Jonathan Thomas Benson Jr. (born June 27, 1963) is an American retired
stock car racing driver and the son of former Michigan
modified driver John Benson Sr. Benson has raced across
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
's three national series (
Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
,
Busch,
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
), and his career highlights include the 1993
American Speed Association
The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks ...
AC-Delco Challenge series championship, the
1995 NASCAR Busch Series
The 1995 NASCAR Busch Series was held February 18 and ended November 5. Johnny Benson of BACE Motorsports won the championship.
This was the first season to utilize V8 engines after having used V6 engines since the series began in 1982.
Teams ...
championship, the
1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year Award, and the
2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the fourteenth season of the Craftsman Truck Series, the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. It was contested over twenty-five races, beginning with the C ...
championship.
Benson, who began his NASCAR career in 1993, is the second of only three drivers that have won a championship in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, and the seventeenth of only thirty-six drivers to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series.
Early career
Benson was born in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
. He graduated from
Forest Hills Northern High School
Forest Hills Northern High School is a public high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools district, the other two being Forest Hills Central High School and Forest Hills ...
in 1981. He became a late model champion at
Berlin Raceway in
Marne, Michigan before joining the
American Speed Association
The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks ...
(ASA) in 1990. During Benson's rookie season in the ASA he captured one pole position, led 174 laps and scored eight top 10 finishes to blitz the competition for the ASA's Pat Schauer Rookie of the Year award. In 1991 Benson compiled 13 top 10s including four second-place finishes. Benson ranked fourth in the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series in 1991. Benson later went on to win the 1993 ASA championship. During his time in the ASA series he drove the No. 21 Valvoline Chevrolet for Throop Motorsports.
In
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
, Benson made his
Busch Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
debut at
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...
, driving the No. 41
Delco Remy Chevrolet for
Ernie Irvan
Virgil Earnest "Ernie" Irvan (born January 13, 1959), occasionally referred to as Swervin' Irvan, is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A retired NASCAR competitor, he is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head ...
. He started 20th, but finished 40th after an early crash when he had flipped in the race. He ran three more races that season in the No. 74 Staff America Chevy for
BACE Motorsports, qualifying third at
Hickory Motor Speedway
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars".
The t ...
. His best finish was an eighteenth at
Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Benson was hired to drive full-time for BACE in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
. He won his first career race at the
SplitFire 200 and finished sixth in points, winning Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, Benson won early in the season at Atlanta and Hickory and had nineteen top-tens, winning the championship. He also began running in the Truck Series in the No. 18 Performance Friction
Chevrolet Silverado for Kurt Roehrig. In his first season, his best finish was a second at
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, United States, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. I ...
. The following season, he won the pole at
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill fr ...
.
1996–1999
In 1996, he moved up to the Winston Cup Series, a series Benson's father John Benson Sr. competed in for one race back in 1973.
He joined the No. 30
Pennzoil
Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...
-sponsored team owned by
Bahari Racing. He failed to qualify for one race at the
Food City 500
The Food City Dirt Race is an annual 250-lap, NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. It was the ...
, but won the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup
Rookie of the Year title. He won one pole at
Atlanta Motor Speedway. In August, he dominated the
Brickyard 400
The Brickyard 400 was an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The inaugural race was held in 1994 and was the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Moto ...
before a problem on the last pit stop ended his chances for victory. He ended the season with seven Top 10's and was 21st in points. He was invited to the 1996
International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American motorsports All-Star Game. Despite its name, the IROC was primar ...
as the reigning Busch Series champion, and finished third in the final points, finishing in the Top 10 in all four races.
In
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, Benson had eight Top 10's, but did not finish in the Top 5 once. He won his second career pole at Michigan and finished outside of the Top 10 by one point to
Ken Schrader
Kenneth Schrader (born May 29, 1955) is an American professional racing driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while also competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 11 Ford for Fast Tra ...
. At the end of the season, he announced he would be joining
Roush Racing to run the brand-new No. 26
General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
/
Cheerios
Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the ...
-sponsored
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
.
