The Benson Racing Team drives to the 49th Annual SuperClean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, August 13-15, Thursday, Friday & Saturday at Knoxville Raceway Follow the @BensonRacing Team online as Kyle & Kenny drive the 1837 miles to race once again at Knoxville Raceway. 2004 was the last time Driver Mike Benson was at this famous track in Iowa. View the Speedways for more info.

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Approaching the halfway point in the California racing season the Benson Racing Team has competed in an even dozen events split between 410ci competition and 360ci competition. While it is an unequal split the team has experienced success with both power plants under the hood. Of the twelve events nine were in the 410ci division and the remainder were in the 360ci division.

Main Event Winner at Petaluma Speedway - Photo by Chris Sampang

Highlighting the 410ci outings were five top ten feature event finishes highlighted by a well earned seventh at the season opener March 28th at Placerville Speedway. Additional highlights during 410ci competition include a heat race victory at Placerville Speedway May 3rd and a successful night at home track Calistoga Speedway May 24th with seventh quick in qualifying, second in the heat, and a strong eight place finish in the A Feature. In fact Benson scored a second place finish both nights in heat race competition at Calistoga Speedway Memorial Day Weekend.

Just recently the team decided to pull the 410ci power plant with the aim of performing a pretty significant overhaul of that motor. The first weekend with the 360ci power plant under the hood was actually competed with team member Kenny Flynn’s own motor in the car and resulted in a sixth place finish in the heat race and sixth place finish in the weekly program A Feature event at Petaluma Speedway June thirteenth. This evening ended up to just be a sign of things to come for the team which admittedly has been frustrated in the past by the quick “hooked up” 3/8ths mile Petaluma Speedway.

Quickly following this moderately successful night at Petaluma Speedway the team faced the competition of the state of California’s top 360ci series the “California Civil War” series on the third of July and was up to the challenge. To start off the evening driver Benson turned in second quick time and while the team didn’t make it directly out of the heat race a transfer was secured with a solid first place finish in the B feature followed by a stout fifth in the A feature. Mixed into all of this was participation in the annual fourth of July parade in downtown Calistoga.

Alissa & Mike - Photo by Chris Sampang

The team quickly backed up their performance at Petaluma Speedway the following weekend in a weekly speedway event on July eleventh. On this evening the team scored a heat race win and their first A main victory of the season by passing veteran home town racer Ivan Worden for the victory. The victory was won by patience and the experience gained by driver Benson over his years behind the wheel of a sprint car. The speedway story of this evening is located here.

On tap for the team in the very near future is a Placerville Speedway weekly show on July 18th and the return to 410ci competition with a newly freshened power plant at Chico Silver Dollar Speedway July 24th & 25th. The team’s tentative schedule is located here.

The 360ci power plant won’t get too much rest with the rapidly approaching Civil War event at Calistoga Speedway on August eighth. As with any opportunity to compete at their home track the team is particularly focused on preparing for success in this event. The only other event that gets this much focus for the rest of the season is the Louie Vermeil Classic for 410ci non-wing cars held Labor Day Weekend September fifth and sixth.

None of this would be possible without the support of team sponsors Hasa Pool Chemicals, Stadelhofer Construction, Tim Agapoff Construction, Cal-Mart, Calistoga Chiropractic, Porters Garage, P.C.S Specialties, Downing Paint & Equipment, Fulton Auto Body, Doug Bok, Moonlight welding, Moore Bros. Racing, Vella Racing Engines & Tech Services powered by septillion.net as well as a long list of many other supporters featured on the team website: BensonRacing.com

Calistoga Speedway Program 2009

Sprint Car Races at Calistoga Speedway

Golden State Challenge
410 Sprint Cars with additional class-Dirt Modifieds.
Souvenir Program 2009 $2

See you at the Races!

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Season opening races always arrive with so much anticipation. New or freshened equipment added with the desire to get back to racing after a nearly five month break is a big part of it. That was no different for the Benson Racing Team as they rolled into the quarter mile bullring known as Placerville Speedway nestled in the Gold Country foothills on March 28th.
With a semi fresh 4 race old 410ci motor bolted between the frame rails the team was ready to take on the top echelon of California winged 410ci sprint car racing by competing in the season opening event for the Golden State Challenge Series which annually crowns the “King of California.” A field of twenty-five cars was on hand to compete on the evening. The team could have never predicted how challenging the night would be when they rolled the car out of the trailer and made preparations for the night’s events.

As a result of a wet February and early March plus perhaps a little too much water thrown in by the track prep crew the speedway was extremely slippery. In fact it was what most racers familiar with this type of racing would refer to as “greasy”. As a result it didn’t really matter what number you drew in terms of qualifying order as everyone was challenged by the tricky surface. The Benson Racing Team came out fifteenth in the qualifying order and turned in tenth quick time with a 10.341 second tour of the high banked oval.

