Nextel Cup - Indianapolis Tickets
The JBFC has 6 tickets available for the Nextel Cup Race in Indianapolis on Sunday, August 8th.  Cost:  $75 per ticket.  They are located in the North Vista Grandstand, Section 38, Row HH.  Seats 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.  If you are interested, please contact us at support@johnnybenson.com  (06-13-04)
 

A Fan's Perspective - Kentucky
Special Thanks to JB fan Chaz for sharing his experience at Kentucky

Well, as Chaz Dickens might have written, "It was the best of races, it was the worst of races."

First of all, 66,000 in the stands plus over 6,000 standing room only tickets for a stand-alone Busch race. Please Mr. Helton, please Mr. France, Kentucky needs a Cup race!

It was a beautiful sunny day, and once the green flag waved, it got even better. Johnny and a half dozen or so in the back (#1, #5, #99, #74, plus a few I forget) started moving up the field. JB came in on the first caution (lap 13) to top off; he said "seven places are worth it, because I feel a long green run coming up." Unfortunately, 3 laps after the restart on lap 18, another yellow came out...oh well. It was great watching Johnny pick up places almost effortlessly, esp. since the leaders were setting a very fast pace.

I was surprised to see not one, but two firey crashes in turn two. It is difficult to watch until you see the drivers emerge safely. I sincerely hope Buckshot is OK from all that thick smoke inhalation.

After JB plateaued around 22nd place, some adjustments truly helped him in the middle section of the race. Johnny sounded very comfortable speaking to an unfamilar crew. He did some excellent skillful and patient driving to work himself into the top 10. There are a couple times when his pack got 4 wide, from he and another driver battling for position while passing two slower cars driving abreast. Johnny would back off to avoid pushing the issue, giving up a spot or two, but then pick off the whole lot one by one. It was also exciting to watch Johnny and Robby Gordon cleanly battle back and forth for position.

At the end of the race, it looked like Johnny would be able to easily pass the #2 and #00 to take 5th at a minimum. He had both the speed and the handling to do that. If the yellow flag would come out during the exchange of pit stops, Johnny could be in the thick of things for the finish. I was watching the pit stops around lap 183 when I saw the yellow lights come on. "Great for Johnny!" I thought... until I saw the #17 against the wall in the back straight.

Oh well. At least I saw an outstanding performance by Johnny and the #17 team. It was also good to see James's #46 work its way to the top 10 as well...way to go! I had a very good time... and only 17 laps away from a GREAT time.   (06-21-04)

Benson Notches 32nd place Effort For the Meijer 300 
"I like the car a lot more in race trim," stated Benson following his qualifying run. The team used a calculated guess to give the Bayer Ford more grip for its qualifying run following the early afternoon practice session. Benson fought a loose race car in qualifying trim for much of the session that regulated the No. 17 to the 21st fastest time.

On his two lap qualifying effort, Benson grabbed the 32nd place spot with a timed lap of 31.115 seconds at a speed of 173.550 mph. Benson will start his first NASCAR Busch Series race at Kentucky Speedway on the outside of row 16.

"I hate I couldn't give the guys a better run than that," stated a disappointed Benson following his run. "We made some changes that we thought would correct our loose handling race car from practice. Unfortunately, the changes made the car even more loose and we just lost too much speed."


JB Fans Help Feed West Michigan! 
This year, the JBFC focused on helping those in need in West Michigan.  We are so pleased to share with you that JB fans made a difference!  We collected 384 pounds of food, which translates to enough food for a meal for about 96 people.  In addition to gathering food, we held raffles for the Aaron's merchandise and accepted donations.  The final total received was $738.00!  The food and the money was donated to Second Harvest Gleaners of West Michigan.  According to this organization, $738 covers 56,000 meals!  A dollar sure goes a long way ....    Thank you for your support!  (06-17-04)    

Aaron's Supports the JBFC Event
Special thanks to Aaron's for donating door prizes for the JBFC Celebration!  Congratulations to the following winners!   (06-17-04)
      Jackie Dubois - Michael Waltrip Package
    Jan Rozell - Michael Waltrip Package
    Linda Baaz - Michael Waltrip Package
    Tim Kindred - Johnny Benson Package
    Michael Foote - Grand Prize - DVD Player
 

Congratulations! 
The JBFC would like to congratulate the following JB fans who walked away with some great prizes during the JBFC Celebration.   (06-17-04)
     Ed McGregor -  MIS Tickets - June Race
     Larry Stoll - MIS Tickets - August Race
     Diana Brown - JB Etopps Card
     Jerry Victory - JB Etopps Card
     Dan Bakker - Binoculars
     Doug Cooke - 11 x 14 of JB in Daytona
     Greg Gaskell - Valvoline Owner Series Diecast Autographed
     Ralph Manting - Pace Car Ride and 4 tickets to Berlin Raceway
 

2004 JBFC Celebration
Thank you to all the JB fans who stopped by the Johnny Fan Club Member Celebration sponsored by Berger Chevrolet.  We appreciate your support!  Fun was had by all.  The food drive was a success.  The  Second Harvest Gleaners Food Bank of West Michigan will let us know in the upcoming days on the amount of food we were able to donate.   (06-15-04)

Johnny greeting a fan
Photo By:  The Olivers

Victory Junction Camp
The grand opening of the Victory Junction Camp is Tuesday, June 15th.  Congratulations to Kyle and Patty Petty for completing this project in honor of their son, Adam Petty.  For more information about the camp you can click on:   Victory Junction Gang Camp  (06-15-04)

Mike Eddy Dominates in ASA at Berlin Raceway
Mike Eddy put in an absolutely dominating performance en route to winning
the Meijer 300 presented by Tony's Pizza, Tysons, Stouffer's and Edy's Ice
Cream at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Mich.

