Written by:
NASCAR Communications
11/19/2008
Charlotte, Norh Carolina
2008 Truck Series Champion Johnny Benson will join David Starr at Red Horse Racing in 2009. (Photo: LAT)
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champions Feted In Season-Ending Festivities
In a season of firsts – and the final one for longtime series sponsor Craftsman – Johnny Benson and his Bill Davis Racing team celebrated the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship Monday night during the series’ awards banquet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Benson, 45, became the series’ 10th different champion by finishing seventh in Sunday night’s Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also became only the second competitor to win the truck series title and the NASCAR Nationwide title, having captured the latter in 1995. Greg Biffle is the other driver to have won both championships
The 13 years between championships is the longest in NASCAR national series history.
Owners Bill and Gail Davis and crew chief Trip Bruce also became NASCAR Craftsman Truck champions for the first time as Benson edged Ron Hornaday Jr. by seven points in the third-closest title race since the organization adopted its current national series points structure in 1975.
There has been a different champion each year since 2000 as the series concluded its 14th season.
Benson joined Bill Davis Racing in mid-2004 on a race-to-race basis and became a fulltime driver in 2005. He finished third in the standings a year ago after placing runnerup to Todd Bodine in 2006.
Over the course of the three seasons, Benson has won 14 races.
“Winning the championship for Bill and Gail Davis and BDR has been great. When I got the call from Bill (in 2004), we had two main goals. To win races and win a championship,” said Benson, from Grand Rapids, Mich.
