Cartersville, Georgia based Red Top Auto Auction will continue to show their Collector Car Auction logo on the hood of Johnny Benson's No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra for the next two races.
Red Top Auto Auction began sponsoring trucks in 2006 with Jeremy Mayfield driving the BBM No. 15 truck at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Red Top came back to Atlanta in 2007 and sponsored the BBM No. 51 truck with Kyle Busch as the driver.
BBM has been racing in the truck series since 1996. They started competing full-time in 2002 and have had a variety of well known NASCAR drivers over the years. Billy Ballew Motorsports has been to victory lane 16 times.
This season on March 27, Benson drove the Collector Car Auction ride to a 5th place finish at the Kroger 250 in Martinsville. Red Top has committed to sponsor Benson in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on May 2 and the Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway on May 14.
"Johnny is a tremendous driver and we're thrilled to be working with him again," said Billy Ballew, team owner. "He did a great job at Martinsville. He's shown that he can get the job done at Kansas and Dover. Everything is in place for us to have two great races."
Shortly after those races on May 22 and 23, Red Top is holding their first annual collectors car sale event. By sponsoring the No. 15 truck, Wallace Sanford, Red Top Auto Auction managing partner, is trying to make this the largest collector car sale event that has ever happened in Georgia.
"It seems to be working, because this sale is growing faster than I had ever predicted," Sanford said. "We are going all out to do this right. I have been able to gain support from American Modern Car Insurance, General Motors Crate Engine department and many more local sponsors. I’m offering swap meet spaces and I have a lot of vendors signed up to sell their products. We are hoping with our exposure through race truck sponsorship that we can achieve our goal.”
Benson helps promote the Collector Car Auction off the track. With this, Sanford is hoping to reach customers all around the United States. "We had a dealer here from Michigan, and he has become a regular. He grew up next door to Johnny and still lives in his neighborhood,” Sanford says.
Sanford has known NASCAR President Mike Helton since Helton was working in Atlanta in the early 80s. Helton has since made a visit to a Red Top Auto Auction in 2008.
Through Sanford's relationship with Georgia businessman and team owner Ballew, Sanford met Robert Yates. "Yates has become one of my best friends," Sanford said.
Yates will be selling Dale Jarrett's No. 88 Championship car at the Collector Car Auction. Rusty and Steve Wallace will also be at the auction.
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