CHARLOTTE
May 20, 2005
 

Charlotte Photos:  By Phil Cavali

              

    

BDR Post Race Report
The Certified Toyota No. 23 Toyota West Tundra team had its season-best night Friday under the lights at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  The team was a little skeptical about how it would fare Friday night after the two practice sessions on Thursday.  The team struggled to find a balance that Johnny Benson liked.  It was reminiscent of the previous week at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, where the team struggled in practice to find a set-up that made Benson comfortable.   

Benson qualified his No. 23 Certified Toyota Tundra with a lap of 30.209 seconds, placing him in the 27th spot.  The right rear of the truck clipped the wall coming off turn four on the first qualifying lap, which caused quite a bit of damage.  The team worked feverishly to fix the damage, and the truck was ready to go racing by the drop of the green flag Friday night.

Benson had to move to the rear of the field for the start of Friday’s event because of unapproved work on the truck after qualifying.  He started the event in the 34th position.  Benson told his crew on lap nine that the truck’s handling was loose going into the corners, but he felt that if the race stayed green, the handling would tighten.  

The truck steadily improved, and so did Benson’s position on the track. By lap 24, he had navigated his No. 23 Certified Toyota Tundra into the 19th position.  When the caution flag waved on lap 28, crew chief Greg Ely told Benson to bring the truck to pit road for four tires and fuel one lap later. 

When the race restarted on lap 34, Benson was in 23rd because some of the leaders decided not to pit.  Benson again was on a tear to the front of the field.  He broke into the top 10 by lap 50, despite reporting that the truck handled too tight.   

The team made its final pit stop under caution on lap 71 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.  Benson stood seventh for the lap 75 restart.

By lap 100, Benson had advanced to the third position.  The late-lap caution periods did not help the No. 23 team, because it took the truck two or three laps to really get going. When the checkered flag waved, Benson crossed the start/finish line in fourth.  

This was the No.23 Certified Toyota Tundra team’s best finish of the 2005 campaign. The finish propelled Benson to seventh in the championship standings.  The No. 23 team currently holds the highest spot in the championship standing among the Toyota Tundra family.

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Tundra Teammates Top Toyotas
In tonight’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, the three Toyota teammates at the Bill Davis Racing team -- Johnny Benson, Bill Lester and Mike Skinner -- put on the most impressive performance among the nine Tundras in the field.

Benson, driver of the No. 23 Toyota West/Toyota Certified Tundra, was the first Toyota driver to the checkered flag and recorded his best finish of the 2005 season when he ended up fourth.  Lester guided his No. 22 Checkers Tundra to a sixth-place finish -- the best result in his NCTS career.

Skinner, who qualified his No. 5 Toyota Tundra on the pole, was cruising to his first NCTS win in a Toyota when he was involved in an accident with less than 20 laps remaining in the race.  He led the second most laps in the race (40) and finished 26th.

“We had a really good truck and I was just trying to pass a lapped truck,” explained Skinner, following the race.  “I don’t think he gave me very much room.  A lapped truck didn’t cut the leader any slack -- and the leader is supposed to be smart enough to know who isn’t going to give any room.  I don’t blame anyone but myself.  It was more my fault -- I knew the level of experience of everyone out there and I’m supposed to be smarter than that.”

Skinner, who started from the pole position for the second time this year and the fourth time in a Toyota, led the first four laps of the race, and then regained the lead on lap 79 of the 136-lap race. He held onto first-place until his accident following lap 114.      

“My Toyota Tundra was awfully strong tonight.  We got us a four or five second lead and slowed down and were just riding along -- running some laps.  Most of the guys we were coming up on and lapping could see how fast we were and knew they couldn’t hold us off.”

Benson battled back from hitting the wall in qualifying to finish among the top-five.  “It was a good run for us tonight,” said Benson, after the race.  “At the start of the race we made a couple of changes and we were pretty excited about how the race was going.  We felt that we were going to run pretty good -- and we did.  My truck was good and we thought we had a shot at getting up front.  But, I just wasn’t good enough tonight to get the lead.  We got fourth and we’ll take it.”

Lester was elated with his career best finish.  “We were good from the word go,” Lester said after the race.  “The test here two weeks ago really paid off.  We had a good qualifying run and then when the green flag came out -- it was good.  We fell back a little  bit -- my truck was tight -- but the guys made the right adjustments.  It was really good after that and I’m really proud of everyone at Bill Davis Racing.”

Kyle Busch won the race and after Toyota pilots Benson and Lester, the next Tundra driver to cross the finish line was David Reutimann (17th).  The other Toyota drivers at Charlotte included Robert Huffman (21st), Brandon Whitt (23rd), Chad Chaffin (30th), Todd Bodine (31st) and Shige Hattori (34th).

