By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Kyle Benjamin has been a driver on the sidelines for much of 2018.
Following a five-race stint with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2017, a step up the ladder seemed reasonable for 2018.
However, that’s not how the year has gone for Benjamin, as the 21-year-old has raced only five times total across the three national NASCAR series, including three Xfinity starts with JGR.
For just the second time in 2018, Kyle Benjamin was behind the wheel in the Camping World Truck Series two weeks back at Martinsville Speedway. Finishing fifth, Benjamin knows winning is necessary for his racing future.
“It’s tough to come by opportunities right now,” Benjamin told Kickin’ The Tires. “I’ve been really lucky so far to get what I’ve gotten. It’s tough to make the most of an opportunity when they’re so few and far between.”
Finishing fifth for DGR-Crosley Racing in that Martinsville Truck race, it continued a run of strong finishes for Benjamin in his 2018 opportunities, finishing a highest of third for JGR in Xfinity this year.
However, with no win, Benjamin is still unsure of where his next race will come.
“Behind the scenes, it’s been slow just waiting on the next race,” he said. “Also seeing what happens next year before I start making some life decisions.
“Next year looks promising. I’ve been on the couch for a while. I had a good season getting to race off-and-on but there was still some time in between.”
Though 2018 saw no significant boost in on-track time, Benjamin is confident in his views toward 2019.
“We have a good possibility of getting something,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a full season in anything, but I’d be happy getting seven or more races, just enough to get in a rhythm.
“Xfinity and Trucks are really my focus. I want to move up. I’ve been in K&N and ARCA for so long that I want to take that next jump and get a full-time ride in Trucks or Xfinity.”
Unfortunately for Benjamin, top-five performance has not yet been sufficient to give him a full-time opportunity on the national level.
“I don’t know if it was enough,” he said. “I hope it was, I did the most I could do, so I’m proud of what I did. When you’re off-and-on, it’s hard to get that progression.
“Winning would have been great, it definitely helps you get noticed more. I think what we did was enough.”
With funding tough to find, the South Carolina native relies on his connections to return to the cockpit.
“If you do find funding, it’s more of ‘We’ll help you but what can you do for us?’ type of deal,” he said. “It’s not really you finding a guy who loves racing anymore and wants to put money into it.”
“The team [JGR] has been very supportive. It’s a family environment and they bring a rookie up to speed well. It helps you as a driver compared to other teams.”
More than anything, Benjamin wants to get in a competitive ride the right way. Benjamin has raced clean for multiple victories in the past, drag-racing with Ryan Preece for an Xfinity win at Iowa in 2017 as well as with John Hunter Nemechek this spring at Martinsville. For him, this reputation will aide him with his 2019 ride search.
“For a team like Gibbs or any team looking at you, they don’t want someone who is going to tear up equipment,” he said. “It’s OK to wreck every now and then, but they don’t want someone who will be making crazy moves all the time and costing them a bunch of money. That was a good thing to show.
“It’s been fun to get the chance to race at this level. Trying to race at a higher level is challenging but in a good way.”
(Below is a video capture of our conversation with Kyle Benjamin)
Dam shame he can’t get a ride. Finished 2nd in his truck race and could of won but raced clean. Maybe he should of bumped on the last lap. A decision that will haunt him until he gets a full time ride in the bigs.