Two Ford Fusions were purchased from Richard Petty Motorsports when Petty switched to Chevrolets and the engine is from Roush Yates. Cerro Gordo’s Ricky Benton Racing Enterprises, making its premier entry in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup series, finished 14th in Sunday’s Daytona 500 after having started 39th in the field with driver David Gilliland of Riverside, Ca., at the wheel.
Team owner Ricky Benton Sr. seemed overwhelmed with emotion after the race, expressing awe at even being able to compete in the event, which he characterized as the “Superbowl” of racing, much less finishing in the top 20.
“We’re a small team compared to the big boys. We have only three full time crew members,” Benton said before calling out Bladen County’s Mike Hester and Fair Bluff’s Mikey Hammond as integral parts of his team. “And we could not have done this without the sponsorship of BB&T.”
The Columbus County-based team’s even being in the Daytona 500 had drawn attention, with several broadcast outlets and print wire services talking about their roots “in Cerro Gordo, NC, population 199.”
Benton and RBR Enterprises are no strangers to competition, having fielded entries for several years in the NASCAR truck series with moderate success, but Sunday’s race marked their first foray into Cup competition.
Gilliland started on the back row, in 39th position in the 40-car field, in Sunday’s race.
19 фев 2018
