February Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Bernard Rucker

Some race fans watch more than one racing series ( NASCAR, IndyCar, ARCA, etc). Every race fan is different and some race fans only watch one racing series. Every race fan has different opinions about what is going on in the racing series that they watch. I talked to February “race fan of the month” winner Bernard Rucker via email. I had the opportunity to ask him questions and to see how much of an extreme race fan he really is.

Bernard Rucker is originally from Michigan but for the last sixteen years he has made Tempe, Arizona his hometown. Bernard is engaged to Deanna Craig and she is a race fan too. Bernard’s father was a mechanic, so engines were a major topic around his boyhood home. He got interested in NASCAR shortly after they started to broadcast the races on the radio. When “ABC Wide World Of Sports” took to the air with the Daytona 500, he remembers watching Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison bumping each other, then they spun each other out on the final lap and continued to pound on each other outside of there race cars.“ I watched as NASCAR race cars went from no sponsors, to one sponsor, to multiple sponsors throughout the years,” said Bernard. Bernard really got hooked on NASCAR when he went to his first NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway when he was just a little boy. Bernard said,” The first thing that got my attention was the loud sound of those engines and the smell of raw fuel. We took our seats, sixteen rows up from the track and proceeded to watch as the cars came by behind the pace car and my heart began to race. The green flag waved in the air for the start of the race and the drivers sped by so fast that I couldn’t tell which driver was which! When they came out of turn four and raced by us at a 180 miles per hour three things came in my mind: These guys are going unbelievably fast, I was hooked on racing, and the speed of those cars made me chilly! That was when I came to realization that I loved this sport!”

Bernard does not really have a favorite race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has watched Jeff Gordon’s racing career very closely. “ I watched Jeff Gordon’s racing career on ESPN’S Saturday Night Thunder program which aired late on Saturday night’s." Bernard would like to see Mark Martin and Jeff Burton win the Daytona 500 soon. Bernard said,"I am a fan of Jennifer Jo Cobb and Morgan Shepherd in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Morgan is 70 years old and still making races, what a racer!" In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Bernard is a fan of Ron Hornaday Jr, Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters, and Johnny Sauter. His favorite ARCA Series race car driver is Bobby Gerhardt. In the IZOD Indy Car Series, Bernard’s favorite race car drivers are, Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, and Marco Andretti."In the Formula one series I really don’t have a favorite since they’ve started allowing the 12- valve engines and the leader of the race is so far out in front that it has taken the thrill out of the race. I still watch a Formula One race every once in awhile though.” Bernard watches the NHRA Series too. He is a fan of 15 time Champion John Force! He also watches the Rolex Series. He is a fan of Max Angelelli. “ He will win a championship soon."
I would classify Bernard as an extreme race fan because of four things I learned about him. The first thing is that he truly loves racing and he has strong opinions about the rules in NASCAR. “ The idea of locking in the top 35 in points: If you don’t have the speed to make the show than you are just a moving hazard out there all afternoon. You should have to make your way to be there regardless of who you are,who you drive for,or who your sponsor is! The race for the Championship: Five races should decide the NASCAR Championship. A Super speedway, an intermediate track, a mile track, a Bristol or Martinsville race and yes of course a road course. When I asked Bernard if he goes to any races he said,” I go to the fall NASCAR races at Phoenix when I can. I’m a down to earth man, my bills get paid before I have fun. When I have fun, I just don’t get tickets for one race, I get tickets for the whole weekend at Phoenix! That’s my idea of going to the races! One race is not enough!”

The third thing that I learned about him  is that he has a dream of wanting to give the commands at a race. Bernard said," As far as doing something in a race I’d like to be the one to tell the guys to start their engines! I would like to say Alright racers , It’s time to start the fires and light the tires! Instead of the traditional , Gentleman start your engines, or I’d like to drive the pace car!" The last thing that I learned about him is that Bernard wrote a prayer before the Daytona 500 and he said” This prayer should be an official prayer for each race car driver.”

Lord As I prepare to take the track;

I pray for you to bring me back.

Not wrecked or bruised, or hurting face;

But hopefully in first place.