In the NCTS championship point standings following the first six races of the 2005 campaign, four Toyota drivers are among the top-15 in the standings.  Johnny Benson is seventh with 897 points, 191 points behind leader Ted Musgrave.  Following Benson in the standings are Tundra racers Todd Bodine (863 points) in 10th-place, Chad Chaffin (773 points) in 14th-place and Bill Lester (767 points) in 15th-place.

The next race on the NCTS schedule is at Dover International Speedway on June 3.  


Toyota Finishing Positions @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte
4th, JOHNNY BENSON, Bill Davis Racing, No. 23 Toyota West/Toyota Certified Tundra
6th, BILL LESTER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 22 Checkers Tundra
17th , DAVID REUTIMANN, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra
21st, ROBERT HUFFMAN, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, No. 12 Toyota Tundra
23rd, BRANDON WHITT, Clean Line Motorsports, No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Austism Now Tundra
26th, MIKE SKINNER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 5 Toyota Tundra
30th, CHAD CHAFFIN, Germain/Arnold Racing, No. 30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development Tundra
31st, TODD BODINE, No. 66 Fiddle Back Racing Tundra
34th, SHIGE HATTORI, Germain/Arnold Racing, No. 9 AISIN/AISIN AW Tundra


Toyota Drivers in the NCTS Point Standings – following Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte**
7th, JOHNNY BENSON, No. 23        897 points
10th, TODD BODINE, No. 66         863 points
14th, CHAD CHAFFIN, No. 30        773 points
15th, BILL LESTER, No. 22        767 points
17th, DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 17        744 points
18th,  MIKE SKINNER, No.  5        735 points
22nd, ROBERT HUFFMAN, No. 12         706 points
26th, BRANDON WHITT, No. 38        598 points
31st, SHIGE HATTORI, No. 9        414 points

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BDR Preview

• This week’s race truck for Lowe’s Motor Speedway is Chassis No. 23-60. This is a brand new truck to the Bill Davis Racing fleet.

• Home Sweet Home…Johnny Benson is excited about racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for two reasons.  One reason is his No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra is fast.  The reason is that he can sleep in his own bed the night before the race.  Benson and his family reside in Charlotte.

• Welcome Aboard…Bill Davis Racing is pleased to announce that Toyota West will serve as the primary sponsor of the Certified No. 23 Toyota Tundra.  Toyota West is located in Statesville, N.C., and is one of the fastest growing Toyota dealerships in the Southeast.

• New to Me… Benson has made 22 starts at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway but none have been behind the wheel of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck.  His best finish at the 1.5-mile track was when he drove the No. 10 Cup Series car to an eighth-place finish in 2001.

• Staying Strong… Benson has held a top-10 spot in the 2005 Craftsman Truck Series Championship standings through the first five races this season.

• Tested and Approved… Benson and the Certified No. 23 team tested at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., two weeks ago to prepare for Friday night’s event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

• Listen and Watch … The Quaker Steak and Lube 200 presented by Click It or Ticket is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. EST Friday, May 20.  It will broadcast live on Speed (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio.

Johnny Benson on racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“Charlotte is always fun to race at because it is my home track.  It is good to be home and be able to sleep in my own bed.  The track has changed a little bit.  They have ground the surface, which has caused the groove to move a little bit.  I have not tested there, but I watched the Busch Series test, and the track looks fast.  It looks like it is going to be a good two-groove race track.  It used to be that we could run three-wide in turns three and four while turns one and two were a little tough.  The groove has moved up in turn two, which will make for some exciting racing for the fans.  I am really looking forward to it.  Greg Ely and the guys at Bill Davis Racing have been putting together some great trucks.  We have support from Toyota Certified Used Vehicles and really want to give them a run that they deserve.”

Crew chief Greg Ely on racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“We took the truck up to Chicago a couple of weeks ago and had a really good test.  We went through a lot of packages to see if we could improve on our intermediate program a little bit more.  We had a great run in Atlanta, and the two tracks are very similar so we will be set-up basically the same way except for a little tweaking that we found in Chicago.”

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Toyota Preview

THIS RACE:  This will be the third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  There will be nine Toyota Tundras in the field at the Charlotte track.

LAST RACE:  In the most recent NCTS race at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway (May 15), Tundra drivers Todd Bodine and Bill Lester recorded top-20 finishes at the Ohio short track.  Bodine, driver of the No. 66 Fiddle Back Racing Tundra, crossed the finish line 16th and Lester finished 18th in his No. 22 Combos Tundra.

BRANDON BIG IN OH:  Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Tundra, had a strong run going at Mansfield, before his day ended just before the finish.  Whitt was running among the race leaders with about 25 laps remaining when he ran over some debris on the track, which cut his right front tire and sent him crashing into the wall.  “Despite the finish, it was a great race for us,” said Whitt, after the race.  “We planned our pit strategy before and stuck to it -- pitting early and staying out so we could get track position.  Once we got up there with the top-three or four we could stay there.  We were hoping to finish up front, but unfortunately we cut a right front tire and that ended our day.”

