipment. The (No. 7 crew) guys work very
well together. They do an outstanding job.
The racecars look great. Obviously, the
performance of the cars is very good. I enjoy
that aspect of it.
“In four
races with her, I saw an improvement with her
on the track, with our communication, and also
with her really trying to see what these cars
need (to go fast). Even though there are
certain areas that she doesn’t like, she’s
done a good job trying to deal with some of
the things it takes to run these Nationwide
cars.”
JRMracing.com: Bristol was obviously a big
challenge for Danica. Tell us how the weekend
went for you?
Benson: “I
think Bristol was actually the best mood I’ve
seen her in, (as far as) really wanting to
learn and attack the track. She had never
been on anything like that and had nothing to
compare it to. In some cases that’s a
positive. For her never being there and never
testing, the way she ran the track and the way
she got used to the track was impressive. I
kept telling her, ‘you’ve got to run these
things free’, and that’s an area that all
open-wheel people struggle with. She’s trying
to get over that. I’ve seen the improvement
through the first two races this season to the
second two.”
JRMracing.com: What does Danica need to
improve on the most?
Benson: “I’m
going to (reference) practice. When she
leaves pit road to get on the racetrack that
very first lap, it’s difficult in these cars
because you’ve got to get going on your
initial lap. With these cars being on the
coil bind system, you’ve really got to be up
to speed to understand and feel the changes.
When they come in (from practice), make a
change and send her back out, she should run
within .200 seconds of that first lap. She’s
not there yet. I don’t know if it’s just
confidence to get that first lap. I’m sure
she can do that in IndyCar, and if she spends
enough time in stock cars she’ll be able to do
that also. We’ve worked on that and she has
made really good gains there, but there is
still more to be made. I understand her
cautiousness going into these tracks. That’s
an area where she has been improving, but
there needs to be another stride.”
JRMracing.com: In what area has Danica
impressed you the most?
Benson: “What
most impressed me is that when she was able to
find a groove she wanted to run in, she would
hit it exactly (right) every lap. I’ve seen a
lot of drivers that can’t do that. So that
being the positive side, she’s able to hit the
same groove lap after lap. That helps because
when you do make a change, you have to go out
there and run the same groove so you
understand what the change was. That part I
was impressed with. She’ll run that line
constantly and consistently.”
JRMracing.com: What do you do when you’re not
at the racetrack these days?
Benson: “I
build Outlaw Late Models for asphalt. I mess
with those cars and race them up at my home
track at Berlin Raceway and Kalamazoo
Speedway. I mess around with super modifieds.
Those are a couple things I mess with on the
side. Here at my shop, I build cars for
customers up in Michigan and the Ohio area.
Not a lot of them, but for the serious racers
that want to go fast.”