He missed the season opening
Daytona 500, then finished 30th at the following race. He then had a streak of no finishes worse than ninth over the next five races and rose as high as tenth in points, before he finished 38th and 41st in the next two races. For the rest of the season, his best finish was ninth and he qualified no higher than second. He finished 20th in points. Benson had numerous crew chiefs in 1999. He had two Top 10 finishes and finished 28th in the final standings. After a long negotiation, he was able to buy out his contract and announced he would leave Roush.
2000–2003
At the start of the
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
Winston Cup season, Benson found himself without a sponsor when he signed on to join
Tyler Jet Motorsports to run the No. 10 car. The team showed up at
Daytona Speedweeks with a white unsponsored
Pontiac Grand Prix
The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 for coupes and 1989–2008 for sedans.
First introduced as a full-size performance coupe for the 1962 model year, the model varie ...
.
Lycos.com
Lycos, Inc., is a web search engine and web portal established in 1994, spun out of Carnegie Mellon University. Lycos also encompasses a network of email, web hosting, social networking, and entertainment websites. The company is based in Waltha ...
signed on to be the team's sponsor for the year on the morning of the
Daytona 500. During the race, Benson and crew chief
James Ince gambled on a late pitstop when they took only two right side tires and fuel, to come out with the lead with 43 laps to go. He held off the field until a multi-car crash brought out the caution in the final 10 laps. On the restart with 4 laps to go, Benson was leading with
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champi ...
and
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Tyler Burton (born June 29, 1967), nicknamed The Mayor, is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He scored 21 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, including two Coca-Cola 600s in ...
right behind. Jarrett bumped Benson, sending him up the track going into turn one, then passed him for the win while Benson slid back in 12th. Benson finished sixth in the third race at the
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...
, and was eleventh in points. At the next race at Atlanta, Benson did not qualify in first-round qualifying, and he missed the race after the second round was canceled. Benson finished second three weeks later.
At the
Pepsi 400
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series ci ...
in July, the Tyler Jet Motorsports car showed up at Daytona again with a white car. During the weekend before the race, the team removed the Lycos.com decals. Reports said that it was because Lycos never paid. Tyler Jet went sponsorless for the next 4 races before
Aaron's
The Aaron's Company is an American lease-to-own retailer. The company focuses on leases and retail sales of furniture, electronics, appliances, and computers. The company sells through the company-operated and franchised stores, e-commerce p ...
came aboard right before the team shut down. During the sponsorless run the team was sold to
MB2 Motorsports
MB2 Motorsports was a NASCAR Cup Series team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near the sport's hub in Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte. The team was founded by Read Morton, Tom Beard, and Nelson Bowers, from which the original team name ...
. In August,
Valvoline
Valvoline Inc. is an American manufacturer and distributor of Valvoline-brand automotive oil, additives, and lubricants. It also owns the Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Valvoline Express Care chains of car repair centers. , it is the second ...
announced they would not only sponsor the team but become part owner. Benson finished in thirteenth place in the final points.
Benson began his
2001 season with an engine failure that relegated him to 28th place, a few laps after the race's
"Big One" involving 19 cars took place. He had Top 10 finishes in each of the next four races, including a fourth-place run in the
UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400, which allowed him to be a career high second in the points (tied with
Sterling Marlin
Sterling Burton Marlin (born June 30, 1957) is an American semi-retired, professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, driving the No. 114 for Sterling Marlin Racing. He formerly competed in the N ...
) following the spring Darlington Race. He finished third at Texas and Indianapolis. He did not win a points race, although he did win the non-points Winston Open at
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
from the pole after leader
Ryan Newman in the No. 02
Alltel
Alltel Wireless was a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before acquisitions by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, it served 34 states and had approximately 13 million subscribers. As a regulatory condition of the acquisition ...
-sponsored
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
suffered a blown engine late in the race. Benson finished eleventh in the final points standings in 2001.