Mike Benson lined the Hasa 77 inside the second row of the first heat. Poised to finish in the top four and transfer directly in to the A feature things couldn’t have gone more wrong from the drop of the green flag. A competitor right behind Benson drove over the right rear wheel flattening the tire in the process and causing significant damage to the right side of the top wing. In the interest of making repairs for the B main the team took a DNF (did not finish) in the heat eventually being scored in eighth place in that event.

With high expectations the team lined up inside the third row of the 12 lap B main hoping for a transfer to the 30 lap A main. Right off the start disaster struck again as a car towards the front of the starting line up spun in turn one. Benson did his best to avoid hitting the spinning car and was nearly clear but ended up clipping it with the right rear wheel which knocked the rear-end out of the car. Fortunately for the team the incident resulted in a lengthy clean-up period which allowed the team to make repairs and return to the speedway. In the end the team was extremely happy with a third place finish in the end and a solid transfer to the A main.

The green flag dropped on the 30 lap A main with the team starting eleventh on a speedway which despite seeing an entire evening’s racing program for two different divisions still had not “come in”. In other words the speedway was still very greasy. Benson settled into a steady rhythm and tried to avoid incidents that were taking place among the leaders ahead of him. The strategy paid off as the team was solidly in the top 10 when disaster struck again. On lap eighteen a car began to flip in turn one and Benson was not able to avoid having it land right on top of the front end of the car crushing the top wing in the process. A smart move by Benson had him keep the car moving after the incident which resulted in not getting charged with the incident. In other words the team got to keep their starting position when the race re-started.

The team had to make a tough decision during the red flag period for the last incident of the event. Even though they had time to change the top wing they had only brought two of them with them to this event and the other one was mangled from the earlier heat race incident. The decision was made to make sure the wing was secure and finish the event the way it was. On the final re-start the team lined up 6th as Benson kept the car as straight as possible given the circumstances. Incredibly only one car got by on the outside late in the race so the team got to celebrate a hard earned seventh place finish.

Next week the team makes a relatively short tow to the Contra Cost County Fairgrounds in Antioch for round two of the Golden State Challenge Series at the newly re-configured Antioch Speedway. Benson hasn’t raced at the speedway in many years but did enjoy success there early in his career while he was still competing in a Minisprint. Hopefully the going won’t be so tough this time around and another top ten finish will be the end result.

The 2009 Season Begins for the Benson Racing Team!

Photo by Kenneth Flynn

More Images at John’s Racing Photos:
http://www.johnsracingphotos.com/main/2009/gscplac0309

Labor Day Weekend 2008 will be remembered as the traditional sprint car racing debut of the Benson Racing Team. The location of the debut is one that most who have never raced without a wing would not have picked – the beautiful but dangerous Calistoga Speedway. For the Benson Racing Team competing in the Louie Vermeil Classic August 30th and 31st, 2008 was something that the Calistoga based team felt was something akin to destiny.

While the team learned a volume of knowledge about what it takes to compete in a traditional sprint event the most positive thing that came out of the weekend beyond that was that it was a safe one. Mike Benson timed in 23rd fast out of 32 cars on Saturday and improved that to 20th out of 31 cars on Sunday. Additionally the team missed a direct transfer out of their heat races and just barely so on Saturday as another competitor beat them by a nose for fourth place in that heat race. At the end of the weekend’s racing the team’s best finish was a ninth place finish in the semi main which is where they finished both Saturday and Sunday.

At this time it is unclear when the team will compete in another traditional sprint racing event. Both the team and driver believe that with these two events under their belt they can be competitive the next time the opportunity presents itself. Many veteran drivers, let alone drivers with no experience racing without a wing, admit being a little intimidated by the prospect of racing “topless” at a place as fast as Calistoga. The Benson Racing Team can confidently put that apprehension behind them as they consider the prospect of future traditional sprint events.

Almost immediately following the busy Labor Day Weekend the team competed in a rare Wednesday event at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico on September 3rd. The event was the “Pacific Sprint Invitational” which kicks off the prestigious “Gold Cup Race of Champions” and is open only to the top 31 teams in the California Civil War Series. Since the team holds down a solid fourth place in the standings there was no question about whether or not they would be invited to compete in this high profile event.

The evening started off with driver Mike Benson setting the 22nd quickest qualifying time out of the 31 cars making time trial runs. Disappointed as they were with their qualifying time the team dug in and made the most of it as the pressure was on to maintain their top four position in the standings. In heat race competition a direct transfer to the feature event was secured by placing fourth.

Lining up eighteenth in the 30 lap feature event the team knew they had their work cut out for them. A march toward the front was going to be necessary in order to maintain their position in the point standings and the feature event was 30 laps around the lightning quick high-banked quarter mile oval. At the conclusion of the feature event the team had secured an impressive eighth place finish and maintained a comfortable lead on the competitor that holds fifth place in the standings.

