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DAYTONA - PREVIEW AND
POST RACE REPORTS
Race: Dodge Dealers 250
Track: Daytona International Speedway
Date: Friday, Feb. 18, 2005
Started: 17th
Finished: 10th
Laps Completed: 100
Total Laps: 100
The No. 23 team had a little more
pressure than the other two Bill Davis Racing entries at
Daytona International Speedway. With the new rules NASCAR
instilled regarding qualifying, the No. 23 team was forced
to make the race on its qualifying time. Even though the
team finished 19th in points in 2004, it did not attempt
every race, thus voiding its points position. Crew chief
Greg Ely and the rest of the No. 23 Toyota Tundra team had
confidence in Johnny Benson to get them into the show.
Their confidence paid off, as Benson
qualified the No. 23 Toyota Tundra in the 17th position,
solidly placing the team in the race. Benson had problems
with the engine during practice, and the team had to go to
a back up engine. Per NASCAR rules, the change relegated
Benson to the back of the field for the start of Friday
night’s race.
When the race started, Benson began
climbing through the field. The first caution flag waved
on lap 10 when Rick Crawford’s truck became airborne on
the front straightaway. Benson took this opportunity to
pit for fuel and a track bar adjustment to help him fight
the truck’s loose handling condition.
The race restarted on lap 14 with
Benson in 23rd. He resumed his task of gaining positions.
The second caution flag of the night waved on lap 38.
Benson brought the No. 23 truck to the attention of his
crew. The team gave the truck four tires, fuel and a
chassis adjustment. Benson restarted 11th.
By lap 60, Benson had moved to third
and was gaining on teammate Mike Skinner. Unfortunately,
Benson was involved in a wreck two laps later. After
giving the truck four fresh tires and fuel, the No. 23
Toyota Tundra team cut off the truck’s destroyed left-rear
quarter panel and sent Benson back on the track.
Benson restarted 16th and remained
on the lead lap. Despite the damage, Benson had one of the
most competitive trucks on the track. Benson stood eighth
with only 10 laps remaining in the 100-lap race.
Benson was involved in a multi-truck
accident on the frontstretch on the final lap, but managed
to complete the race in 10th.
Benson Quote:
“What a race. We started in the back and used pit position
to get to the front. We finally got hooked up with our
teammate Mike Skinner and he wrecked while leading the
race. We came in and fixed the damage and were still
competitive. We looked as if we were going to get a top
five out of it and then got caught up in the last lap
wreck. I am pleased with my No. 23 team. They brought me a
great truck and had solid pit stops all night. We will
take a top ten. It is not the way I like to leave a
racetrack, but we will take what we can get. ”
~~~~~~~~~~
Johnny Benson
Bill Davis Racing Event Preview
Johnny Benson on
racing at Daytona International Speedway:
"I am really excited to get behind the wheel of the
No. 23 Toyota Tundra at
Daytona. We had a decent test in January, and the guys
have worked really
hard to make the truck fast. I have never been behind the
wheel of a truck
at a Superspeedway, and the feel is different than a car.
You do not lose
the draft as quickly and can regain positions quicker than
in a NASCAR Cup
car. I feel like I can take more chances knowing that I
can still regain
positions.
"I am really looking forward to the 2005 season and
working again with my
crew chief Greg Ely. We had some success together last
year, and the guys
have been working hard during the off-season to get my
Toyota faster. I am
really looking forward to going to new tracks that I have
never raced at
before. It is really fun to get onto a track for the
first time and try to
find the quickest way around. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series does a
great job by getting the trucks to tracks that the Cup
Series does not
visit.
"I am really looking forward to racing for the Davis' in
2005. We had a
solid second half of the season in '04, and my team is
really excited to see
what we can do in '05. "Everyone on the No. 23 truck
team worked together really well last year, and we had
very little turn over during the off-season, which I think
gives us an edge over the rest of the competition."
Crew chief Greg Ely on racing at Daytona International
Speedway:
"I am really excited about getting back down to Daytona
with J.B. He is a
true veteran, and I know he has what it takes to get the
job done. Our team
has been working really hard to give him the best
equipment in the garage,
and with the help of the other two trucks in the Bill
Davis Racing stable,
we have learned a lot about what our trucks need to be
fast. If we keep the
fenders on it, we should be a contender at the end of the
race."
NOTES:
· This week's race truck for
Daytona International Speedway is Chassis No.
23-11. The No. 23 team used this truck last year at
Daytona International
Speedway. After starting 15th, the No. 23 team suffered
multiple wrecks and
finished 29th.
· Tested and approved .The No.23 team tested chassis No.
23-11 in January at
Daytona International Speedway and at Talladega
Superspeedway during the
first week of February.
