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July 17 Preview: Johnny Benson
Night;
Auto Value Outlaw Winged Midgets to make first visit to
Berlin
MARNE, MI - Johnny Benson will return to his home track on
Saturday, July 17, his third visit during the 2004 season.
The night has been dubbed Johnny Benson night in his
honor. In addition, the Auto Value Outlaw Winged Midget
Series, originally scheduled for May 8 but rained out,
will come to Berlin Raceway for the first time in history.
Benson will try to make it back-to-back wins after winning
the 125-lap Meijer/Tony's Pizza Spring Memorial in June,
the longest Coors Light Late Model race ever at Berlin
Raceway. Benson sports an impressive record at Berlin in
recent years, with three victories, eight top fives and 10
top 10's in 12 races since 2001. His wins came on August
14, 2002, May 1, 2003 and June 16, 2004 against a strong
Berlin Raceway Coors Light Late Model field. He has not
finished out of the top 5 since 2002.
A new race format will be introduced for this event: the
Coors Light Late Model feature will consist of an 80-lap
race broken down into Twin 40's. After the first 40-lap
leg, a mandatory caution flag will be thrown and cars will
be allowed a 5-minute pit stop for adjustments. After the
pit stop, the cars will return to the frontstretch and the
top 10 positions will draw a random number between 1 and
10 to set their starting position for the second 40-lap
leg.
The mandatory caution for pits was first introduced at
Berlin on June 16 during a 125-lap race, when refueling
was required to complete the race. It was met with great
success as it was exciting for fans and productive for
teams to have the ability to make adjustments. Previously
the only races that required the use of pit road were ASA
and ARCA races of 200 or more laps.
The random drawing for start position for the second leg
is new to Berlin and is reminiscent of the NASCAR Nextel
Cup All-Star race at Charlotte in May, which has used
several formats to mix up positions for greater fan
excitement. The drawing will be done on the frontstretch
over the Public Address system for all fans to enjoy and
cheer on their favorite driver.
Finally, the Auto Value Outlaw Winged Midgets will make
their first-ever appearance at Berlin Raceway on July 17.
Unlike other midget series that have raced at Berlin,
including the USAC Midgets and NAMARS Midgets, the Auto
Value Outlaw Winged Midgets have wings on their cars,
making them faster and more visible on the track. These
cars have alcohol burning engines and require push starts
on the track. Their speeds are expected to rival Berlin's
top Coors Light Late Model division, possibly running up
to one second faster per lap with anticipated 14-second
lap times.
The AVOWM series will conduct a pre-race autograph session
with cars on the track, so fans can get a close-up view of
the midgets. Points leader Ike Beasley is a name to watch,
as the driver has won all five of the series' races this
season. Former Berlin driver Jake Meyerink, who finished
11th in Coors Light Late Model points at Berlin in 2003,
is currently fifth in series points and will be another
name to watch at the July 17 race. The series races at
short tracks in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana with the goal
of developing future major league motorsports drivers.
Midget racing is seen as a stepping stone to the Indy
Racing League ranks.
Also competing on July 17 will be Berlin's Engine Pro
Super Stock and Standale Lumber Sportsman divisions. The
Engine Pro Super Stocks will conduct an on-track autograph
session as well.
Tickets to the July 17 event are $15 in advance and $16 at
the door. Children 3-12 are half price and 2 and under are
free. Pit passes are $25. Tickets can be purchased at the
Berlin Raceway administrative office (2060 Berlin Fair
Drive, Marne, MI) from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday as well as at the Box Office on racedays. Tickets
are also available online at www.berlinraceway.com and at
www.ticketmaster.com. Gates open at 11 a.m. and the first
race begins at 7 p.m.
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