Give us the guidance for clear vision;

And to make the right decisions.

Guide all of us in our cars;

No matter in which turn we are.

Should we finish this grueling race;

Give me at least a top ten space.

Keep our equipment in tip top shape;

And without a single scrape.

　

Tell us in advance when we should hit the gas;

And stop us before we say or do something crass.

As the end begins to unfold;

Keep our cars up on the road.

Yes lord on this particular day;

Help us and guide us on the way.

Keep all of us safe and sound;

As our cars go round and round.

Watch out for all of my competitors, and friends;

As we compete to the very end.

This prayer is not for just me;

But all my brothers and sisters across the sea.

And now as we prepare to take our starting spot;

Guide us and protect us no matter what.

Amen!

To Bernard Rucker: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen! I really enjoyed writing this article about you. Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s February “ race fan of the month” winner. You are truly an extreme race fan. I hope you enjoy the 2012 racing season.





(Bernard Rucker. Credit goes to Bernard
Rucker.)

 

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Series Race At Daytona International Speedway

The ARCA racing series kicked off the 2012 season with one of the most prestigious races on the ARCA Series schedule on February 18th: The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Before the race started the ARCA racing series drivers had to practice and qualify for the race.

The first practice session for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona took place on February 16th. Steve Blackburn was the fastest in the first practice session. His lap time was 47.712 (188.632mph). The final practice session took place on February 18th before the race started. Bobby Gerhart was the fastest in final practice. His lap time was 48.886 (184.102 mph).

Qualifying for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona took place on February 17th. Bobby Gerhart thought he won the pole position for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona but Bobby saw his qualifying time taken off the board because the engine in his car failed inspection after qualifying. Bobby started the race in the forty-second position. Sean Corr was awarded the Menards Pole Award. Sean’s qualifying lap time was 49.271 ( 182.663 mph). Ryan Reed started in the second position. Ryan’s qualifying lap time was 49.362 (182.326 mph). Steve Blackburn started in the third position. His qualifying lap time was 49.416 ( 182.127 mph). Tom Hessert started in the fourth position. Tom’s qualifying lap time was 49.449 (182.006 mph).Chris Windom started in the fifth position. His qualifying lap time was 49.475 ( 181.910 mph).

One of the biggest stories going into the race weekend was that the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is celebrating its 60th season this year. Another story that I thought was interesting is that twenty four rookies were in the field at Daytona. Milka Duno, Sloan Henderson and Leilani Munter were the three females in the field at Daytona. A sad story that was shared before the race was that Mildred Marcum, matriarch and co-founder of ARCA, passed away in January at St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Mildred had just celebrated her 98th birthday on January 6, 2012.

On February 18th at about 4:30pm ET the ARCA drivers heard those famous words in racing, "drivers start your engines!" The ARCA cars rolled off pit road and onto the track to start some pace laps after everyone had their engines fired up. Right before the green flag waved in the air the pace car made its way onto pit road and the field was now in the hands of pole sitter Sean Corr. As the ARCA cars got closer to the start/finish line the green flag waved in the air for the start of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona! As they crossed the start/finish line to complete the first lap it was pole sitter Sean Corr who lead the first lap at Daytona!

On lap two Bobby Gerhart came onto pit road to top off his fuel tank. After Bobby came off pit road and back onto the track he went one lap down. He was running about six cars back behind the leader on lap five.

Unfortunately rookie Sloan Henderson was having problems with her car and she coasted off the race track on lap seven. Sloan’s car had a problem with the ignition. As Sloan was trying to coast to pit road, the first caution came out for Milka Duno. Will Kimmel and Milka Duno made contact and that sent Milka spinning at a very high speed. Duno handled the spin with great skill and she brought the car into the pits. While they were still under the first caution the majority of the field came down pit road for pit stops. Sloan Henderson was on pit road during the caution and her crew had the hood up on the car. As the first caution was still out, Milka Duno’s car was brought into the garage area by a tow truck. The Aarons lucky dog went to Bobby Gerhart. Pole sitter Sean Corr lead the field to the restart.