Benson started
2002 with a 10th-place finish in the Daytona 500 despite a crash early in the race. In May, Benson agreed to race in the
Richmond Busch Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
race for
Marsh Racing
Marsh Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The team is owned by Ted Marsh, a longtime Chevrolet team sporting the No. 31 with backing from Whelen Engineering. His c ...
in the No. 31
Whelen Engineering
The Whelen Engineering Company is an American corporation that designs and manufactures audio and visual warning equipment for automotive, aviation, and mass notification industries worldwide. Founded in a Deep River, Connecticut garage in 1952 ...
-sponsored
Chevrolet. Benson was involved in a wreck in the early stages of the races and ended up with broken
ribs
The rib cage, as an enclosure that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, protects vital organs such as the heart, lungs and great vessels.
The sternum, together known as the thoracic cage, is a semi- ...
and he missed three Cup races. At the
Pepsi 400
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series ci ...
in Daytona, he started sixth, and on the eighth lap he got together with
Michael Waltrip. Benson ended up rebreaking his ribs which put him out of action for two more races. At
Loudon, Benson started second, led 53 of 207 laps, and finished fourth. Benson tied a career-best second-place finish at the
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...
, which he got twice in 2000. On November 3, he started 26th in the 43 car field at the
Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at
Rockingham. With 50 laps to go, he was running in fifth, and with 28 laps left he passed
Mark Martin
Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series s ...
(who coincidentally had Valvoline as his sponsor for many years) for the lead. In the last 10 laps, other drivers were running out of gas, including his teammate
Ken Schrader
Kenneth Schrader (born May 29, 1955) is an American professional racing driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while also competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 11 Ford for Fast Tra ...
. However, Benson held off Martin by 0.26 seconds to win the race.
Benson was sixth in points after the first 4 races of
2003. Benson had Top 5 finishes at Dover and Homestead, and finished 24th in the points. Valvoline decided to release Benson in favor of rookie driver
Scott Riggs
Russell Scott Riggs (born January 1, 1971) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the 92 for RBR Enterprises in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Racing career Early career
Riggs was born in Bahama, Nort ...
after the season was over.
Busch and Trucks: 2004–2010
2004 started off with Benson signing on with
Phoenix Racing to run the full 2004 Busch Series schedule. Benson won his first and only career Busch pole at Rockingham, but a rules violation relegated him to last place when the green flag dropped for the race. He was poised to win at Bristol in the spring until Benson was caught up in a late race incident between
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champion, ...
and
David Stremme
David Andrew Stremme (born June 19, 1977) is an American professional stock car racing driver.
Early career
Stremme was born in South Bend, Indiana. His racing roots can be traced back to Midwestern short track racing, where he followed in the f ...
. Benson was also involved in a crash between the top 4 drivers at Nashville while racing for the win, and parted ways with Phoenix before the Richmond race. He also drove four races in Phoenix's No. 09 Cup ride, his best finish 27th at the
Daytona 500.
Over the next few months Benson ran one Busch race for
Matt Kenseth
Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He drives the No. 8 car in the Superstar Racing Experience. (SRX)
Kenseth started racing on several short tracks in Wisconsin and won track cha ...
and
Robbie
Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003.
People Given name Robbie
* Robbie Amell (born ...
and
John Reiser. In August he was offered a ride in the
Bill Davis Racing
Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.
The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in the Camping World Truck Series (Toyota Tundra) since 2004 and Sprint Cup Series ( T ...
No. 23 truck in the
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
, which was previously driven by
Shelby Howard
Shelby Dean Howard IV (born July 25, 1985) is a NASCAR driver. He is currently a free agent.
Racing career
Howard began racing in 1996 in Junior Sprints. In his first season in the National Series, he finished fifth in points. He competed in vari ...
before he was released from the team. Benson had eight Top 10 finishes in thirteen races, finishing 25th in the
2004 series' points standings. Benson had ten Top 10 finishes in 25 races, and was 10th in the
2005 points standings. He ran four Busch races, one for
FitzBradshaw Racing
Trail Motorsports (formerly HighLine Performance Group, FitzBradshaw Racing and Fitz Motorsports) was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previous ...
