BENNY Gordon looks for fast start at jennerstown

JENNERSTOWN, PA (Sept. 19, 2005) … “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride” … “Second place is first loser”. Benny Gordon has heard all of the clichés for the past two seasons.

 But, the 34-year-old DuBois driver is determined to change all of that beginning with the Charlie Campbell Memorial BF Goodrich Tires 250 at Jennerstown Speedway this Saturday, the first stop on the five-race 2005 United Speed Alliance Racing (USAR) Hooters ProCup Championship Series tour.

“We have finished second in the USAR National Championship for the past two years,” said Gordon, who recently clinched his second consecutive Hooter ProCup Northern Division title recently. “Both years the final outcome came down to the last race.

“Last year was particularly frustrating. We had a 38-point lead going into the final event at USA International Speedway in Florida. We were cruising along and suddenly had a flywheel break during the race, which cost us any chance for the championship. Stuff like that makes us want to win this thing that much more,” he said.

Gordon considers Jennerstown his home track, capturing his first USAR win there in 2003, and winning again in May of this year. “Jennerstown is home now,” he said. “I actually grew up racing at Clearfield, so I didn’t spend a lot of time racing at Jennerstown in a late model. We have had a great deal of success at Jennerstown, and it’s very important to us because all of our fans from the DuBois area come there to watch us race.”

The Somerset County paved half-mile oval hasn’t always been kind to Gordon. During last year’s USAR championship race he cut down a tire and hit the Turn 4 wall late in the contest while running second, and rapidly closing ground on the leader.

“That really hurt us in the point race,” Gordon said, “but the incident might have been a blessing in disguise. Our team really came together after that and it made us more focused. I truly believe it gave us a boost and made us a better team. We knew we had the best car that night, so we dug in, got it fixed, and went out and won the next two championship races.”

Gordon likes his chances of wearing the national championship crown in 2005. “I think we have we have a great chance to win the title this year,” he said. “We have a great team, the car is running fast, and we have won races at four of the five tracks hosting the championship series.”

With 58-drivers eligible for the championship series, competition for the top spot will be fierce. “I feel Shane Huffman should be our main competition. He just won the Southern division, and has a great program going,” said Gordon.  Shane and I have been rivals, and have had a few altercations over the years. We talked this past winter, and we raced side-by-side this summer. We both respect each other as drivers.

“I also think Mark McFarland will be in the thick of things for the championship. He has been really hot at the end of the season,” he said. “And I don’t think you can count out Jeff Agnew either … he is always near the front at the end of a race. Truthfully, there are probably a dozen drivers who can win races. Consistency over the five events is what is going to win the championship.”

Gordon also revealed that his plans for 2006 are still up in the air. “We plan to remain in the Hooters ProCup Series. The past two years we have concentrated on building up our Predator Performance engine and chassis business. Next year we are searching for a major national sponsor,” he added. “If that happens we also plan to run a limited NASCAR BUSCH or Craftsman Truck schedule.

Adult advance tickets are now on sale for $15.00, if purchased before Sept. 23. There is also special pricing on senior, student and children’s tickets. Kids age six and under are admitted free.

Spectator gates for Saturday’s event will open at 2:00 PM. Qualifying will take place at 4:30, with a special pre-race on-track autograph session set for 5:45. The green flag will drop on the Charlie Campbell Memorial BF Goodrich Tires 250 at 7:00. Rain date for the contest is Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2:00 PM.

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