Benson gets a ride, my Pet Peeve of the Week, Winston Cup Garage Poll, Robby Gordon will pilot No. 13 "No Fear" Ford Taurus. There's a new Winston Cup Topic coming to Suite 101, and Past Champions II celebrates the life of one of NASCAR's finest champions.
Benson's Ride For 2000......... Tyler Jet Motorsports
Johnny Benson will pilot the No. 45 Pontiac for Tyler Jet Motorsports. The story I read, linked below, kind of made me laugh. More on that later. Benson has been driving the No. 26 Cheerios car for Roush Racing for the last few seasons, and hasn't been visited much by the success bug. His weekly showing is mediocre, to say the least. Tyler Jet started out with Darrell Waltrip in '98, then switched to Rich Bickle for '99, then Jack Sprague, and finally David Green brought the team in for a 35 position in points, way off the mark. Read the story at NASCAR Online .
Pet Peeve of the Week......... This Team, That driver
Yes, I think I ought to start a "Pet Peeve of the Week" column. It really got me to thinking when I read the story on NASCAR Online about Benson moving to Tyler Jet. Yadda yadda yadda, yak yak yak. It's the same old hype. Benson is excited about moving to a team where he is "acquiring a competitive edge." Tim Beverly, owner of Tyler Jet Motorsports, says, "This team continues to grow, with Johnny in the seat, I'm confident that we will continue our growth through the 2000 season."
What a line of hogwash! It's the same old story, regardless of the team or driver. Benson has been driving for one of the most competitive teams in Winston Cup Racing, Jack Roush Motorsports. They don't come any more competitive or better equipt that than. Who does he think he's trying to kid? There isn't a new team in the business that can give him what the Jack Roush organization did. Benson's career is going down, not up. Benson's a looser as far as his career, and being a successful driver goes, just look at his driving record since he's come to Winston Cup, and read between the lines. He's no Jeff Gordon, or Mark Martin, that's for sure.
Then you have Tim Beverly, on the other hand, telling about how confident he is in having Johnny Benson at the wheel for the 2000 series. He couldn't get anyone else. Who else was there? There's no other drivers that are looking for a job, that's any better than Benson. A.J. Foyt called the 'out of work driver pool', "Recycled Drivers." That's how he put it, they just recycle them from one team and car to the other, hoping that the magic will strike, and they will all of a sudden head for the top. Believe me, it just doesn't happen that way. These drivers will just fall back into the Busch Series, or just plain disappear.
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