With just three races remaining in the California Civil War Series and all of them on the high speed quarter mile ovals the team loves to compete on the goal of a top five finish remains in reach. This coming weekend on September 13th the team will make their fourth and final appearance of the season at Petaluma Speedway. After that it is their second longest tow of the year to Ocean Speedway in Watsonville on September 20th before returning to the familiar confines of Placerville Speedway for the series finale on September 27th.

Traditional 410 Sprint Cars return to Calistoga Speedway for 2 days of USAC Non Wing Sprints & Midgets. 1435 N Oak St, Calistoga, CA – (707) 942-5111 – Calistoga Speedway: View Map

When the Benson Racing Team survived a frustrating night at Placerville Speedway two weeks ago with their top five position in the point standings intact it provided something positive to reflect on after an otherwise forgettable evening. This past weekend at their home track of Calistoga Speedway there were a few positives on a good night of racing but none more worth celebrating than advancing into fourth place in the California Civil War Series standings. Having it happen in front of the home town crowd was just icing on the cake.
Thirty-one teams rolled through the pit gate of the scenic Calistoga Speedway on August 9th but none had a shorter tow than the Benson Racing Team unless they were camped outside the speedway on the Napa County Fairgrounds. Driver Mike Benson was the eleventh car to qualify and set the quickest time of the evening at that point with a 18.435 second lap of the half-mile speedway. In the end only one car turned a faster lap and just barely so by turning a 18.399 second lap.
With a good qualifying time the team had their work cut out for them since they would be starting sixth in the second eight lap heat race. The racing surface was dry and the racing groove was narrow which made passing a premium commodity. The Benson Racing Team benefited from a little luck as two cars running in the top four fell victim to mechanical gremlins allowing the necessary fourth place direct transfer position into the feature event to be within reach. Any competitor who has been in the racing world for a significant length of time will tell you they don’t mind being either lucky or good and this night ended up being having good examples of both.
Starting ninth in the 22 car field for the 20 lap feature event the team was confident in the face of the challenges presented by the racing surface, a still narrow racing groove, and the wicked fast straightaways Calistoga Speedway is known for. The first seventeen laps went non-stop and Benson was able to improve his position by three spots to sixth when the yellow flag flew for an incident in turn two. When the checkered flag fell three laps later a well earned sixth place finish was the final result.
While mingling with the sizeable home town crowd gathered around the silver Benson Racing #77 after the races team members speculated that fourth place in the standings could very well be theirs. With the release of the official results on Monday it was confirmed that they were solidly in fourth place in the standings. There are five races left in the 2008 California Sprint Car Civil War Series and the next one isn’t until September 3rd at Silver Dollar Speedway. As a result of the break in 360 ci division racing the crew will take the opportunity to thoroughly check the readiness of the car for the remaining events on the 360 ci division racing schedule.

Non-Wing Update

The non-wing car is very close to being completed and the finishing touches will be wrapped up this week as the team heads to Santa Maria Speedway for their “Traditional” sprint car racing debut this Saturday. Anticipation is building in the California racing community as the “Louie Vermeil Classic” rapidly approaches and “Traditional” sprint car racing returns to Calistoga Speedway August 30th – 31st. The Benson Racing Team looks to be poised to not only be a competitor in the event but a competitive force to contend with in what looks to be shaping up to be a stellar field of racing talent.

This past Saturday July 26th the Benson Racing team finally got a break at a track that hasn’t been too kind to them so far this season. On July 5th the team was poised to finish strong when a flat left rear tire sent them to the pits with five laps down. The team was running fourth at the time after starting outside the second row but the flat sent them to the back of the pack which relegated them to a thirteenth place finish.
Fast forward two weeks and you have a performance that was the team’s strongest night of the season so far. Driver Mike Benson turned in the eighth quickest qualifying time out of 32 cars, a second place finish in the heat race (after starting 5th), and a solid second place finish in the feature event after starting third. The racing surface was very tricky with multiple ruts mixed in with the usual ultra tacky Petaluma Speedway clay which resulted in multiple yellow and red flags for the crashes of other competitors.
A look at the top three finishing drivers shows just what kind of competition Benson had to deal with to secure a second place finish. Petaluma Speedway regular Adam McCarthey maintained the top spot while hot on Benson’s heels was Alissa Geving who is another strong speedway regular. In the end it was Benson’s ability to balance fending off the challenges of Geving while looking for any opening that appeared to take the top spot from McCarthey which all had to be done without the benefit of lapped traffic due to the number of caution periods in the race.
The additional bonus that came out of the team’s strong Petaluma performance was that it helped maintain their fifth place position in the California Civil War series points standings with just six races left. The Benson Racing Team actually entered the top 5 after a strong night at Silver Dollar Speedway on July 18th that ended with a seventh place finish. In addition to a desire to pick up their second win at Calistoga Speedway the team is also very focused on a top five finish in the final Civil War Series point standings.

