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Benson back in
driver's seat with limited ride
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
By Steve Kaminski
The Grand Rapids Press
Johnny Benson Jr. has been in this situation before, and
last time, he nearly stunned the world of stock car
racing. It was February of 2000 when the Grand Rapids
native went down to the Daytona 500 with a little known
team and came within four laps of winning NASCAR's Super
Bowl.
Benson announced Tuesday
that he will be taking another shot at Daytona glory in
the Feb. 15 Nextel Cup season opener. Benson will again
assume the underdog role when he attempts to qualify for
the race in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Dodge, a part-time
Nextel Cup team owned by James Finch.
Benson will race Daytona, and he said he will expect to
run a handful more races with Finch in 2004 -- possibly
Talladega and Richmond. Benson has been a NASCAR regular
since breaking into the Busch Grand National Series in
1994, so recent months have been frustrating ones for the
40-year old former Berlin Raceway champion.
But Benson had some good news to report Tuesday. He
will now have a chance to compete in the biggest race of
all.
"Oh yeah, I'm really excited about it," Benson said.
"They have great speedway cars, and I think I'll have a
chance to go down there and be competitive. And it gives
me something to do."
Benson was with the now-defunct Tyler Jet Motorsports
team in 2000 when he eventually finished ninth in the
Daytona 500. That team was eventually purchased by MVB
Motorsports, the team that released Benson at the
conclusion of the 2003 season. Benson has spent the
off-season searching for a ride in stock car racing's top
ranks. He finally got a break with qualifying less than a
month away.
While Phoenix Racing has only dabbled in Winston Cup
racing in the past, it has made the most of its
opportunities. Finch came up just short of the checkered
flag in the 2002 Daytona 500. He put Geoffrey Bodine in
his car, and the veteran finished third after qualifying
35th. The team returned last year and cracked the top 10
again, this time with Mike Wallace placing ninth.
And while Finch may not be a household name in Nextel
Cup, he has certainly been a contender in Busch. His cars
have featured drivers such as Jamie McMurray, Jimmy
Spencer, David Stremme, Jeff Purvis and Randy LaJoie.
Ironically, Benson isn't the first West Michigan driver to
race for Finch. Three-time ARCA champion Tim Steele of
Coopersville ran a handful of races for Finch in 1995.
Finch, 53, is a native of Panama City, Fla. He has
recently moved his race shop from Florida to Spartanburg,
S.C.
"I've known James for a long time, and this is a
situation where we don't even need a contract," Benson
said. "We had a handshake, and we are ready to go. It's
great that there are still people out there that you can
trust like that."
Phoenix Racing is participating in Daytona testing this
week, and team officials could not be reached for comment
on Tuesday. Benson is not scheduled to test this week,
however, veteran driver Joe Ruttman is shaking down the
car. The team has work to do. Ruttman was 25th fastest in
both the morning and afternoon sessions out of a field of
27.
Look for Benson to be behind the wheel for the Feb. 8
Daytona 500 qualifying.
"Right now, we are looking at running eight races this
year," Benson said. "But we'll just have to wait and see.
It could be more. It could be less."
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