Johnny Benson Jr. returns to Berlin Raceway with 'no hesitation' after summer crash
By Steve Kaminski | The Grand Rapids Press
April 10, 2010, 5:40PM
Johnny Benson Jr. had no reservations about climbing back into his Late Model stock car and tearing around Berlin Raceway when the track hosted its first preseason test-and-tune Saturday afternoon.
However, the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Truck champion was a little curious.
Benson, of Grand Rapids, hadn’t been back to his home track since June 13, when he was in a fiery crash in Turn 4 during an International Supermodified Association feature. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he spent three days.
“I was looking over there for the burn mark on the track, but I don’t see it,” Benson said. “I was laughing about it today. I’m like, yes, this is the first time back for me. It’s no big deal.
“There is no hesitation whatsoever. You just hammer down and go. It was no different than when I got back in the truck when I went to do some testing. You get the brakes warm and you go.
“There is no working your way up to it. Some people will take the work-your-way-up-to-it approach. But I just go.”
The four-hour test session attracted almost 80 cars. Drivers will have one more crack at shaking down their cars at another Berlin test-and-tune 1 to 5 p.m. April 17
Octavian Cantilli | The Grand Rapids Press
Ryan Gruppen takes a practice lap in the No. 76 car at Berlin Raceway's test-and-tune Saturday. Berlin’s 60th season will open April 24, with action getting under way at 7 p.m.
Benson does not have a full-time truck ride this season, although he has been able to find part-time work and posted a top-10 finish at Daytona and Martinsville. He said he expects to run a handful of times this season at Berlin.
“I don’t have a set schedule because I’m still trying to find something to do with the Truck Series,” Benson said. “I’m going to try to run four or five races out here for sure. But I don’t have the dates yet. I was trying to come up here for opening night, but I might be running Kansas. I don’t know yet. I don’t know my schedule yet, to be perfectly honest.”
“We are trying some stuff, like everybody does,” Benson said about his homemade Late Model. “We are trying some off-the-wall stuff, and then I will make some adjustments and see if I can come back.”
Saturday’s test also marked the debut of Berlin’s Modified division. This will be the first season since 1968 that Berlin has offered a weekly open wheel class, and Ben Kleis of Hamilton predicted it will be a hit with drivers and fans.
Kleis, who raced 4-Cylinders last year, will drive a Modified this season.
“We ended up fourth in points last year, and we figured we would try something different,” Kleis said. “It is something new out here, and we wanted to get involved at the ground floor. We have a lot of guys starting out.
“It’s a lot different than the 4-Cylinder, but it’s fun.”
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