· Rookie Status . This will be Benson's first
superspeedway experience
behind the wheel of a Craftsman Truck. He took over
driving duties of the
truck halfway through the 2004 campaign, but has more than
20 starts at the
2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway.
· Is this thing on? Johnny Benson will be on "MRN Live"
Monday, Feb. 14 at
8:10 p.m. Benson will field questions about the 2005
season from veteran
analyst Eli Gold. The show will air live from Daytona USA
and will
broadcast nationally via MRN radio.
· Listen and watch . The Florida Dodge Dealers 250 is
scheduled to start at
8 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 18. It will broadcast live on
Speed (TV), MRN and XM
Radio.
Johnny Benson NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Career Totals
Races Wins Poles Top 5s
Top 10s DNFs Money
Totals 25 0
0 7
18 1
$ 262,210
~~~~~~~~~~
Toyota's Finish at Daytona
Todd Bodine led the
Toyota Tundra contingent with a third place finish in a
wild 250-mile race at Daytona International Speedway to
kick off the 2005 season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series.
"We had a great Toyota Tundra and that's a real credit to
a team that didn't even exist 30 days ago," Bodine said.
"This was my first speedway race in a truck. They're a lot
harder to drive than the cars, that's for sure. They jump
around a lot. I'll give credit to all these drivers
tonight. I know we had a few wrecks, but there probably
should have been a lot more. The trucks punch such a big
whole in the air it really makes for great racing."
Six different Toyota Tundra drivers led the race for a
total of 42 laps, including Bodine, who led five different
times for 16 laps, Bill Lester (13), Johnny Benson (5),
Chad Chaffin (4), Mike Skinner (3) and David Reutimann
(1).
Lester grabbed the lead on the second lap and ran on point
through lap 14. He later lost a lap during a shuffle of
pit stops and was working his way back to the front when
he was caught up in the wreck that also knocked out
Skinner, who was leading the race at the time.
"It was real unfortunate," Lester said. "We had a really
strong Tundra at the beginning of the race. Then we had
some problems and got a lap down. But when we got it
running good again I was just minding my P's and Q's when
I saw the 77 truck get loose and come up the track and hit
me."
Chaffin was running second late in the race when his
Tundra was knocked sideways and did one complete cartwheel
before coming down on all four wheels. He drove back to
pit road and eventually ran one additional lap before
finishing 21st.
"I told these boys this truck would fly, but I should have
said it would haul the mail," Chaffin said. "We had a shot
to win this race. With three or four laps to go we were
running in second- or third-place. You come down here and
you don't know what hand you're going to be dealt. We gave
it all we had and didn't really destroy the truck. We're
going to bounce back."
Benson finished 10th to put two Toyotas in the top
10. Reutimann was collected in the race-ending accident
that dropped him to a 12th place finish after running in
the top five for much of the race.
Crashes knocked out several of the leading Tundras as the
race was slowed by seven caution flags for 30 laps. A nine
truck crash just before the halfway point on lap 49
collected the Tundras of Brandon Whitt and Shige Hattori.
Hattori had run in the top five at one point.
The next race on the NCTS schedule is Feb. 25 at
California Speedway.
Finishing Positions - Daytona International Speedway:
1st - Bobby Hamilton, No. 04 Lufkin Pro Series Dodge
3rd - Todd Bodine, No. 66 Bow/Tech Archery/Sportscoins.com
Tundra
10th - Johnny Benson, No. 23 Miccousukee Resorts Tundra
12th - David Reutimann, No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra
19th - Robert Huffman, No. 12 Toyota Tundra
25th - Mike Skinner, No. 5 Toyota Tundra
28th - Brandon Whitt, No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism
Now Tundra
29th - Bill Lester, No. 22 SunTrust Tundra
34th - Shige Hattori, No. 9 AISIN/AISIN AW Tundra
~~~~~~~~~~
Toyota Tundra
Teams Take to Daytona for
Nascar Craftsman Truck Series Season Opener
TORRANCE, Calif. (Feb.
15, 2005) -- Toyota will return for its second season
in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) with an
expanded line-up featuring nine drivers and five teams
that will challenge for the NCTS Manufacturers' and
Drivers' Championships.
Three teams that competed in Toyota Tundras during the
manufacturer's inaugural NCTS season will again field
Tundras in 2005, along with two new teams that have been
added to the Toyota roster. Bill Davis Racing, Darrell
Waltrip Motorsports and Germain/Arnold Racing are back
while Clean Line Motorsports and Fiddle Back Racing join
the Toyota line-up this season. Six of the nine drivers
are also returning for a second season driving Tundras.
"Last season was a tremendous learning experience for us,"
says Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and
CEO of TRD, U.S.A., Inc. (Toyota Racing Development). "It
was great to win four races and we're looking to improve
on that total in 2005. We expect the new teams and drivers
to help us compete for the Manufacturer's Championship."