Unfortunately Leilani Munter spun coming off of turn two and that brought out the second caution on lap fourteen. Her left rear tire went down and completely flew off. Leilani was able to drive her car to pit road. The lucky dog went to Sloan Henderson. Sloan did not get back on the lead lap. she was five laps down because of the issue that happened on lap seven with her ignition. During the second caution a couple of cars went down pit road for pit stops.

The green flag waved in the air for the restart and Cale Gale was the leader. It didn’t take Brandon Mcreynolds long to make his way around Cale Gale and snatch the lead from him on lap nineteen.

Coming out of turn four Bill Coffey’s right front tire went down and he slammed into the wall and that brought out the third caution on lap twenty.

The pace car turned onto pit road and the field was in the hands of Brandon Mcreynolds. The green flag waved in the air for the restart and Brandon got an excelled restart. After 29 out of 80 laps Brandon Mcreynolds lead the field with Ryan Reed running second.

When the race reached half away unfortunately the pole winner Shawn corr had problems with his engine. The pole winner was not going to be the race winner because he had to take his car to the garage.

With twenty two laps to go Brandon Mcreynolds was still leading the field. He had a strong car all day but Brandon’s team had one thing on their mind: Do they have enough fuel to make it to the end?

A lot of drivers needed a caution to come out so they could get some fuel and they got their wish with eleven lap to go. Rick Clifton, Sloan Henderson and James Hylton were involved in a wreck. James moved up the hill right in front of Sloan Henderson. Sloan had no where to go and Rick Clifton got collected in the wreck. While the fourth caution was still out only a couple cars came in for pit stops.

As the ARCA cars came to the start/finish line the green flag waved in the air for the restart with five laps to go! Mcreynolds strongly raced away trying to pull away from the field. Brandon knew he had to be conservative because he was very low on fuel. With four laps to go Paulie Harraka spun off the track but the race stayed green and Paulie got back on the track!

Unfortunately the fifth caution came out for Chris Buescher with two laps to go. Chris got spun by Nelson Canache and he went off the track. Chris did a good job keeping the car under the yellow line so he did not get hit by another car.

As the pace car rolled off the track and onto pit road the field was in the hands of race leader Brandon Mcreynolds with two laps to go. As the white flag waved in the air Brandon was only two and a half miles away from his first ARCA racing series victory! Coming out of turn four for the final time Brandon unfortunately ran out of gas and Bobby Gerhart flew past Brandon and Bobby crossed the start/finish line the winner of the season opener at Daytona! As the field crossed the start/finish line multiple cars ran out of gas and some cars ran into each other and wrecked. Drew Charlson finished second, Will Kimmel finished third, Steve Blackburn finished fourth and Mark Thompson finished fifth. Bobby Gehart is now an eight time winner at Daytona!

After the race ended some race fans talked about their reactions of the race via social networking.

ARCA races are always exciting to watch. I have been a Frankie Kimmel fan for years. I met him in the early 90's and he is a really nice guy and fan friendly. - Nina Leshley

One really good race! - Jimmy Thompson

It was a great race. ARCA is so under-rated.- Stephen Marling

A lot of race fans truly did enjoy the ARCA series season opener at Daytona. Bobby Gerhart is a talented driver and he is a threat to win every time he is in a race. The ARCA racing series truly has some of the best racing you will see. If you have not watched an ARCA race I truly encourage you to sit down and watch an ARCA race or attend a race if you can. The ARCA racing series is back in action and they started the 2012 season with a fantastic season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

To Bobby Gerhart: Congratulations on winning the 2012 ARCA series season opener at Daytona!

Race fans: Do you want to see more exciting ARCA races? Don’t miss the Mobile ARCA 200 at Mobile International Speedway on March 10th. The Mobile ARCA 200 will not be televised. The next televised ARCA race will be the Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega Super speedway on May 4th.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

January Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Len Riojas

39 year old Len Riojas has been a race fan since he was a kid playing AFX Slot cars on his living room floor with his older brother and cousins. Len is about the only person outside of his immediate family that has a true passion for racing. In the early 90’s Len was working as an EMT ( Emergency Medical Technician) and he asked to volunteer as a corner worker/medical staff at both Sears Point Raceway ( now Infineon Raceway) and Laguna Seca during the AMA Super bike events. “ I live in Portland, Oregon where we’ve hosted the C.A.R.T/Champ car series for nearly 30 years. This is where I learned about racing and for many years I didn’t miss fathers day at P.I.R," said Len. Len has since become a huge fan of open wheel and sports car racing. He is a fan of Formula one, ALMS, Grand AM and Indy Car.

