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Birth Date: June 27, 1963
Residence: Charlotte, N.C.
Marital Status: Married to Debbie
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Nickname: JB
Racing is in Johnny Benson’s
blood. His father, Johnny Benson Sr., raced before he was
born, and the younger Benson followed in his father’s footsteps.
Benson Sr. collected seven
track championships at Berlin Raceway from 1971to 1978.
He retired from racing in 1981 to help pave the way for
his son, who first got behind the wheel of a race car in
1982.
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The younger Benson
raced in the Midwest for eight years until he was
signed to drive an American Speed Association (ASA)
car for Throop Motorsports in 1990. Benson was paired
with legendary teammate Bob Senneker. Benson finished
eighth in the final point standings and won the
Rookie of the Year honors.
Benson won the
1993 ASA Championship on the strength of five victories
and 10 pole positions. Benson also made his first
NASCAR start in his home state. He competed in the
NASCAR Busch Series race at Michigan International
Speedway.
In 1994, Benson
and his wife, Debbie, moved from the Midwest to
North Carolina, and Benson drove for BACE Motorsports’
Busch Series team. In his first full season as a
Busch Series driver, Benson amassed one victory
and won Rookie of the Year honors along with finishing
sixth in NASCAR Busch Series points.
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 Benson
continued his climb up the NASCAR ladder in 1996. He
drove Chuck Rider’s No. 30 car to the NASCAR Cup Series
Rookie of the Year title that year. He then joined MBV
Motorsports in 2000, a pairing that yielded 14 top-five
finishes and 32 top-10 finishes in three seasons. Benson
also captured his first Cup Series victory at
(Rockingham) North Carolina Speedway in 2002.
Benson began the 2004 season as pilot of the Phoenix
Racing car in the Busch Series. He amassed one top-five
finish and four top-10 finishes in 11 starts, but was
released a quarter of the way through the season. He was
not unemployed for long. Known for his keen eye for
talent, Bill Davis quickly hired Benson to drive the No.
23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series. Benson competed in the final 13
races of the season, scoring an impressive five top-five
finishes and eight top-10 finishes. Benson’s strongest
showing of the year came when he finished second to
fellow Toyota driver Todd Bodine at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.
His strong showing in 2004 made Benson and the No. 23
BDR team an early-season favorite for the 2005 Craftsman
Truck Series title. Despite misfortune early in the
season, the team finished the year with a string of
strong finishes. Benson and crew totaled six top-five
finishes and four top-10 finishes en route to a
10th-place finish in the championship standings. The
chemistry between Benson and crew chief Rick Ren, who
joined the team in late 2005, was strong, and the team
again had great expectations for 2006. The No. 23 team’s
hard work was rewarded with five victories, eight
top-five finishes, four top-10 finishes and the
runner-up position in the championship standings. Always
a fan favorite, Benson also received the series’
Most
Popular Driver Award.
Expectations are again high for Benson and the No. 23
Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra team, as they prepare
for another championship run.
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