Johnny Benson to Compete in Rescheduled All-Star ISMA Classic
Epping, NH — Mother nature once again has had an impact on racing at the All-Star Speedway, forcing the postponement of the 43rd Annual All-Star Classic 100 for the International SuperModified Association, better known as ISMA, on September 6.
The rescheduled date of this Saturday, September 13 falls in the middle of weekend events at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Realizing this, management and ISMA officials moved quickly to secure a ride for current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Points Leader Johnny Benson, who has agreed to compete.
“I look forward to the opportunity to compete at All-Star for Brad Lichty,” Benson stated before practice at Gateway International Raceway in Missouri on Saturday.
“I was disappointed that we were unable to finish the race when we competed in Lichty’s car earlier this summer. I hope that there won’t be any rain delays during the day so that we can arrive in time to qualify our way into the race at All-Star.”
Benson will not have to worry if he does arrive late, as All-Star and ISMA officials will allow him some practice laps, and add a provisional starting position to the field if necessary.
Benson’s father is a former Supermodified champion, and was the winner of the 1966 Oswego Speedway Classic. Johnny Benson is one of only17 drivers to have won a race in the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Benson has 11 top five finishes in 17 NCTS races this season, which includes four victories.
The favorite to win the 43rd Annual Classic is Chris Perley of Rowley, MA. Perley is the current ISMA Points Leader, and the reigning champion, but the last two Classic’s have not been kind to Perley. In 2006 he struggled to a fourth place finish with handling problems, and last season he crashed hard into the turn one wall, finishing 19th.
“This race means so much,” Perley admitted. “There seems to be a little more pressure, but the win is a lot more gratifying when it’s the local track where you’ve learned to drive a Supermodified.
“To win there and go in the company of everybody else that has won this race is pretty awesome. I’ve been lucky enough to win it two times, and having your family and friends there to see it after traveling all over the place makes it that much better.”
In fact the past winners list is impressive, but so is the list of drivers planning to compete in the 2008 event. Other local drivers in the field will include Russ Wood, Mike Ordway Jr., Jon McKennedy, Scott Martel and 2007 Classic winner Justin Belfiore.
Bobby Santos, like Benson will be arriving after he competes at NHMS, and he hopes to make a triumphant return to the track where his career started in a car prepared by Danny Soule.
Extra money is being added to the purse in the form of lap money at $50 per lap. Log onto www.ismasupers.com for more information. The All-Star ISMA Classic will also be an East-West Supermodified Qualifying event.
This Saturday night, September 13 marks the return of the ISMA Super Modifieds to All-Star Speedway for the 43rd Annual All-Star Classic, along with a full slate of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series events, including Tour-Type Modifieds. Qualifying begins at 5:45PM, with the ISMA Classic slated to begin by 9:00 PM. For more information log onto: www.all-starspeedway.com or call (978) 927-1322.
Sources: All-Star Speedway PR