When I asked Len what does he like about racing he said,“ I don’t have the ability to describe the moment when a grid comes to life other than to say it cannot be ignored. The first time I watched a pack of cars roll off the start/finish line and rumble by me I was hooked.“

When I asked Len what is his favorite race car driver in every racing series that he watches Len said; “ It’s hard to say. In Indy Car it would have to be Will Power. I’ve met him on a few occasions; he’s very friendly, always willing to take a minute to chat with the fans, and of course he’s a great driver. In ALMS, I am a huge fan of Allan McNish. I got a chance to meet Jonathan Bomaritom in his days in the Atlantics and have followed his career since; now he’s driving GT cars in the Grand - Am Series. I’ve met a lot of drivers, too many to mention however I will mention this, a couple years ago while visiting the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque I got to meet Al Unser SR."

Len tries to go to a race every year but now that his home race is off the schedule it has become a little more difficult to go to a race every year. He has traveled a lot in recent years which has allowed him to go to Indy Car races in other parts of the country.

I would classify Len as an extreme race fan because he plans vacation time around the IZOD Indy Car Series schedule, he has strong opinions on the sport, its evolution and the direction he sees it taking and he took unpaid time off work to drive 1600 miles to attend a race. For Len, attending a race isn’t just a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, it’s a week long event.

To Len Riojas: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen. Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s January "race fan of the month" winner! You definitely are an extreme race fan with a true passion for racing. I hope you enjoy the 2012 racing season!



( Katherine Legge and Len Riojas.
Credit goes to Len Riojas.)



Jeremy Clements: An Incredible Race Car Driver

(Credit goes to Jeremy Clements
Racing. Sources: jeremyclements
racing.com and Jeremy Clements.)

Jeremy Clements was born on January 16, 1985 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He graduated from Paul M. Dorman High school in 2003. Jeremy is the grandson of famed NASCAR owner and crew chief Crawford Clements. His family owns and operates Clements Racing Engines, a premier racing engine company that provides winning power plants for numerous dirt, Hooters Cup and ARCA teams across the nation. Jeremy said “I never went to prom or football games because my weekends consisted of racing Fridays, Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. I had friends who grew up with racing so we hung out at the track. I don’t regret any of it because that is what it took to get where I am today. Racing is my passion." Jeremy Clements is a NASCAR Nationwide Series racing professional and his passion of him wanting to race started when he was just a young boy in Elementary school.

Jeremy started his racing career in go-carts with his brother Jason. "My grandfather would take us to Buck Creek Speedway every Saturday. He was a big part of getting me involved in racing,” stated Jeremy. Jeremy earned forty-seven feature wins before successfully tackling the various ranks of dirt track racing.“ I was 14 years old when I ran my first dirt track race in mini stocks in 1999." He raced four cylinder cars in both the modified and stock series at Thunder Valley Speedway and Cherokee Speedway.

“I moved up to Super late models in 2002,” said Jeremy. He won numerous feature wins on dirt and multiple track championships in Modified Four-Cylinders and Super Late Models. After he had dirt track racing experience, he transitioned to asphalt racing.
Jeremy made his ARCA series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in 2002. He started 6^th and finished a respectable 17^th in the #3 Chevrolet. He started five ARCA races in 2003, earning three top 10s. Clements made his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series ( then NASCAR Busch Series ) in 2003 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Jeremy was one of the youngest drivers to ever qualify for a NASCAR Nationwide Series event (18). He started 35^th and finished 31^st after an early crash. After his debut in the Nationwide Series at Pikes Peak International Raceway, Jeremy did not return to the Nationwide Series until 2007.

