Johnny Benson Jr. was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from Forest Hills Northern High School in 1981. Before his NASCAR career, Benson was a late model champion at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan.
Benson began racing in the American Speed Association (ASA) in 1990, driving the No. 21 Valvoline Chevrolet for Throop Motorsports. In his rookie season, he captured one pole position, led 174 laps, and scored eight top-ten finishes, earning the ASA’s Pat Schauer Rookie of the Year award. He continued to compete in the ASA, achieving thirteen top-ten finishes, including four second-place finishes, in 1991, and ranking fourth in the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series. Benson culminated his ASA career by winning the 1993 championship.
Benson made his Busch Series debut in 1993 at Michigan International Speedway, driving the No. 41 Delco Remy Chevrolet for Ernie Irvan. He began driving full-time for BACE Motorsports in 1994, winning his first career race at the SplitFire 200 and finishing sixth in points, earning Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, 1995, Benson won early in the season at Atlanta and Hickory, achieving nineteen top-ten finishes and ultimately winning the championship.
In 1996, Benson moved up to the Winston Cup Series, joining the No. 30 Pennzoil team owned by Bahari Racing. He won the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year title, and secured one pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He dominated the Brickyard 400 before a problem on the last pit stop ended his chances for victory, finishing the season with seven top-tens and 21st in points. He also participated in the 1996 International Race of Champions, finishing third in the final points standings after achieving top-ten finishes in all four races.
After numerous crew chief changes in 1999, Benson joined Roush Racing to drive the No. 26 General Mills/Cheerios Ford Taurus in 2000. He finished sixth in the third race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and was 11th in points. At Atlanta, he failed to qualify, but later finished second at Rockingham. In the 2000 Daytona 500, Benson briefly led with four laps remaining when Dale Jarrett passed him for the win, with Benson finishing twelfth.
In 2001, Benson had top-ten finishes in four consecutive races, including a fourth-place run at Darlington, and was tied for second in points with Sterling Marlin. He won the non-points Winston Open at Charlotte from the pole. He finished the 2001 season 11th in points.
In 2002, Benson achieved his only NASCAR Cup Series victory at the Pop Secret 400 at Rockingham, passing Mark Martin with 28 laps to go and winning by 0.26 seconds.
Benson won his first Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2006 Con-way Freight 200 at Michigan International Speedway, becoming the seventeenth driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's major series. He followed this with back-to-back wins at Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Speedway, and added victories at New Hampshire International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, finishing second in the series standings, 127 points behind Todd Bodine. He was also named the series' Most Popular Driver for 2006.
In 2007, Benson won four races – at Milwaukee, Bristol, Gateway International Raceway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway – and was again named the series’ Most Popular Driver. The 2008 season saw Benson win the Craftsman Truck Series championship, becoming the second driver to win both the Busch Grand National Series and Craftsman Truck Series championships. He secured five wins that season, at Milwaukee, Kentucky, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Nashville, and Martinsville. He was named the series’ Most Popular Driver for a third consecutive year.
In the 2000 Daytona 500, Benson briefly led with 43 laps to go after a late pit stop.
In June 2009, Benson was injured in a fiery crash during an ISMA Supermodifieds race at Berlin Raceway. He suffered a broken collarbone, separated shoulder, three broken ribs, bruised lungs, a fractured wrist, and third-degree burns on one elbow. He underwent two surgeries for the burns and a separated shoulder, and fully recovered.
After retiring from NASCAR, Benson continued to race supermodifieds for car owner Brad Lichty on the ISMA tour until 2025. He also served as the pace car driver for the 2021 SRX Series, and made a one-off appearance as a competitor in the SRX Series at Berlin Raceway in 2023.
Johnny Benson Jr. was inducted into the Grand Rapids, MI Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, following his father, Johnny Sr., who was inducted in 2001. He was inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018, following his father’s 1986 induction. He was also inducted into the Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame in 2022, following his father’s 2006 induction. Benson currently works for the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. He retired from driving competition on March 6, 2026.
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