, and another for
Smith Bros. Racing, finishing 18th at Nashville. He also had three Cup starts, two of them in the No. 00
Sara Lee Chevy for
Michael Waltrip, and another at Atlanta in the No. 23
Dodge Intrepid
The Dodge Intrepid is a full sized front-wheel drive four-door sedan that was produced by Dodge for model years 1993 to 2004. It is related to the Chrysler 300M, Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, and Eagle Vision which were a ...
for Bill Davis, finishing 28th.
He won his first Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2006
Con-way Freight 200 at the
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track ...
. With the win, Benson became the seventeenth driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's major series. He has also won a pole in each of the three series. He followed with a back-to-back win at the
Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Milwaukee is a race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that takes place at the Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin. The race was previously held from the series' first season in 1995 until 2009. The race was re ...
at
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectato ...
. His third win of the season was at the
Toyota Tundra 200
The Rackley Roofing 200 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Nashville Superspeedway in Gladeville, Tennessee. The race, which was previously held from 2001 to 2011, returned to the schedule in 2021 after ten years away.
The event ...
at
Nashville Speedway
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand Nati ...
. His fourth win of the season was at the
Sylvania 200 at
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mil ...
. Benson won his fifth race of the year at the
Casino Arizona 150
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race that takes place at Phoenix Raceway. The race has been the last race of the year for the Truck Series since 2020.
History
From 1995 until 1998, two rac ...
at
Phoenix International Raceway. Benson finished the 2006 season in second place, 127 behind
Todd Bodine
Todd Martin Bodine (born February 27, 1964) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 62 Toyota Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing, and current racing ...
. He was named the series' Most Popular Driver for 2006.
For the 2007 season, Benson continued to drive in the No. 23 truck for Bill Davis Racing. He finished the season in third place with four wins: the Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 at Milwaukee Mile, the
O'Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline Maxlife
The UNOH 200 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that takes place in August at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It was usually held on the Wednesday night prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Saturday night race, the Bass Pro Shops ...
at Bristol, the
Missouri/Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at
Gateway International Raceway
World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway International Raceway and Gateway Motorsports Park) is a motorsport racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a ...
, and the
Ford 200
The Baptist Health 200 is an annual 200-mile (321.869 km) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at the Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. The race began as a 250-mile race in 1996, but beginning with the 2002 season, the ...
at
Homestead-Miami Speedway. Benson was named the series' Most Popular Driver for the second year in row, becoming the first driver to repeat as award recipient. Benson also returned to NEXTEL Cup racing by driving the
Wyler Racing No. 46
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry ...
in the
2007 Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400. He also returned to the Busch racing by driving the
Phoenix Racing No. 1 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in the
2007 AT&T 250. Bill Davis also had Benson pull "double duty", driving the No. 23 truck and the No. 36 Toyota Camry in the Cup Series on the same weekend; he did so at the final two races of the year (Phoenix and Homestead-Miami).
Benson drove the No. 23 truck in the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series, winning the series championship in the last race of the season. With the title, he became the second driver to win both the Busch Grand National Series and Craftsman Truck Series championships (
Greg Biffle accomplished this in 2002). In addition, to date he joined a list of only 6 drivers to ever win at least one championship in more than one of the three main title series (
Bobby Labonte
Robert Allen Labonte (born May 8, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He also currently competes full-time in the Superstar Racing Experience, driving the No. 18 car. L ...
,
Brad Keselowski
Bradley Aaron Keselowski (; born February 12, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and entrepreneur. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, a team he also ...
,
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champion, ...
, and
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-time ...
are the others, and they have won championships in the second tier and Cup Series.) His first win of the season came at the
Camping World RV Sales 200 at the
Milwaukee Mile
The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectato ...
, the third consecutive race that Benson has won as Milwaukee Mile. His second, third, and fourth wins came at the
Built Ford Tough 225
The Kentucky 201 was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. The race, originally held in June or July, was moved to September in 2010. One year later, the race was moved to October. The race, begi ...
at
Kentucky Speedway, the
Power Stroke Diesel 200 at
O'Reilly Raceway Park
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, United States, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. I ...