In July 2004 Jeremy was seriously injured in a dirt late model race in Madison, NC at 311 Speedway when the torque arm broke and sent a piece of the driveshaft through the car and it about took his arm and hand off. He went through ten surgeries in a year with one of them sewing his hand to his right side hip to get a skin graft and doing bone grafts from his hip for his hand. They also took tendons from his right foot to put into his hand. That was a scary time for Jeremy because the doctors told him he would never race again. Jeremy was determined to prove them wrong because he wanted to get back in the seat and race again. One year later Jeremy drove in a dirt late model race and finished 2nd. Jeremy said "I am very grateful to the good lord for saving my hand and to be able to use it to race."

　Clements made his ARCA return in September 2005. Jeremy ran 10 races in the ARCA series in Ken Appling’s #3 Chevrolet in 2006. He earned four top 10s including three consecutive top5s. He was also Selected by General motors to Participate in a three track test with Richard Childress Racing.

(His First and only ARCA Series Victory.)

Clements had a spectacular season in 2007, earning eight top- 10s in 12 races. Jeremy earned his first and only ARCA win at Nashville Super speedway in 2007. He started 2nd and led 48 laps. Jeremy ran seven races in 2008 where he earned 5 top 10s. Clements signed with McGill Motorsports to run the last five races of the season in their #36 Chevrolet in 2007. He finished two races and had a best finish of 23rd at Lowes Motor speedway. In 2008 he attempted four races for his family owned #50 team. He qualified for two of them, earning finishes of 22^nd and 30^th.

Throughout 2008 he was mentioned often in the same sentences as Kyle Busch. The Joe Gibbs Racing organization has a strong belief in Jeremy and has entrusted much of their testing, practice, and qualifying efforts of Kyle Busch's No. 18 Nationwide car to Clements. Jeremy has qualified the car as high as second.

In 2009 Clements increased his focus on the Nationwide Series, attempting 13 races and making 12. He ran six races in his family owned #50 with a best finish of 16^th. Shortly before the October race at Kansas Speedway in 2009, Jeremy and sponsor Saxon Group joined forces with JD motorsports to finish out the season in the #0 Chevrolet. In his 2^nd race with JD , he finished a career best 12^th at Auto club Speedway.

Clements drove the first three races of the 2010 season in the #0 for JD Motor sports . After missing the field at Daytona due to qualifying being rained out, his plans for the rest of the season were up in the air. The #0 team was shut down and JD moved Clements to the #04. He attempted the next two races as planned, but unfortunately he failed to qualify for both of them. Clements made his first race of the season in April at Nashville Super speedway, finishing 22^nd. He attempted 19 more races , qualifying for 15 of them.

In 2011 Jeremy competed in his first full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He finished 15^th in points. He has no top-ten finishes, but he had three 14^th- place finishes and ten top- twenty finishes.

In 2012 Jeremy Clements Racing will be racing the full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Jeremy Clements Racing is still looking for sponsors. They are working very hard to get everything ready for the 2012 season.

　I had the privilege to talk with Jeremy via email and ask him a couple more questions and this is what he had to say:

“ I have wanted to be a race car driver ever since I was little. My family has been involved in racing since the 60’s so it kind of runs in our blood. “

“My dad, Tony Clements, raced in the Asphalt Late Model and Enduro 500 lap. My uncle Glenn raced go carts, motorcycles and limited sportsman. My brother Jason raced go carts and limited sportsman.”

“ The hardest part about racing is that its not all about talent. One of the biggest factors to racing is the equipment and in order to have great equipment you have to have strong sponsorship backing you. We have been very fortunate to have many great sponsors throughout 2011 and be able to be competitive with million dollar teams."

“ I love the speed, competitiveness and the rush I get from racing."

“ My favorite tracks are Bristol, Charlotte and Dover. Bristol is awesome because it feels really fast and you can race all over the track. Dover has the same feel. Charlotte is just a fun place to race with high speeds and my family and friends there being the home track. My least favorite track is New Hampshire just because it’s flat and hard to pass on.”

“My best racing memory was when I was 15 and we won both World Crown Four Cylinder Nationals at Cherokee Speedway for $16,000 and the race at Thunder Valley Speedway for $12,000 in the same week.”