The three drivers piloting Tundras for Bill Davis Racing (BDR)
are veterans Johnny Benson (No. 23), Bill Lester
(No. 22) and Mike Skinner (No. 5). Benson (13 races)
and Skinner (9 races) both ran partial seasons with BDR in
2004 and are planning to compete in the entire 2005 NCTS
season. Lester, who is back for a second season with the
High Point, N.C. based team, will be in his fourth full
season in the series. Along with fielding three Tundras
this year, Bill Davis Racing will continue to assist TRD
as a technical partner.
In 2005, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports (DWM) will expand to
a two-truck operation after fielding one Tundra for rookie
David Reutimann (No. 17) a year ago. Reutimann, the 2004
NCTS Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year, will have Robert
Huffman (No. 12) as a teammate this season. Huffman, who
drove a Toyota Tundra for Innovative Motorsports in 2004,
captured the Goody's Dash Series title in 2003 while
driving a Toyota Celica. In addition, the team will field
a third Tundra at Martinsville Speedway (April 9) when
Waltrip returns to the cockpit of the No. 11 Tundra.
Germain/Arnold Racing, a late-entry last season, will run
the full slate of events this year -- and has also doubled
its efforts for 2005. Last year, Germain/Arnold Racing and
driver Todd Bodine competed in eight events, winning races
at California Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. This
season, the team will field entries for drivers Chad
Chaffin (No. 30) and Shige Hattori (No. 9). Chaffin, who
drove for Bobby Hamilton's team the past two years,
recorded wins at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and
Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2004. Hattori, an open-wheel
veteran with experience in the IRL, Champ Cars and the
Indianapolis 500, will be making his NASCAR debut.
New to the Toyota roster this year are Fiddle Back Racing
and Clean Line Motorsports. Veteran Todd Bodine (No. 66)
will wear the driver's suit for Fiddle Back Racing and
young Brandon Whitt (No. 38) will pilot the Clean Line
Motorsports entry.
"We're very excited about the drivers and teams who are
our partners this year," says Pat Wall, vice president and
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program manager for TRD,
U.S.A., Inc. "We have a nice mix of veterans and younger
drivers, and we also have one full season of experience in
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. That year of experience
has been extremely beneficial to everyone at TRD. We plan
on being competitive every race weekend, and in the chase
for the year-end championships."
In 2004, during Toyota's inaugural season in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), Tundras recorded four wins,
five pole positions and 25 top-five finishes. Tundra
drivers Travis Kvapil (Michigan International Speedway and
New Hampshire International Speedway) and Todd Bodine
(California Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway) each
captured a pair of checkered flags. In addition, David
Reutimann (2), Mike Skinner (2) and Travis Kvapil (1)
registered poles for Toyota in 2004.
Toyota Tundra 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Line-up:
Bill Davis Racing:
Johnny Benson - No. 23 Misccosukee Gaming Resorts Tundra
Bill Lester - No. 22 SunTrust Tundra
Mike Skinner - No. 5 Toyota Tundra
Clean Line Motorsports:
Brandon Whitt - No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now
Tundra
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports:
Robert Huffman - No. 12 Toyota Tundra
David Reutimann - No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra
Fiddle Back Racing:
Todd Bodine - No. 66 BowTech Archery Tundra
Germain/Arnold Racing:
Chad Chaffin - No. 30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development
Tundra
Shige Hattori - No. 9 AISIN/AISIN AW Tundra
ABOUT TRD, U.S.A., Inc.:
Powering all of Toyota's American racing programs is TRD
in Costa Mesa, Calif., and High Point, N.C. A subsidiary
of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the
North American racing arm for design, development and
assembly of Toyota's factory racing engines. In addition,
TRD is also the source of high-performance aftermarket
products for both street performance and grassroots racing
Toyotas. From the race track to the aftermarket product
segment, TRD plays a key role in providing Toyota with an
enhanced performance image.
ABOUT TOYOTA IN AMERICA:
Toyota has eight manufacturing plants in the United
States, with two more currently under construction in
Texas and Tennessee. With a strong manufacturing presence
in the country, it's no surprise that more than half the
Toyota vehicles sold in the United States are built here
-- using many American-sourced parts. Toyota's overall
commitment translates into manufacturing plants, sales and
marketing operations, and research and design facilities
throughout the United States, where Toyota directly
employs more than 31,000. Since 1986, the company has
built more than 11 million cars and trucks in the U.S. As
one of the world's leading automakers, Toyota offers a
full range of models from mini-vehicles to sedans to large
trucks. For more information on Toyota Motor Sales,
U.S.A., please visit www.toyota.com
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