Berlin still
home to Benson
By Doug Vanderlaan -
The Grand Rapids Press
For a driver who isn't
currently running with the best, any track on a Saturday
night will do. For Johnny Benson Jr., who lost his
NASCAR Busch Series ride this week, that track -- Berlin
Raceway -- was 800 miles from his North Carolina home.
"We weren't really ready
for this thing to happen," Benson said of the decision by
the Phoenix Racing Busch Series to replace him with driver
Jamie McMurray. "But no matter what it is in life, when
something bad happens you go home."
So that's what he did
Friday night, making the trip to Berlin in just under 12
hours and in time for testing and time trials on Saturday
morning. Starting first in the 100-lap late model
feature, Benson weaved his way to a fourth place finish.
The race was won by Randy Sweet after a long duel with
second-place finisher Tom Thomas. Joe Bush finished third.
Benson said the trip to
Marne was "just a whim," and one he won't be making
regularly. The real object was to run on one of the top
short tracks in America.
"It's where I grew up,"
Benson said. "It's where my dad ran, it's where you've got
the best fans in the country, and it's one of the most
competitive tracks you'll be ever be able to find.
"Down South at a local
track you might get 12, 14, maybe 18 late models cars on a
Saturday night. Here you'll have 35 to 45 cars. That's why
it's so competitive."
Benson said that's also why
NASCAR drivers like Tony Stewart and Kenny Schrader visit
and why it wasn't hard to interest Bobby LaBonte and
Michael Waltrip into making appearances at Berlin later
this summer.
"No. 1, they come because
they love to run," Benson said. "Secondly, it helps them
out a little financially, but the third reason they come
is because they've hear just how competitive it is."
Benson said that Berlin has
produced some the best drivers ever in Bob Senneker, Ed
Howe and Butch Miller. He left out, in deference, his own
father, who dominated the track before retiring and
devoting his time to manufacturing racing equipment.
"You have to be in the
right place at the right time," Benson said of the line
between Berlin and NASCAR. "Some drivers might not be able
to go to ASA (American Speed Association) and get the
television exposure that they need.
"Look at how Jeff Gordon
raced sprint cars and people saw him in 'Thursday Night
Thunder' at Indianapolis Raceway Park. You just have to
have the exposure."
Benson's own break came
when he joined ASA and was the circuit's Rookie of the
Year in 1990. Benson's career also includes Rookie of the
Year honors in the Busch Series in 1994, the Winston Cup
Series in 1995, and a NASCAR Cup victory at Rockingham,
N.C. in 2002.
Retirement is not on
Benson's mind, even though NASCAR's trend seems to be
replacing veteran drivers with younger ones. At 40, he
said he's not worried.
"That's happening all over
America," he said. "If it happens, so be it. If it
doesn't, so be it. Because when I retire there (NASCAR),
I'll probably come up here more -- I'll never retire."
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