2007 Testing Crash Once Exposed a NASCAR Truck Series Team in a Big Way

In any motorsport, testing is always crucial, whether it is after the season or in the middle of the season. However, there can be occasions where some teams break the rules during these tests. It doesn’t happen very often, but it is still relatively prevalent in any sport. NASCAR is no exception, and there was a particularly big incident during the 2007 season.

Sometime during that particular season, the Bill Davis Racing Truck team conducted a private test. This was at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, then known as the Lowes Motor Speedway. Super modified driver Mike Lichty took over the #23 truck from Johnny Benson and ran a few laps. However, it is worth mentioning that Lichty did not have a NASCAR license. They only roped in him because he was Benson’s friend.

What were the consequences of the NASCAR test?

Borrowing a phrase from Scooby-Doo, the team and driver would have gotten away with it. However, Lichty crashed his truck, which wrecked the front end of the vehicle. That alerted the NASCAR officials, and they were not very thrilled about the deception. NASCAR kicked the team out of the test because it should have been Benson behind the wheel.

Owing to this, Benson copped a $10,000 fine and was docked 50 points. Meanwhile, the authorities suspended crew chief Trip Bruce for two races. They did this to set an example and really drive the point home. The Bill Davis Racing team also lost 25 points in the Truck Series championship, owing to this stunt. Since then, the team learned from their mistake and the season progressed as normal.

On the bright side, Benson managed to finish 3rd in the championship. This put him behind Ron Hornaday Jr and Mike Skinner. Without the penalty, not much would have honestly changed in the championship standings. Except for him closing the gap to Skinner by 50 points. A year later, things got better for Benson as he won the Truck Series title, beating Hornaday Jr and Todd Bodine.

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Did Johnny Benson and the Bill Davis Racing team get away lightly with their antics, or was the penalty too harsh? Let us know your views in the comments section.