CityView Magazine

sports Need for Speed T here's no disputing North Caro- lina's place as the American Mec- ca of auto racing. The modern- day incarnation of NASCAR, with its glamorous celebrity drivers and massive super speedway palaces, has roots in the state's backwoods and dirt roads. Many of the sport's biggest heroes, men like Richard Petty and the late Dale Earn- hardt, mirrored those humble beginnings of North Carolina racing even as NAS- CAR began morphing into the Holly- wood-like version we see today. The same could be said for Rick Benton Sr. The owner of Black's Tire & Auto Ser- vice, a leading car repair and service chain throughout southeastern North Carolina, remains the guy who many years ago spent weekends short-track racing at the area's many small, no-frills tracks. Marriage, raising a family, and running a successful business may have put an end to Benton's days as a driver, but those life changes did nothing to diminish a fever for fast cars, one shared by scores of fellow Carolinians. Except Benton did something with that fever that few race fans have the ability to do — he started his own race team. On race weekends throughout the summer, lo- cal fans may notice that the No. 92 car in 66 | September/October • 2011 Rick Benton's lifelong passion for racing led to owning his own team | BY KHARY MCGEE the NASCAR Camping World Truck Se- ries bears the name Ricky Benton Racing. "I kind of grew up in racing," said Ben- ton, who travels with his team and driver Clay Rogers to races. "I used to race go- karts myself. So I like having my hands in it. I gave up racing when I got married, but once I got my business started I always wanted my name on a car." Of course, owning a race team comes at a price. A hefty price. According to Rick Benton II, who helps his father run the auto service business and the race team, it costs anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000 just to get their truck on the track — mind you, that's upwards of $75,000 per race. The motors that power NASCAR cars around the track command a similar price tag. "It's a big burden," Rick Benton II said. "But we enjoy being a part of it. I think everyone in the company takes pride in it. It's a great marketing tool, and it's great for building teamwork in the company among the employees. Our customers like it and enjoy following it. But it takes a lot to make the team successful." In essence, Ricky Benton Racing is fac- ing a long-running dilemma for modern- day NASCAR. As the sport has grown in popularity, moving farther from its down- home roots, an influx of corporate money has become increasingly influential in rac- ing, affecting everything from how the races are presented to the resources race teams have at their disposal to improve their cars. Not satisfied with just being a participant on the NASCAR circuit — Rogers and Ricky Benton Racing are cur- rently 19th in the Camping World Truck Series — the Bentons are eager to forge partnerships that they can leverage into better resources for the team. "When you look at teams like Hendrick and Childress, those teams have hundreds of people working for them," said Benton II, referencing teams owned by car dealer Rick Hendrick and former NASCAR driver Richard Childress, two of the more powerful and well-funded teams on the circuit. "We're just looking to partner with a big company and build a relationship that can be a benefit to both of us. That's key in having a successful team." The lifeblood of NASCAR racing is marketing partnerships. One look at the patches on a driver's race suit or the de- cals festooned every car and it's clear to see that companies see the value of using NASCAR teams to advertise their wares.

• Cover