Benson taken to hospital after crash at Berlin Raceway
Published 11:27 pm Saturday, June 13, 2009
MARNE, Mich. — Johnny Benson Jr. came off Turn 3 at Berlin Raceway and met up with another car during Saturday’s ISMA Supermodifieds race.
Then came the sight no one wanted to see at the track: Benson’s car bursting into flames.
When Benson’s car came to rest between Turns 3 and 4 after the collision with Larry Lehnert, the wing of Lehnert’s vehicle was knocked sideways and Benson’s car drove airborne over Lehnert’s car.
Once on the track, the main cab of Benson’s supermodified vehicle caught fire. Track personnel raced over to the vehicle and put out the flames as quickly as possible.
Benson was awake and alert when pulled from the car and was transported to an area hospital. Berlin owner Mike Blackmer could not specify which hospital Benson was sent to, citing privacy laws.
Following a delay of a little more than 30 minutes the race, which was red-flagged on the first of 50 laps, resumed.
In the other races, Bradley Galedrige and his brother Al, both residents of Los Altos, Calif., took the checkered flag in first and second place, respectively, when the 25-lap race concluded. The race became a battle of the brothers shortly after the halfway point, with Bradley leading all the way to the checkered flag.
“Al raced here at Berlin last year and he taught me the ins and outs of the track and I picked it up off of him,” Bradley said. “I guess I taught him a few things too. My tires were smoking a bit too much so I decided to back things down a bit and it paid off.”
In the 30-lap Super Stock event, Coopersville resident Brian Wiersma outgunned Wyoming’s Brian VanZalen for the checkered flag, as he beat him by .24 seconds for the win.
Wiersma took the lead with Denny Anderson, Ray VanAllsburg and VanZalen not far behind. VanAllsburg tried to catch up with Wiersma and pass but he spun out in the front stretch and was unsuccessful.
“I saw him trying to come up behind me,” Wiersma said. “All of a sudden I saw him get loose but I was able to get around it. It feels good to be back here. Two in a row.”
