Benson to run Cup, maybe Busch for Phoenix Racing

Ganassi also pulling support of Stremme's Busch ride

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Johnny Benson will drive Phoenix Racing's Dodges in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2004, and there's a good chance he'll end up in the team's Busch Series car.

	David Stremme may run Braun Racing Dodges in the Busch Series. Credit: Autostock

Phoenix team manager Marc Reno confirmed the Nextel Cup deal with Benson to drive the team's No. 09 Dodge in at least eight races this season. Joe Ruttman is testing the car this week because the deal with Benson happened too late to changeover the cars' seats to fit Benson.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Racing owner James Finch recently learned that Chip Ganassi Racing was pulling its financial support of Phoenix and driver David Stremme, Reno said. Ganassi had Stremme under contract and arranged for the driver to compete in the full Busch Series schedule in Phoenix's No. 1 car.

But without Ganassi's support, Stremme is out, and Phoenix is in a lurch.

"It caught us off-guard because a lot of the candidates that we probably could have got to drive the Yellow Freight car are already taken now," Reno said.

Reno said Phoenix usually waits until January to pick a Cup driver, making a selection from the best of the available drivers. That appears to be Benson, who could double up with Phoenix.

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"There's probably a better-than-even chance he'll end up in our Busch car, too," Reno said. "We thought our Busch deal was all set, and then we got informed last week that Ganassi was going to pull back their support ... that they didn't have it in their budget this year."

Ganassi wouldn't go into much detail over what occurred to put Stremme out of Finch's Busch Series car, but he did say that he hoped to facilitate a deal that would allow Stremme do drive one of Todd Braun's Dodges this season in the Busch Series.

Braun Racing has a team roster submitted for the upcoming Busch Series test at Daytona for a No. 19 car, with Ganassi's Nextel Cup pilot Casey Mears listed as the driver.

While Ganassi said he wanted to get as many Busch races on Mears' docket as he could, he admitted that he was against the policy of Nextel Cup drivers squeezing upcoming Busch hopefuls out of the few available rides.

Whether Stremme would replace Mears or simply be a teammate is unclear. Braun Racing ran two cars in selected Busch events in 2003.

Reno said that John Andretti and perhaps Jimmy Spencer were candidate for the Busch Series ride. Andretti was taking with Phoenix about the Cup ride but instead took Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s No. 1, even though it was only one race.

Spencer has a Cup ride with Ultra Motorsports, but the team is without a sponsor and could run only a handful of races. Spencer has driven for Phoenix's Busch team in the past.