K&N Sponsored Benjamin Mahan Ready to Leave His Racing Mark on 2011

27.05.2011

Mahan's driving skills have continued to grow exponentially every year since his first half-scale Sprint Car race in 2003.

At age eight when most kids are still content practicing endless rail-slides on their skateboards, Benjamin Mahan was already running laps full-tilt-boogie in a half-scale Sprint Car. When Ben was five, Mike, his dad, took him to his first race at a local dirt track where they raced Speedway Sprints.

At an age when most kids are hoping for their learners permits, Ben Mahan is looking for sponsorships so he can be even more competitive on the big-tracks.

A woman in the stands noticed his excitement and asked him if he wanted to sit in one of the cars, Ben was all smiles. After the race Ben and Mike visited the pits where the woman made good on her offer. Ben was immediately hooked, and every day after he'd ask "Dad will you buy me a racecar?" Three years later Mike bought him the very same racecar he had first sat in.

Ben's first race came at the end of 2003. "He went out to practice for the very first time and took to it like a proverbial duck to water," said Mike. "The track promoter asked me if this was Ben's first time because he was really doing great."

Ben finished that race in third place and then went on to win his next two races. The following year, as the need for speed intensified, Ben moved up to the Intermediate Division, where the drivers were more experienced and the racing was faster. Ben won five races in that division, narrowly missing winning the championship by a two points. Clearly this was no passing fancy, this kid showed some serious chops.

In 2011 Ben has already logged three top-ten finishes, including a seventh and an eighth place at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

"We then made the decision to move on to the Mini-Stockars and race on bigger tracks on pavement," Mike tells K&N Race News. "He took to these cars right away too, and raced them for three years, earning Rookie of The Year his first year, and then won the Championship the next two years in a row."

At 12-years-old the promoter of the Orange Show Speedway offered the young Oak Hills, California racer an opportunity to kick it up to the Factory Four Division, racing a full-sized car against adult drivers. The only prerequisite was that he pass a driving test. Ben raced in that division for the next two years, once again earning ROY honors in his first season. In his second season Ben won four races, had a handful of top-five finishes, and once more missed the championship by a couple of points.

Ben's next step up to a Late Model followed at age 14. Mike adds, "We decided to go to Irwindale and run in the Open Comp Division on the 1/3 mile track. Ben won two of the three races, becoming the youngest driver to win in a Late Model at the speedway on either track. NASCAR made a change in age requirements and Ben convinced me he could run on the very fast 1/2 mile track."

Last year Ben ran a couple of races on the big track to get accustomed to the speed and competition level, he did well, and couldn't wait for the 2011 season to start. So far in 2011 Ben has raced to three top-ten finishes, including a seventh and an eighth place finish.

"Ben is gaining experience with every race, as is our team, and we look forward to getting more top-tens and working on getting top-fives. We are currently pursuing sponsorship opportunities in order to keep Ben racing. We have plans to make as many races as we possibly can. He is a very talented young man and would be a great person to represent sponsors, like the great people and products of K&N."

Throughout his young racing career Ben has continually proven he has a deep passion and exemplary talent for racing, as he consistently displays his rare versatility for being able to adapt and excel in different cars, both on dirt and asphalt. Clearly, Ben is the ideal candidate for an education in higher racing.

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