“ I’m very competitive! I try to win and do my best at anything and everything I do. I’ve always been that way and don’t see it changing.”

“To be a race car drive you have got to have the guts to drive fast and around other cars. There’s a lot of hand eye coordination involved as well. The higher you go in racing the longer the races are so you have to pick and choose your battles and know when to race and when not to.”

“My biggest inspiration has to be my grandpa, Crawford Clements. I learned a lot from him and he’s the one that got me started racing and in love with the sport.”

“ My off season consists of going away on a couple vacations; skiing, Orlando PRI show and a cruise. I also catch up with family and friends and go to the race shop a lot to prepare for next season.”

“ I’m just starting to get into mountain biking so that’s really fun. I love going to the lake and riding jet skis, tubing and hanging out with friend there. I enjoy roller coasters and anything that will give you an adrenaline rush. I try and work out to stay in shape too as well as play on the racing simulator."

“ My goals for the future are to keep getting our team stronger and keep running as best we can. I would like to run Sprint Cup one day as well if the opportunity comes along. I treat every race like it’s my last so I run as hard as possible and go for the win.”

“ Being a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver is a huge privilege. I am very grateful to be able to compete at such a high level and i don’t ever taking it for granted. It could end any time and I think a lot of guys forget that. There are so many great drivers out there that would do anything to race in this series so I feel very lucky. I’ve learned a lot since my first race in the Nationwide Series when I was 18.”

“ I support a few charities that I feel strongly about. The main charities that I support are APED and Defenders for Children. I also support Food for the Poor, MRO, Back 2 Back Ministries, Perception Ministries, St. Judes Hospital, Miracle Hill Ministries and the Antonia Petrina Tersillo Memorial Scholarship fund.”

“ Social Media is a huge part in raising a fan base and keeping fans and sponsors up to date with everything going on. I have a facebook page, Jeremy Clements Racing and a Twitter account, jc_racing51. In 2011 we used social media to help raise money for our charlotte fan car and the Atlanta APFED car.”

The last thing that I asked Jeremy was what would you say to someone who would love to be a race car driver? Jeremy said “ Never give up no matter how hard it gets. Keep pushing and give 100% all the time; from driving to working on the equipment. You never know when the right person will see you.”

Jeremy has worked very hard to get were he is at today. His passion is racing and someday soon Jeremy will get his first NASCAR win.

To Jeremy Clements: Thank you very much for allowing me to ask you some questions so this article could happen, I truly do appreciate it. All of your race fans wish you the best of luck in the 2012 racing season.
 Race Fans:Come join Jeremy Clements & other NASCAR drivers for a casino night to benefit APFED. There will be casino tables, dancing, silent auction & live auction.
Valentines & Vegas
Hosted by Jeremy Clements & Racing for a Cause
To benefit APFED
When: February 11, 2012 at 7pm
Where: Embassy Suites Greenville, SC.
To learn more about Valentines & Vegas, Click on the link below.
http://www.racingforacause.com/index_files/RFAC_UpcomingEvents.htm.

Johnny Benson’s 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Racing Plans Unfortunately Change

Johnny Benson has not been racing in NASCAR for more than two years now. Even though he has not been racing in NASCAR, he has still been racing in other series. Johnny has coached up and coming NASCAR stars. He has worked with Trevor Bayne, the 20 year old that won NASCAR’s most prestigious event, the 2011 Daytona 500. He has worked with Danica Patrick and he has worked with Johanna Long in the Camping World Truck series. In 2010 Benson served as a mentor to Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers Brian Ickler and Taylor Malsam.Johnny said that he would not return to NASCAR unless he found a good team that had a chance to run for the championship.

Johnny Benson announced in September that he would make his return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012, driving the No.66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing, with major sponsorship from his home state and Pure Michigan. Johnny wanted to show the “young guns” in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series that he can still race hard with them at the age of forty-eight years old. Johnny acknowledged that the deal to run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for Turn One Racing was not quite done and full season sponsorship was lacking.

Unfortunately in January Johnny announced that he does not plan to run full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012 because sponsorship did not come through. “ We were really looking forward to bringing the 2008 Truck Series champion back to NASCAR,” said team owner of Turn One Racing, Stacy Compton.

