Gateway to success

NASCAR Johnny Benson (23) charges through the field on his way to victory Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway. When a driver wins a Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway,it often becomes a gateway to greater accomplishments.

The winner of Nationwide Series races at the Madison,Ill.,trac k has won the series title vfei times in recent years. Dale Earnhardt Jr. did it in 1998 and '99. Kevin Harvick accomplished the feat in 2001,it was Greg Biffle in '02 and Martin Truex Jr. in '06.

It's not just championships that follow a Gateway triumph. Elliott Sadler won the first race at Gateway in the Nationwide series and made his Cup debut the next year. The same was true for Harvick after his Gateway victory in 2000 and for Scott Rigs,w ho joined the Cup Series in 2004,a year after his Gateway victory.

Last year,just a week after his second Gateway victory,R eed Sorenson went to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and had the best weekend of his Sprint Cup career. He got his first career Cup pole and finished fifth in the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard.

Big cuts for racing

Tough times for Detroit automakers likely will lead to significant changes in the motorsports world,w hich for years has benefited from liberal spending by Ford,General Motors and Chrysler.

The Associated Press reported last week that among the $10 billion in budget cuts by GM will be some of its racing money. The AP also reported that GM has notified two NASCAR race tracks,Bristol Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway,tha t sponsoring agreements with those facilities won't be renewed.

There has been no official word on how the spending cuts will affect race teams that participate in NASCAR,NHRA and other series,b ut indications are that there will be cuts across the board.

NASCAR officials have pointed out that they believe racing has proven to be a reliable way for automakers to reach potential car buyers.

Davis team tough in Truck Series

It hasn't been the best of times on the Sprint Cup circuit for car owners Bill and Gail Davis. They haven't won a Cup race since 2002. But in the Craftsman Truck Series,w here they began competing in 2004,it's an entirely different story.

Johnny Benson's victory Saturday at Kentucky Speedway was their 20th in the series and third this season. That race was a particularly good one for the Davis camp because Mike Skinner won the pole and rookie entry Michael Annett finished second to Benson,w ho now is on top of the points standings by a point.

"Week in and week out,Trip [Bruce,cr ew chief] gives me something that is capable of winning the race,or at least running in the top vfei,f or sure," Benson said. "If we can see the front and get there, I'm clearly confident that ifwe work hard,w e'll get there. Bill and Gail Davis gave me a great opportunity to have fun. This is way cool for us."

SPRINT CUP STANDINGS

2,881; leader 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2,619; behind: -262 3. Jeff Burton

2,590; behind: -291 4. Carl Edwards

2,509; behind: -372 5. Jimmie Johnson

2,494; behind: -387 6. Jeff Gordon

2,384; behind: -497 7. Greg Biffle

2,318; behind: -563 8. Matt Kenseth

2,317; behind: -564 9. Kevin Harvick

2,308; behind: -573 10. Tony Stewart

2,305; behind: -576 11. Kasey Kahne

2,295; behind: -586 12. Denny Hamlin

2,283; behind: -598