April 1, 2002
- Benson in the #31 BGN ride? UPDATE 2: hearing Winston Cup driver, Johnny Benson (#10 Valvoline Pontiac) will drive a limited schedule in the #31 Whelen Chevy. Staurt Kirby was rumored to run the cat but will instead run more races with Jimmy Spencer’s #34 BGN team.(2-28-2002)
UPDATE: hearing there will be a press release today (April 1st) announcing that Johnny Benson will be driving the #31 Marsh Racing Whelen Chevy in a ten BGN races this season with the first being at Richmond on May 3, followed by New Hampshire on May 11. James Ince, Benson’s Winston Cup Crew Chief on the #10 Valovoine Pontiac, will serve as the Crew Chief for team when Benson drives and the #10 Cup crew will also serve as the crew for the #31. Benson will be talking about the BGN deal on Speed Channel’s Inside Winston Cup TV show, FSN’s Totally NASCAR and RPM2 night on Monday (actually Tuesday at 1:00am/et)(4-1-2002)
UPDATE 4: Benson will drive in five races with a possibility of more being added. Besides the two mentioned above, three races planned are: Dover in June, Chicagoland and Michigan in August.(PR)(4-1-2002)
- NASCAR Partners with Soap Box Derby; May Include NBC Exposure: NACAR has designated the All-American Soap Box Derby as an official youth program. Soap Box, organized for the most part by local community associations, currently runs close to 500 races each year with 15,000 competitors. Finals are held each year in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear is Soap Box Derby’s long-standing sponsor. “The NASCAR tie-in is added validation and brings lots and lots of exposure,” said Robert Hollander, president of L.A.-based Brand Sense Marketing, which engineered the partnership. NASCAR will give editorial and promotional exposure to Soap Box in its media assets, and will support with ads in USA Today timed to the Finals, which take place in July. Hollander said Soap Box is in talks with NASCAR partner NBC to produce a special for its kids’ programming block this summer. He also hopes the NASCAR link will attract sponsors, whose participation can range from event signage to logos on helmets to scholarship offerings.(Brandweek via MotorsportsTV)(4-1-2002)
- Kirby to the #31? UPDATE 3 Benson in the #31?: hearing that ARCA driver Stuart Kirby is a canidate for the #31 Whelens Chevy ride for the 2002 BGN season(1-16-2002)
UPDATE: This season, Kirby hopes to make a transition to the NASCAR Busch Series, where there’s a possibility he’ll drive the #31 car for 8 to 10 races.(NASCAR.com/AP)(1-27-2002)
UPDATE 2: hearing Winston Cup driver, Johnny Benson (#10 Valvoline Pontiac) will drive a limited schedule in the #31 Whelen Chevy. Kirby will not drive for the team and may expand on his schedule with Jimmy Spencer(see news below).(2-28-2002)
UPDATE 3: hearing there will be a press release today (April 1st) announcing that Johnny Benson will be driving the #31 Marsh Racing Whelen Chevy in a ten BGN races this season with the first being at Richmond on May 3, followed by New Hampshire on May 11. James Ince, Benson’s Winston Cup Crew Chief on the #10 Valovoine Pontiac, will serve as the Crew Chief for team when Benson drives and the #10 Cup crew will also serve as the crew for the #31. Benson will be talking about the BGN deal on Speed Channel’s Inside Winston Cup TV show, FSN’s Totally NASCAR and RPM2 night on Monday (actually Tuesday at 1:00am/et)(4-1-2002)
UPDATE 4: Benson will drive in five races with a possibility of more being added. Besides the two mentioned above, three races planned are: Dover in June, Chicagoland and Michigan in August.(PR)(4-1-2002)
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997