Notes: Hornaday, Skinner shaping up to battle again (cont'd)

In the Loop

Johnny Benson had spent four-and-a-half seasons with Bill Davis Racing before joining Red Horse Racing this season as the defending NASCAR series champion.

So you can forgive him if it took Benson a little time to adapt.

• Complete Loop Data Statistics

It didn't take much time.

Benson has improved his finish in each of the season's four races, and now sits seventh in points.

So, too, did his statistics improve with each passing race:

• At Daytona, Benson finished 26th with a Driver Rating of 79.7 and an Average Running Position of 17.5.

• At Fontana, he finished 12th with a Driver Rating of 81.7 and an Average Running Position of 10.7.

• At Atlanta, Benson finished ninth with a Driver Rating of 96.0 and an Average Running Position of 8.8.

• At Martinsville, Benson posted his first top-five, finishing fourth with a Driver Rating of 105.9 and an Average Running Position of 6.8.

Now, Benson finds himself in the top 10 of every key Loop Data stat category. He has a Driver Rating of 90.8 (sixth-best), an Average Running Position of 10.9 (sixth) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 80.4 (sixth). Even more promising for Benson: In his 2008 championship winning season, Benson was ninth after four races -- two spots lower than he is now.

Benson to compete in pro/celebrity race

Now it's Benson's turn to represent the Truck Series in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at the 33rd Long Beach Grand Prix in Southern California.

Benson, who'll make his debut in the annual charity event on April 18, is the third Truck champion to compete in the through-the-streets race that matches professional drivers against celebrity entrants. All will drive race-prepared Scion cars.

Benson

Skinner competed in the race the past two years. Bodine participated in the 2006 event. Each won the professional division as did Max Papis in 2004.

Last year's race saw celebrity entrant and ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little edge Skinner by .324 seconds -- the closest margin of victory in the race's history.

Little returns to defend her title, this time in the professional category, along with two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. Also entered is Coy Gibbs, a former Truck Series competitor and owner of the JGRMX Supercross/Motocross Team. Celebrity entrants include Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody, Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, comic Carlos Mencia and pro skateboarder Danny Way.

"It's fun for us to hobnob with all the celebrities and superstars," Benson said. "I know one of the celebrities won it last year so even though they get a head start, it will be fun to try and catch them, pass them and then go for the win ourselves.

"It would be so cool to win it but just being a part of the race is special. We have the opportunity to raise money for some great charities and that's what it's all about."

The race has enabled Toyota to donate $1.7 million dollars to various children's hospitals since 1991.