General Motors to remove support of
the Pontiac
The following
is #10 Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny Benson's reaction to
today's announcement that General Motors will consolidate
its resources in NASCAR to exclusively support the Chevrolet
Monte Carlo in 2004.Benson
drove Pontiacs at Bahari' Racing in 1996 and 1997 and has
driven Pontiacs since the 2000 season. Benson won Rockingham
last October in a Pontiac. Benson was in Homestead, Fla
today tire testing when he made the following comments.
"This is a surprise. I have driven a
Pontiac in all but two seasons since I started in '95. I
might have driven the most races of anyone in a Pontiac in
recent years. Obviously, I have mixed emotions hearing this
news. I guess it is disappointing we are going to lose a car
in the series.
If General Motors isn't going to
support the Pontiac next season then I doubt you will see
too many teams running Pontiacs. I would guess that most of
the Pontiac teams will switch to Chevrolets and I hope GM
continues to support them the way they did when they were
running Pontiacs.
You know we heard some rumors at the
beginning of the season about Pontiac not continuing. But, I
don't think anyone would have guessed that it would come
this soon. I suspected they would eventually throw all their
support behind the Monte Carlo but I figured it would be in
a few years. The Pontiac was a good make. I think they were
always just a touch behind, not a lot behind the Monte Carlo
and others. But it was a good car and it was a pleasure to
drive for them."
GM Strengthens Chevrolet NASCAR
Program in 2004;
No Pontiac Support:
Following the end of the 2003 NASCAR season, GM will
consolidate its resources in NASCAR to exclusively support
the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and further advance and solidify
the dominant position enjoyed by Chevrolet in this series.
"GM Racing will focus its 2004 NASCAR program on the
Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and will no longer race or support
the Pontiac Grand Prix race car," said Doug Duchardt,
director of GM Racing. "This transition will enable GM
Racing to strengthen its Chevy Nextel Cup program and, at
the same time, work with Pontiac on its future racing
plans."
"Given Pontiac's long association with NASCAR and our many
great accomplishments over the years, the decision to
withdraw from NASCAR was not an easy one," said Lynn
Myers, general manager of Pontiac-GMC. "Consistent with GM
efforts to focus its racing programs, Chevrolet will carry
the NASCAR banner while Pontiac can now devote resources to
developing future racing and marketing programs consistent
with our new performance products, including the GTO, Grand
Prix Comp G, G6 and the GXP performance series. We are proud
of our racing accomplishments and we recognize that it is a
powerful engineering, people development and marketing tool.
Pontiac is investigating new opportunities to highlight the
performance of our vehicles on the track."
Coming into the 2003 season, the Pontiac Grand Prix won two
of the past three NASCAR Winston Cup drivers' championships:
Bobby Labonte in 2000, and Tony Stewart in '02. Chevrolet
has an ongoing record of dominance in NASCAR's modern era.
Chevrolet has won 23 of the last 31 NASCAR Winston Cup
manufacturers' championships including the 2003 title with
10 different drivers capturing 17 wins in 33 races so far
this year. Through 2003 in the NASCAR Busch Series and
Craftsman Truck series, Chevrolet has won 10 of 13, and five
of nine NASCAR manufacturers' titles respectively. With 2003
drivers' titles still to be determined in both series,
Chevrolet has won 11 of 21 in Busch and seven of eight in
Craftsman Truck.(GM PR)
|
|
Victory Lane
Milwaukee
June 20, 2008
Miami
November 16, 2007
Gateway
September 1, 2007
Bristol
August 22, 2007
Milwaukee
June 22, 2007
Berger
Chevrolet
Check Out
Berlin Raceway
Results
Berlin Raceway
Racing Broadcast on 92.5 - The Outlaw
Click Here
to listen on
the web
Berlin Raceway
Hall of Fame
John Benson Sr.
Harry Obie
Bob Knight
Gail Cobb
Ralph Baker
Jimmy Meyer
The Mysliwiec's
 |
|
2008
Craftsman Truck Schedule
|
02/15 |
Daytona |
|
02/23 |
California |
|
03/07 |
Atlanta |
|
03/29 |
Martinsville |
|
04/26 |
Kansas |
|
05/16 |
Lowes |
|
05/24 |
Mansfield |
|
05/30 |
Dover |
|
06/06 |
Texas |
|
06/14 |
MIS |
|
06/20 |
Milwaukee |
|
06/28 |
Memphis |
|
07/19 |
Kentucky |
|
07/25 |
Indy |
|
08/09 |
Nashville |
|
08/20 |
Bristol |
|
09/06 |
Gateway |
|
09/13 |
Loudon |
|
09/20 |
Las Vegas |
|
10/04 |
Talladega |
|
10/18 |
Martinsville |
|
10/25 |
Atlanta |
|
10/31 |
Texas |
|
11/07 |
Phoenix |
|
11/14 |
Homestead |
|
|
2008
Nationwide
Schedule |
|
02/16 |
Daytona |
|
02/23 |
California |
|
03/01 |
Las Vegas |
|
03/08 |
Atlanta |
|
03/15 |
Bristol |
|
03/22 |
Nashville |
|
04/05 |
Texas |
|
04/11 |
Phoenix |
|
04/20 |
Mexico |
|
04/26 |
Talladega |
|
05/02 |
Richmond |
|
05/09 |
Darlington |
|
05/24 |
Lowes |
|
05/31 |
Dover |
|
06/07 |
Nashville |
|
06/14 |
Kentucky |
|
06/21 |
Milwaukee |
|
06/28 |
New Hampshire |
|
07/04 |
Daytona |
|
07/11 |
Chicago |
|
07/19 |
Gateway |
|
07/26 |
Indy |
|
08/02 |
Montreal |
|
08/09 |
Watkins Glen |
|
08/16 |
Michigan |
|
08/22 |
Bristol |
|
08/30 |
California |
|
09/05 |
Richmond |
|
09/20 |
Dover |
|
09/27 |
Kansas |
|
10/10 |
Lowes |
|
10/25 |
Memphis |
|
11/01 |
Texas |
|
11/08 |
Phoenix |
|
11/15 |
Miami |
|
|
2008
Sprint Cup
Schedule |
|
02/17 |
Daytona |
|
02/24 |
California |
|
03/02 |
Las Vegas |
|
03/09 |
Atlanta |
|
03/16 |
Bristol |
|
03/30 |
Martinsville |
|
04/06 |
Texas |
|
04/12 |
Phoenix |
|
04/27 |
Talladega |
|
05/03 |
Richmond |
|
05/10 |
Darlington |
|
05/25 |
Lowes |
|
06/01 |
Dover |
|
06/08 |
Pocono |
|
06/15 |
MIS |
|
06/22 |
Sonoma |
|
06/29 |
New Hampshire |
|
07/05 |
Daytona |
|
07/12 |
Chicago |
|
07/27 |
Indy |
|
08/03 |
Pocono |
|
08/10 |
Watkins Glen |
|
08/17 |
MIS |
|
08/23 |
Bristol |
|
08/31 |
California |
|
09/06 |
Richmond |
|
09/14 |
Loudon |
|
09/21 |
Lowes |
|
09/28 |
Kansas |
|
10/05 |
Talladega |
|
10/11 |
Lowes |
|
10/19 |
Martinsville |
|
10/26 |
Atlanta |
|
11/02 |
Texas |
|
11/09 |
Phoenix |
|
11/16 |
Miami |
|
|
2008
JB's Berlin
Schedule |
|
|
August 2nd |
|
|
September 27th |
|
|
|
|
