Kyle Benjamin Takes ARCA Checkers At Salem

Kyle Benjamin celebrates with his team in victory lane after winning Saturday night’s ARCA race at Salem Speedway. Photo courtesy ARCA Media

It’s been a big year for the number 15 in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

Fifteen-year-old Kyle Benjamin won his second race of the season Saturday, winning the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic presented by Federated Car Care at the Salem Speedway in Salem, IN. Benjamin, fittingly, was driving the No. 15, which has now visited victory lane six times on the season for Venturini Motorsports.

Benjamin grabbed the lead from fellow teenager Kyle Weatherman on lap 192 of the 200 laps race and held on for the win.

“I was hoping nothing broke and a caution wouldn’t come out,” the Easley, SC native said.

Weatherman finished second for the second consecutive race. He took the lead from Benjamin on the last caution when the No. 15 pitted for two tires. Weatherman stayed on the track.

“We got two tires and a few of the guys I was racing against stayed out,” Benjamin said. “It was a great call by my crew chief, Kevin Reed. Tires are so big here. Kyle was hard to pass for about five laps, but once the tires came to me, I knew I could get by him.”

Veteran Frank Kimmel finished third, battling back from a lap down, to gain yet another top five finish. Ken Schrader was fourth, and Mason Mitchell finished fifth. Mitchell was the first car not on the lead lap.

Weatherman said Benjamin got into him a little bit in turn four when he lost the lead.

“I probably would have done the same thing,” Weatherman said. “It was just racing. He and I had fast cars all night.”

Driving for car owner Andy Hillenburg, Weatherman took the lead early in the race and built up a huge lead when the race stayed green from laps 33 to 116. He led 66 laps in all.

“I was just calm and passing people, not doing anything stupid out there,” he said. “The car was good and things we’re going smooth.”

Schrader said he made a mistake with setting up the race car.

“I think I cost my team tonight,” he said. “I made a mistake. It’s been four years since I had been here and just made the wrong call. We were good late in the race, got it figured out.”

The three early race leaders all faded for one reason or another. Austin Wayne Self led the first 26 laps, and finished 10th. Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell winner Justin Boston was strong early in the race, but transmission problems ended his day early. He led 19 laps and finished 23rd for Venturini Motorsports. Defending series champion Chris Buescher also led 19 laps, but brake problems relegated him to the garage after 125 laps. Will Kimmel was in the top five until the last 20 laps of the race when troubles pushed him back to 12th place.

Championship point leader Kimmel, by virtue of the win, won the Bill France 4 Crown championship, a four-race series within the ARCA Racing Series season that counts only points in a set of four diverse races. Salem Speedway was the short track leg of the series that includes a superspeedway race, road course and dirt track.

Josh Williams finished sixth.

“We tried,” Williams said. “Something was broke on the car. I tried to turn one way and it was going the other. It was crazy. If not for that, we might have been in the top three.”

Trevor Edwards, a Shepherdsville, KY native and second-generation driver at Salem, finished eighth in his ARCA Racing Series debut.

Mason Mingus entered the day as the SCOTT Rookie Challenge co-leader with Boston. The team had to change a motor after practice and fell several laps down early in the race. Mingus, however, rebounded for an impressive top 10 finish in his No. 32, which had a new paint scheme for the race.

Benjamin, who won last month at Madison International Speedway to become the youngest race winner in series history, led a race-best 70 laps. He took his first lead after the second caution of the race, leading from lap 117 to lap 177.

“As it got dark, it got really fast,” he said of his car.

His age will prevent him from making another start in the series this season as the ARCA Racing Series finishes with races at Kentucky Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

“It means a lot to finish it off with a win for Venturini, with my crew chief Kevin Reed and Billy Venturini mentoring me,” he said. “After the first two races of the season, I knew we’d win some races. This is such a strong team.”

ARCA Racing Series
Salem Speedway – Salem, IN
Race Results – Sept. 14, 2013

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