The Economy KO's Johnny Benson

[ancrdave]

Johnny Benson is the defending NASCAR Camping World Trucks champion, but the plain white #1 Toyota truck he drove during the season's first eight races has served as a reminder that finding sponsorship is difficult even for drivers with the most impressive of resumes. Still, Benson said Monday he was a little surprised when he learned his Red Horse Racing team was shutting down due to lack of sponsorship. "Part of me was (surprised)," said Benson, 45. "We have had discussions about this before, and we were told that (lack of a sponsor) was not going to be a problem. Apparently, it is. But we have had this before, and we are actively looking for something else. We will mosey on and try to figure out what is next. This is a little disheartening to see this happen because we wanted to help build a championship team," said Benson, a 1981 Forest Hills Northern High School graduate. Benson and Greg Biffle are the only drivers in NASCAR history to earn championships in the Busch (now Nationwide) and Trucks divisions. Benson won a Busch title in 1995 before capturing the Truck championship with Bill Davis Racing a year ago. BDR closed its doors last fall after Benson won the title.

[georgep]

Sign of the times. But there is an UP SIDE. Local racing was the strongest when the doller was tight and you had to make what you raced. If DAD can not buy the kid a win then what does he do? No talent will just go away and the real talent and real car builders will again be the featured item at your local track. IF all the High Dollar house cars go away things will get better.

[ancrdave]

I think that's why dirt track racing is doing so well... The rich kids don't feel they can get to NASCAR thru the dirt tracks, so you don't find many there at a regular show... You still see a few nice rigs at Volusia every Saturday but three-fourths of the cars coming in (including LM and Mods) are on open trailers or in low-buck enclosed trailers... The open trailer is a race track's best friend... People driving down the road can actually see the race car and that's the best form of advertising you can get...

[Winger]

I think that's why dirt track racing is doing so well... The rich kids don't feel they can get to NASCAR thru the dirt tracks, so you don't find many there at a regular show... You still see a few nice rigs at Volusia every Saturday but three-fourths of the cars coming in (including LM and Mods) are on open trailers or in low-buck enclosed trailers... The open trailer is a race track's best friend... People driving down the road can actually see the race car and that's the best form of advertising you can get...

To bad we couldn't get the good looking cars on the open trailers and the real bad looking ones into the enclosed trailers. That would be better advertising.
I'm from the Northeast and a lot of people race dirt there. Most never get to NASCAR and it's not because of ability. They can make money racing on dirt and many of the better drivers do just that. They dream of going Cup racing but get comfortable making a living doing what they love on dirt. They become professional dirt racers. Tim McCreadie is a good example. He got a shot at NASCAR with Richard Childress but couldn't bring a sponsor. He was let go and went back to racing dirt. Unfortunately, NASCAR racing isn't dependent on ability but on who can bring the bucks with them. Johnny Benson and Todd Bodine are 2 of the more recent examples.

[georgep]

Winger I am from N.J. and I agree about the talent. We had a kid named Dallenbach Sr. that did pretty good in USAC and another one from Pa, Andretti, Mario That did well in both. Wonder what would have happened to them in todays economy?
As far as the trailers, I use an enclosed to cut down on the theft when we are parked at other than the track. Had filter socks, and stuff like that get gone.
I would like to find a ramp truck but need to worry about carrying a push vehicle to push my butt around in the pits or at a venue.
I sponsored some cars 2007 and 2008 plus my own. This year we are doing our own and that is for sale.

[Todd McCreary]

The rich kids don't feel they can get to NASCAR thru the dirt tracks, so you don't find many there at a regular show... You still see a few nice rigs at Volusia every Saturday but three-fourths of the cars coming in (including LM and Mods) are on open trailers or in low-buck enclosed trailers... The open trailer is a race track's best friend...


this.

i said a long time ago that the natural fan and participant base of circle tracking are the red-necks and the middle and lower income families.

if you're making the rules for the people with money you are killing your track.




To bad we couldn't get the good looking cars on the open trailers and the real bad looking ones into the enclosed trailers. That would be better advertising.

i'm not so sure.

would you rather go see a race a track where all the cars had pristine sheet metal ( and the drivers are afraid to touch each other ) or would you rather see a race where somebody wasn't afraid to use 8 wheels in the corner?

[Winger]

To bad we couldn't get the good looking cars on the open trailers and the real bad looking ones into the enclosed trailers. That would be better advertising.

i'm not so sure.

would you rather go see a race a track where all the cars had pristine sheet metal ( and the drivers are afraid to touch each other ) or would you rather see a race where somebody wasn't afraid to use 8 wheels in the corner?

I followed a car on an open trailer to a racetrack a little while ago. It was really beat up and looked like a demo car. At the time I thought that was a good argument against the open trailers. JMO

I personally like to see pristine sheet metal or sheet metal that has been straightened. There are a lot of good looking cars that are competitive race winners and don't get banged up a lot. I would rather watch a race where the better car gets by without touching the car ahead of him. Incidental contact is fine. Planning on using 8 wheels, in my opinion, is not. (I saw Josh Richards do that at East Bay during the winternationals. He got the lead and the car he took out, took him out the next time he came by.) You have to take into account that I was raised around open wheel modifieds and if you planned on using 8 wheels, you just might go for a wild ride.

This is just the way I like to watch racing. Many go to watch the wrecks. I don't. Earnhardt said "rubbin is racin" but it didn't use to be. Somehow, it's become acceptable at the local level now. I watched Wayne Anderson win at Citrus last week from the middle of the pack. I didn't see him touch anyone in order to pass. It was fun to watch him use patience and skill to win.

Wow, this thread sure got off topic.

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

Nanner Nanner

AND it's all your fault Winger!!!!

[ocalasp76]

About 5 weeks ago we went racin' with a nice car on my open trailer. That night we came home with the car held together with bungy cords after a blown motor and everyone hitting the oil and then me.
Several people pulled up beside us on the way home and ask where we raced. When I told them Bronson, they said "we are goin' there to watch the wrecks next week".
Guess that's why the crash-o-rama is always a sell out.
-JIM-

[Todd McCreary]

Many go to watch the wrecks. I don't.

same here. but as Jim points out, there's another demographic out there.



Earnhardt said "rubbin is racin" but it didn't use to be.

much of the reason why that attitude is prevalent now is because of .... Senior. <<< gotta say that quiet like, some people might get upset.



You have to take into account that I was raised around open wheel modifieds and if you planned on using 8 wheels, you just might go for a wild ride.

a - i didn't really mean to imply that you should be "taking out" the guy you're passing or that i think people ought to be flying down into the corner and trying to bounce off people
b - i don't have a problem with paybacks to the guy who drives like that in the first place

but there are some who are afraid to dent their shiny straight sheet metal. and that makes it hard to make progress on the track, especially if you have other drivers willing to try and crowd you to interfere with your line.

[straight up]

exactly , the rich daddys that waste time and money racin at nss and whinin to get rules changed in their favor need to go north to north carolina , aint never gonna get noticed at the soap opera of the south

[dnsno]

As far as the trailer goes.....

if it was'nt for the open trailer I saw one saturday afternoon as I was driving east bound on I-10, I would have never known there was a nice little dirt track in Milton Florida.