Running a part-time schedule in the No. 5 Sizzlemarine.com Chevrolet, Eddy took the lead on lap 85 of the 300-lap event on the tough .438-mile track, and nearly ran away from the entire field. By lap 144 Eddy had all but two other cars a lap down, and had a lead of more than 10 seconds over Butch Miller at the time. Eddy's car was able to run anywhere on the track, and he could move through traffic as if his car was covered in butter.   Complete PR   (06-13-04)

JB Fans at Dover
What a nice looking group of JB fans that went to Dover for the Nextel Cup race!  Special thanks to David Bradley for sharing the picture with us.  (06-09-04)

Bob at KDOV, ETucker and his wife Gretchen,
 nynative, and DE4JB AKA...Nancy
 

Dear JB Fans,
Just wanted to give you an update on what has been happening with Johnny during the past few weeks.  Although we do not have any news concerning a permanent ride, he has been quite busy since racing at Berlin Raceway in May.

Besides doing the weekly show - Inside Nextel Cup, Johnny made an appearance in the garage area at Lowes Motor Speedway when the BGN and Cup series competed there during Memorial Day weekend.  The month of June started with testing for Kenny Schrader and the BAM racing team.  This week you may see Johnny qualify a BGN car in order for a Cup driver to race at Nashville.  (Plans are currently in the works). 

Johnny will be heading to Grand Rapids for the fan club celebration on June 15th and to compete in the special Late Model race at Berlin Raceway with Michael Waltrip on June 16th.  Then JB will take off to Kentucky to compete in the Meijer 300 on June 18th and 19th. 

We will try our best to keep you posted as JB's events are finalized.  I do not plan on posting speculation or unconfirmed appearances.  As always, thank you for your continued support!  (06-06-04)

                                                  Barb Benson
 

Nashville
Michael Waltrip has asked Johnny to drive the #99 Aaron's Dream Machine during the practice and qualifying sessions at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday, June 11th.  Michael will be running his NAPA Chevrolet on Friday at Pocono.   (Note:  This has been cleared with Darrell - ha!)   (06-07-04)

     Friday - June 11th - Nashville
        * Practice:  1:30 - 3:00 pm
        * Qualifying:  4:35 pm
        * Happy Hour:  7:15 - 8:15 pm

ASA Series Returns to Berlin Raceway 
Saturday, June 12 - ASA National Tour Michigan 300 presented by Meijer and Tony's Pizza. Also, ASA Late Model Series 100-lap feature. Gates open at 11 a.m. and racing gets under way at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $20 in advance and $25 at the gate for general admission; $30 for pit passes. Kids 3-12 are half price and 2 and under are free.  (06-10-04)

Did you know that Johnny won his first
ASA race at Berlin Raceway in 1992? 

Johnny and John Sr. in victory lane

WCRWA and BSLA Announce Formation of WAM:
The Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary and Busch Series Ladies Association are pleased to announce the formation of the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports, Inc. (WAM, Inc.) The newly formed organization is the result of a merger between the WCRWA and BSLA. Founded in 1965 and 1996 respectively, the two organizations decided to join forces, in addition to the ladies of the Craftsman Truck Series to form one united front which serves all three major NASCAR sanctioned racing divisions. The Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports’ mission is to enrich the sport of NASCAR with a commitment to its families through fundraising and wellness programs for those requiring medical or financial assistance. In addition, the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports, Inc. helps support organizations with likeminded missions and purposes. For more information on the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports or how to join please call 704-455-9299 or log onto www.waminc.org.
(WAM PR - 5-27-2004) 

June Newsletter
The June Newsletter is out in the mail  The 2004 JBFC Celebration details can be located in this newsletter.  Just a reminder - you do not need to present your membership card for the Celebration.   We will have a membership listing to check your name off.  If you have any questions about the celebration, you may contact us at support@johnnybenson.com    (05-26-04)
 

WWW.SECONDHARVEST.ORG
On June 3rd, communities across the country will unite to focus attention on the persistent problem of domestic hunger. For the third consecutive year, food banks and food-rescue organizations, soup kitchens and food pantries, and countless individuals, faith-based organizations and businesses will donate time, raise funds, and give food to help their neighbors.

If we can all come together on one day, June 3rd, whether in person or through our individual activities, our call for a hunger-free America might be heard.  The local Michigan site is www.wmgleaners.org       (05-23-04)