, and the
Toyota Tundra 200
The Rackley Roofing 200 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Nashville Superspeedway in Gladeville, Tennessee. The race, which was previously held from 2001 to 2011, returned to the schedule in 2021 after ten years away.
The event ...
at
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee, United States (though the track has a Lebanon postal address), about southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently hosting the Ally 400, ...
. With this series of wins, he became the fifth driver in the Craftsman Truck Series to win three races in a row. His fifth win of the year came at the
Kroger 200 at
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...
. Benson was named the series' Most Popular Driver for the third year in row.
Also in 2008, after a deal for
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve ( born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian professional racing driver and amateur musician who won the 1997 Formula One World Championship with Williams. In addition to Formula One (F1) he has competed in various o ...
to drive the Bill Davis Racing No. 27 Toyota Camry fell through, it was announced that Benson and
Mike Skinner would share driving duties for the No. 27. Benson failed to qualify in his first appearance in 2008 at the
Kobalt Tools 500, which is also Benson's last attempt to run a Sprint Cup series race to date.
On November 6, 2008, Benson announced that he would not be returning to Bill Davis Racing after the 2008 season. On December 8, 2008, Benson announced that he would be joining the
Red Horse Racing
Red Horse Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina. It was co-owned by former Mobil 1 marketing executive Tom DeLoa ...
team to drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra in the 2009 season. Benson's crew chief from the 2008 season, Trip Bruce, also joined the No. 1 team. On June 8, 2009, it was announced that Red Horse Racing was having to suspend the No. 1 due to a lack of sponsorship after competing in eight races with four top 10 finishes.
On June 13, 2009 Benson was burned in a fiery crash in an ISMA
Supermodifieds race at
Berlin Raceway. He was transported to
Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital with where he was hospitalized suffering from a broken collarbone, separated shoulder, three broken ribs, bruised lungs, a fractured wrist and third-degree burns on one elbow.
After undergoing two surgeries for the burns and a separated shoulder, Benson fully recovered.
For the 2010 season,
Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. They formerly competed in the CARS Tour, ARCA/CRA Super Series, Southern Super Series, and the ARCA Mena ...
intended to field a truck for Benson, but did not to secure the necessary sponsorship. Benson served as a mentor to Kyle Busch Motorsports' drivers
Brian Ickler
Brian Ickler (born September 17, 1985) is a former American professional stock car racing driver.
Racing career Early career
Ickler started in off-road racing when he was 14 years old. At 17, he was SCORE rookie of the year, Lite champion, and t ...
and
Tayler Malsam.
Benson drove for Team Gill Racing in the season opener at Daytona finishing 8th. He then drove for
Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports was a team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They were formed in 1996 by Georgia businessman Billy Ballew.
Fasscore Motorsports
In 2003, Ballew began running a second truck under the name Fasscor ...
at Martinsville, Kansas, and Dover finishing in the top 10 in all 3 races including a pair of 5th-place finishes at Martinsville and Kansas. Benson's only race for Kyle Busch Motorsports came at Texas where he finished 10th. This was his final race in NASCAR.
Turn One Racing announced in 2011 that they intended to field a truck for Benson in 2012, but the deal fell through due to sponsorship issues.
Post-racing career
Benson currently works for the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.
Benson is retired from NASCAR, but still races a supermodified for car owner Brad Lichty on the ISMA tour. He also served as the pace car driver for the
2021 SRX Series
The 2021 Camping World SRX Series was the inaugural season of the Superstar Racing Experience. The six-race season started at Stafford Motor Speedway on June 12 and ended at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on July 17, with Tony Stewart being c ...
.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(
key) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
=Daytona 500
=
Xfinity Series
Camping World Truck Series
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Johnny Jr.
Living people
1963 births
Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Racing drivers from Michigan
NASCAR drivers
NASCAR Xfinity Series champions
NASCAR Truck Series champions
International Race of Champions drivers
American Speed Association drivers
RFK Racing drivers
Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers
Michael Waltrip Racing drivers
Herzog Motorsports drivers