POINTS PACE:  After the first six races of the 2005 season, two Toyota drivers are among the top-10 in the NCTS championship standings.  Todd Bodine is seventh with 793 points, 175 points behind leader Bobby Hamilton, and Johnny Benson (737 points) is in 10th-place.
 
LAST YEAR AT LOWE’S:  Last season, Travis Kvapil was the first Tundra driver to the finish line at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when he ended up eighth.  Mike Skinner (15th) was the only other Toyota driver among the top-15.

LESTER LIKES LOWE’S:   Bill Lester, driver of the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Tundra, enjoys competing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.  Lester captured his first career NCTS pole position at the track in 2003, and he still holds the NCTS qualifying record at the Charlotte track (175.593 MPH/30.753 seconds).  “I love racing at that track,” says Lester.  “I’ve always said the faster the better.  Everyone at Bill Davis Racing is excited about heading to Charlotte.”

NEW REVIEW:  Lowe’s Motor Speedway has a new track surface and Bill Lester was able to take his Tundra out on the new surface during an April 26 test session.  What does Lester think of the track’s new surface?  “It’s deceiving because when you see the middle of Turns 3 and 4 you see a lighter patch and think the ‘Humpy Bump’ is still there,” explains Lester.  “Now you can go right over that part of the track -- and it doesn’t upset the truck anymore.  I think that if there’s enough down force in the rear of these Craftsman Trucks -- we should be able to go two wide through that corner -- which is something we couldn’t do before.”

TEST TALK:   “I’m happy we could take our Tundra to Lowe’s and get a good look at the new surface,” says Lester.  “We had a good test and my Tundra was very consistent over 20-lap runs.  We went out for about 22 laps -- came in and looked everything over -- and then went out for another 16 laps.  Our times and never fell off more than 2/10ths.”

FIRST WITH FIDDLE BACK:  Before he joined the Fiddle Back Racing team for the 2005 NCTS season, Todd Bodine made one NCTS start for the team a year ago.  Last year, Bodine drove a Fiddle Back Racing entry in the race at Lowe’s, starting 16th and finishing 20th.  “The team was struggling a little bit,” explains Bodine.  “They had some younger guys driving their truck and they asked me to drive it to help them evaluate their equipment and program.  Basically, it was a chance for me to help them improve.”

TRACK TALK WITH TODD:  Although he has not driven on the new Lowe’s surface, Todd Bodine recently visited the Charlotte track.  “I went over to the recent Busch test (May 9-10) at the track to check it out,” says Bodine.  “I just wanted to see what they did to the track.  I took a look from every corner while cars were running and talked to a bunch of the drivers, including Ryan Newman.  Basically, they ground the track down and it now has multiple grooves -- and I think it will be a lot faster for the Craftsman Trucks.”

MEMORY LANE:  With close to 40 starts at Lowe’s in the NASCAR Cup and Busch Series, along with one NCTS race, Todd Bodine has many racing memories at the track.  “I won the ‘Winston Open’ a couple of times at Charlotte, which is a pretty good memory,” says Bodine.  “But, I think my best memory of Charlotte happened in my third year in the Busch Series in 1993.  I was leading the race with about 20 laps to go and Dale (Earnhardt) was running right behind me.  Dale bumped me to move into the lead, and then on the very next lap I tapped him and took the lead right back.  When I did that though, I knocked my grill in and I struggled to hang onto the lead.  I ended up finishing fifth -- just a couple spots behind Dale who ended up third.”

NEW FOR TWO:   Two Tundra drivers -- Johnny Benson and Shige Hattori -- will be making their first NCTS starts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

HAS BEEN HERE:  Although this will be Johnny Benson’s first NCTS race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the Grand Rapids, MI-native has plenty of experience at the race track.  Benson has competed in 15 NASCAR Cup and 7 Busch Series events at the Charlotte track.  He also has ran one IROC race at Lowe’s, finishing second in an IROC car in 1996.

HUFFMAN HAS TWO:  Robert Huffman, driver of the No. 12 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Toyota Tundra, made his NCTS debut at Lowe’s last year.  However, the Claremont, NC-driver has been to ‘Victory Lane’ at the Charlotte track.  Huffman won the NASCAR Dash Series race at Lowe’s in 2002 driving a Toyota Celica, and then scored a second win at the track the following season.  “Winning that race in 2002 is something I’ll never forget,” says Huffman.  “The year before, in my first season with Toyota, we were leading the Dash race at Charlotte with just a few laps left.  I felt we had the race pretty much won.  Then, we had a problem with the steering arm and weren’t able to get the job done.  So, to come back the following year and win that race was pretty special.”