Quick Trip to the Midwest

Benson Racing Team members Mike Benson, Dave Moore, and Augie “Karl” Grube traveled to the hotbed of sprint car racing that is Indiana. The one week trip had the trio taking in the United States Auto Club’s ever popular “Sprint Week” for “traditional” (non-wing) sprint cars the week of July 9th. Also on tap was the 25th Annual famous “Kings Royal” which is a $50,000 to win event for winged 410ci sprint cars at the ominously high banked Eldora Speedway (the first sprint car race in the history of the sport to pay a winner’s share of that amount). Coming up quick is the Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, IA. for winged 410 ci sprint cars that Benson intends to attend the first four days of. The trip to the Nationals will be sandwiched between Civil War events at Placerville Speedway (August 2nd) and Calistoga Speedway (August 9th).

Taking the Lid Off

Following the Civil War event at Silver Dollar Speedway on July 18th the team began assembling a second car for their first ever venture into “traditional” (non-wing) racing. With very few minor exceptions the car will be identical to the one they have campaigned so far. The most significant differences are that this car will not have either a front or top wing mounted on it and it will have the 410 ci engine under the hood. The team plans on running the USAC /CRA event at Santa Maria Speedway August 16th as their first “traditional” sprint outing.
All of this effort is with an eye towards competing in the historic return of “traditional” sprint car racing to Calistoga Speedway August 30th-31st with the running of the “Louis Vermeil Classic” (http://www.hammerdownusa.com/calistoga08.html). This event marks the return of “traditional” sprint racing to the famous half mile after a 23 year absence and is significant to the entire team since they all grew up watching the spectacular racing waged without the wings at Calistoga Speedway. For Benson in particular the significance cannot be underestimated as Vermeil’s shop was just across the creek from the house he still calls home and veteran drivers like LeRoy Van Connet, who was his boyhood racing hero, will be in attendance. Vermeil is considered by many to be the “father” of sprint car racing in Northern California for his tireless efforts to promote racing at Calistoga Speedway in particular but all over the northern part of the state as well.

The Benson Racing Team competed on the two biggest tracks the Civil War Series schedule has to offer on June 14th and 21st. June 14th featured the half mile Calistoga Speedway which is the team’s home town track and the one they want to win at more than any other. The June 25th event required the team to make a fairly long tow to American Valley Speedway which is a 3/8ths mile track high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains located in the logging town of Quincy.
As the defending “Calistoga Cup” champion the stakes were high for the team in front of the home town crowd. Mike Benson was the sixth car to qualify and being early in the qualifying order proved to not be an advantage on this evening. The only car that qualified in the top five that was among the first six cars to take time trial runs was Willie Croft who went out just ahead of Benson in the qualifying order and ended up fifth quick. The remaining four of the top five fastest cars came out twenty-first or later to qualify. After 37 cars took time trial runs Benson Racing was 19th quickest.
The good news about the time trial run was that it placed the team on the outside of the first row in the third heat race. Needing to finish fourth or better to transfer directly to the feature event Benson was able to accomplish that by maintaining his starting position and finishing second in the event. The team went to work preparing the car for battle in the feature event and kept an eye on the changing track conditions.
With a starting position of sixteenth the team definitely had their work cut out for them. The feature event was twenty laps and the racing surface had dried considerably by the time the green flag was dropped. After the checkered flag was flown twenty laps later the team was in eleventh and, while far from a victory, they were satisfied that they were able to improve their starting position by five spots.
Fast forward a week to American Valley Speedway and the team was competing at a facility they had never even seen before. In fact a majority of the thirty two teams set to compete in the event had never competed at this speedway. To help with this the event promoters hosted a practice session on June 20th. The Benson Racing team participated in the practice session and gained valuable knowledge that they quickly put to use on Saturday.
The team was able to qualify ninth quick which they were enthused about as it placed them “in the inversion” should they be able to transfer directly out of their heat race. Unfortunately the narrow and “paper clip” style race track made it difficult not only for the Benson Racing team to transfer out of their heat race but a majority of the fastest competitors ended up having to compete in the evening’s semi main. With a seventh place finish in the first heat race the team found themselves in fast company in the twelve lap semi main which transferred six cars to the feature event. Unfortunately the team found themselves on the outside looking in when they were unable to improve on their seventh place semi main starting position.
With two tough weekends under their belt the team takes a week off and looks forward to the annual Fourth of July Parade in downtown Calistoga. The Benson Racing 77 will be among the parade participants which is a continuation of a tradition the team has since its inception. After a celebration of Independence Day the team will be competing on July fifth at Petaluma Speedway in round seven of the California Civil War Series for winged 360ci sprint cars.