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“So that’s a fair amount of points we lost,” Benson said in a phone interview this week. “That said, our performance has always been there all year. We feel very confident how the season is going at this point. We’re happy with our performance, but probably not happy with only one win.”

Benson, who drives the No. 23 Toyota Tundra for Bill Davis Racing, got that lone victory at a track where he feels extremely comfortable and confident. He started from the pole and led three times for a race-high 130 laps in the 200-lap Milwaukee race. The team combated weather and tire problems en route to the victory.

In what has been an ultra-competitive Craftsman Truck season, with nine different winners in 11 races, Benson feels fortunate to be atop the standings. He has a 50-point lead over second-place Todd Bodine.

“I think its a huge plus to be leading the points right now, for sure,” Benson said. “That’s what our goal is — to win the championship.

“We’ve been consistently fast, and that’s really what you have to ask for — to be fast. And then just make sure things play out the way you want them to play out as the race goes.”

Still, Benson said he does not feel overly confident. While he feels good about the team’s progress, he is not ready to say he’s the driver to beat.

“We need to improve, but we don’t have to improve much. We are way ahead of where we were last year, when we had to fight our way back,” said Benson, who finished third in the points race last year and second in 2006.

Benson has competed in all three of NASCAR’s top national series, including Cup and Nationwide. He won the then-Busch series title in 1995. He enjoys the Craftsman Truck series competition and the luxury it provides in terms of time. It’s a significantly shorter schedule than the Cup series, and the races are typically on Friday or Saturday.

“It’s a cool series,” Benson said. “NASCAR has done a tremendous job with it, and I hope it continues to grow. One thing, though: As the television ratings continue to go up, the purses need to go up. I hope that’s a consideration — to get the teams more money.”

Although Benson no longer lives in Michigan, he does own Berlin Raceway in Marne, where he used to race. He currently is building a super modified that he intends to race at the track in August.

“Right now, building the super modified is taking up all my time,” Benson said. “I’m looking forward to racing up there later in the season.”