here is a new one – BGNRacing.com site and NASCAR.com is reporting that ‘Besides [Kasey] Kahne, another driver whose name has been heating up the rumor mill is Scott Riggs. The latest chatter has him going to the #10 MBV Motorsports ride, now occupied by Johnny Benson.( BGNRacing.com ) AND Another driver who has supposedly been quietly looking for a job is Johnny Benson, who is in the #10 Pontiac. Benson and MBV Motorsports could be splitting soon, with Benson replaced by … Busch Series driver Scott Riggs? Riggs has gotten a few Cup offers for 2004, but he apparently is headed to MBV to team with whoever is in the #01 — which might be Jerry Nadeau, if he is healthy.( NASCAR.com Buzz ) and from another NASCAR.com column : The #01 Army racing program was built around Jerry Nadeau, and the hope remains that the veteran driver will return to the car in 2004. But if he’s unable to recover quickly enough from injuries sustained in a May accident at Richmond International Raceway, the team has to have a backup plan. So they’re looking. Intensively. “In our situation, we have to be proactive, always have to be looking,” said Jay Frye, general manager of MB2/MBV Motorsports’ #01 and #0 teams. “We needed to be testing by now with Jerry and we’re not. We have to be prepared either way.” Frye admitted the team has talked with highly sought-after Busch Series driver Scott Riggs. Riggs, currently second to David Green in the Busch Series point standings, has been rumored in nearly every car currently available. From the No. 1 at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., to the No. 30 at Richard Childress Racing, he is rumored to be on everyone’s short list. Including MB2. The #01 and #10 Pontiacs are both presently in a state of limbo. Citing personal reasons, No. 10 crew chief James Ince recently left the organization, and driver Johnny Benson could soon be looking to move, as well.( NASCAR.com ) UPDATE 2: NASCAR Busch Series driver Scott Riggs, who has been rumored for several Winston Cup rides for 2004, appears headed for the MB2/Valvoline Racing organization next season, ThatsRacin.com has learned. Riggs, currently second in the Busch points race, is expected to drive either the #10 or #01 Pontiac next season, sources confirmed Thursday night. Jay Frye, general manager for MB2 Motorsports, confirmed Thursday that Riggs was “under consideration” for a ride with the organization in 2004. He declined to comment further. Riggs’ move to MB2/Valvoline Racing would be a surprise since garage area speculation most of the season had him matched with other Cup teams, including rides with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Evernham Motorsports.( ThatsRacin.com )(10-10-2003) UPDATE 3: Johnny Benson said he intends to be back in MBV Motorsports’ No. 10 Pontiac in 2004, despite rumors that he could be replaced. Rumors surfaced this weekend [at NASCAR.com] about Benson’s status with the team when MBV/MB2 Motorsports general manager Jay Frye said the team has talked to Busch Series driver Scott Riggs. But Benson said no one at MBV has talked to him about losing his ride. “I have a contract here with another year on it, and I have a ride for next year, so unless we’re going to have three cars, there’s too many drivers in the mix,” Benson said. “I’ve heard all the talk, but nobody has said anything to me. Unless they come to the right people, we’re going ahead as planned.”( NASCAR.com )(10-11-2003)