As a result, Compton and his Turn One Racing Team now have a vacant seat for the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Compton expects to make an announcement regarding the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season in the coming weeks.

Johnny Benson plans to return to racing in the ISMA Super Modified Series which is making a return visit to Berlin Raceway on August 25, 2012.

Johnny is a very talented NASCAR veteran and I truly believe we will see him in at least a couple NASCAR races before he retires from racing. It is unfortunate that he did not have enough funding to race the full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2012 season, but race car drivers deal with that a lot and hopefully we can see Johnny Benson “shine like a star” again in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the future. If Johnny does not run any NASCAR races in 2012, make sure you watch him race in the ISAM Super Modified Series!

To Johnny Benson: All of your race fans are disappointed that they wont get to see you race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full time in the 2012 season, but they understand that it is really hard to get funding to race. All of your race fans know that you are a very talented race car driver and you should be very proud of what you accomplished in your racing career. Good luck with your racing in the 2012 season!

David Reutimann Joins Tommy Baldwin Racing

Many race fans were shocked to hear that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series two- time winner, David Reutimann was released from his No.00 ride at Michael Waltrip Racing after the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season ended.

David’s time in the unemployment line did not last long. It was announced today that David Reutimann has joined Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) for a one year contract during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as a teamate to current TBR driver, Dave Blaney. David Reautimann and Tommy Baldwin discussed their schedule, with start- and parking not in their plans. Reutimann will not run the full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Reutimann said that "we're looking at 26 races -- not a full season but that's something we're obviously angling towards and trying to do and we're going there to race".Tommy Baldwin said today that sponsorships and which car numbers his two drivers will use is being determined. Accell Construction, which has been with Baldwin in limited appearances the past couple seasons, has already committed to the team. The crew for David Reutimann’s team is still being determined too, but Tommy Baldwin will be David Reutimann's crew chief for the first few races.

Baldwin said his team would bring a new car to the season-opening test at Daytona Jan. 12-14, probably with Blaney driving "to see how it compares to the field."

Tommy Baldwin Racing has also signed an agreement to run Earnhardt Childress Racing engines for the 2012 NASCAR season.

Speaking about Tommy Baldwin Racing, a three-year-old team, Reutimann said, “Tommy has built a really good organization from the ground up in a really short amount of time.”

Tommy Baldwin Racing reached the top 35 in owner's points in the 2011 NASCAR Season which means Tommy Baldwin Racing is guaranteed a spot in the first five races of the 2012 season, a nice way to begin.

In addition to the new partial Sprint Cup Series ride, Reutimann has also stated that he has been in contact with some Camping World Truck Series owners about racing a few races for them in the 2012 season.

To David Reautimann: All of your race fans are very happy that you found a Sprint Cup Series team to be with during the 2012 Season. All of your race fans wish you the best of luck during the 2012 NASCAR Season.

To Tommy Baldwin Racing: I truly believe your team will do well during the 2012 NASCAR season. All of your race fans wish your team the best of luck during the 2012 NASCAR season.

　

David Ragan Is Engaged

During the 2011 NASCAR off- season David Ragan made plans for the 2012 NASCAR Off-season- he will be getting married.

David Ragan recently proposed to Jacquelyn Butler and the two have set a 2012 wedding date of Dec. 15 at a Charlotte-area church.
David Ragan and Jacquelyn Butler met September 6, 2006 on the UNC Charlotte Campus not far from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Butler, of Greenwood, S.C., graduated from UNC Charlotte earlier this year with a degree in meteorology. She won the Oct. 15,2011 Better-Half Dash charity race at Charlotte.

David Ragan just completed his fifth full year in the Sprint Cup Series and is currently in negotiations with teams in regard to his 2012 season. He was the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie of the year and finished a career-best 13th in Sprint Cup points in 2008. In 2011, he won his first career Sprint Cup race on July 2 at Daytona and scored his first and second career Sprint Cup poles, respectively, on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and on July 30 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

To David Ragan and Jacquelyn Butler: Congratulations on your engagement!