Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Wyler Racing revealed Saturday that Johnny Benson will drive the No. 46 Toyota Camry in this weekend's Nextel Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. This will be the first race this season Wyler Racing will field a Cup Series car.
Benson currently drives a Toyota Tundra for Bill Davis Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series while Wyler Racing fields the No. 60 Toyota for three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague.
"Our main focus has been helping Jack Sprague win his fourth Championship in the Craftsman Truck Series," team owner Jeff Wyler said. "And that will continue to be our main goal. But we are excited to debut our No. 46 Toyota Camry at Richmond and are happy that Johnny Benson has joined us for the ride."
In preparation for the race, Wyler Racing participated in a two-day test session at the .75-mile track in April and turned the heads of many after posting impressive lap times. Benson was among 51 drivers testing the new Car of Tomorrow, posting the second-fastest time overall on the test session's second day.
"We didn't plan to run a Nextel Cup event until we knew we could be competitive, and after the test at Richmond [in April], we feel we can go there and run competitively," Wyler said.
Benson, the 1996 Cup Series rookie of the year, hasn't raced a Cup car at Richmond since 2003 but he is excited about the opportunity to race for the Wyler's in the Crown Royal 400 on May 5.
"I think it's going to be great," said Benson, who has 15 Cup Series starts at Richmond. "We went to Richmond and the test went very well. This past week, they called and said that we were going to go race and I could drive, so I was pretty excited about it. It's a pretty cool deal."
Benson currently drives a Toyota Tundra for Bill Davis Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series while Wyler Racing fields the No. 60 Toyota for three-time Truck Series champion Jack Sprague.
"Our main focus has been helping Jack Sprague win his fourth Championship in the Craftsman Truck Series," team owner Jeff Wyler said. "And that will continue to be our main goal. But we are excited to debut our No. 46 Toyota Camry at Richmond and are happy that Johnny Benson has joined us for the ride."
In preparation for the race, Wyler Racing participated in a two-day test session at the .75-mile track in April and turned the heads of many after posting impressive lap times. Benson was among 51 drivers testing the new Car of Tomorrow, posting the second-fastest time overall on the test session's second day.
"We didn't plan to run a Nextel Cup event until we knew we could be competitive, and after the test at Richmond [in April], we feel we can go there and run competitively," Wyler said.
Benson, the 1996 Cup Series rookie of the year, hasn't raced a Cup car at Richmond since 2003 but he is excited about the opportunity to race for the Wyler's in the Crown Royal 400 on May 5.
"I think it's going to be great," said Benson, who has 15 Cup Series starts at Richmond. "We went to Richmond and the test went very well. This past week, they called and said that we were going to go race and I could drive, so I was pretty excited about it. It's a pretty cool deal."