Toyota Tundra 200 - August 13, 2005
Nashville Superspeedway - Nashville, TN

Johnny Benson and the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra team posted their third top-10 finish in the last four races at the Nashville Superspeedway Saturday night.  The 23 team, under the guidance of new crew chief Rick Ren, continued to show the rest of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series garage they are one of the stronger contenders in the series. 

The flamed Tundra unloaded on Friday and the team used both practice sessions to get their Tundra dialed in for the race.  Benson complained his truck was loose off the corners, which hindered him from getting back to the gas.  The team tried a number of spring changes to try and keep its truck from spinning out, and by the end of the final practice the team felt it had a truck that would be competitive come race time. 

Benson rolled off ninth to make a qualifying lap.  The team did not make a mock qualifying run during practice, but felt it would have a shot to start the race in the top 10.  The team’s intuition was right on.  Benson ran a lap of 30.056 seconds, which lined him up ninth on the inside of the fifth row.   

When the green flag was displayed to the field, Benson was on his way to the front of the field.  The caution flag was displayed to the field for the second time on lap seven.  Benson told his crew the truck was tight in the center of the corner.  Ren and team came up with a plan for changes on the first stop, which included wedge and air pressure adjustments. 

When the race was restarted on lap 11, Benson had his Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra in the ninth position.  By lap 20, Benson had moved into the top five and was running times as fast as his teammate Mike Skinner, who was the leader.  He called to his crew chief on lap 23, explaining he was sliding the front wheels which was hindering him from getting back to the gas. 

The team made their first pit stop under the caution flag on lap 43.  The TCUV team changed four tires and filled the truck with fuel.  They also made a wedge and slight air pressure adjustment to try and dial in the truck to make a run towards the front of the field.   

Benson called to his crew on lap 53 saying the changes made the truck really loose.  The team decided on the next stop to put the truck back exactly how it was for the start of the race.   

By lap 100, Benson had fallen back to the seventh position, but was running times consistent with the leaders.  The team made its final pit stop on lap 114 under caution.  The team put on four fresh tires and filled the truck with fuel.  When the race was restarted on lap 117, Benson was in the seventh position. 

By lap 130, Benson had moved all the way up in to the third position and was fighting with his two teammates for the lead.  It looked as if Benson was going to have a shot for the win, but his truck really started to get tight in the corners which hindered him from getting down on the bottom of the track. 

When the checkered flag fell over the Toyota Tundra 200, Benson was in the eighth position.  The NASCAR Craftsman Truck series has the week off, but Benson will be at Michigan International Speedway running the No. 00 car in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.  This weekend will be Benson’s first 2005 start.  The Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra will be back in action next Wednesday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 13, 2005) -- David Reutimann earned his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) victory in Saturday afternoon’s Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway when he passed veteran Mike Skinner two laps from the finish and charged to the checkered flag.  

Reutimann, driver of the No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, started sixth and led 41 laps en route to his inaugural series win.  The Zephyrhills, Fla.-native registered his initial win in his 41st career NCTS start, as well as with his team owner Darrell Waltrip watching at the track.

“This is by far the biggest thing that has ever happened to me in my life -- other than getting called at home by Darrell Waltrip (DW) one night and being asked to drive his truck,” said Reutimann, following the race.  “I have to thank DW for hiring me and giving me a chance. -- even when I was making mistakes and he was pulling his hair out.  It’s been a long time coming.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to get some more wins now that we have one under our belt.”  

Reutimann, last season’s NCTS Rookie-of-the-Year, wasn’t sure he would be able to catch Skinner at the end of the race.

“Mike and I went down into the corner together -- and something happened to the 13 truck (Tracy Hines) ahead of us,” explained Reutimann.  “Both of us went off and got into some of the oil from the accident.  Mike’s truck went into the wall, and we just barely kept it off of the wall.  It wounded Mike’s truck pretty good and must have knocked a bunch of stuff out because he hit pretty hard.  His truck wouldn’t go after that -- and our truck was pretty good.  Mike doesn’t make mistakes, so I was going to try to keep the pressure on him and see what happened.  We were just hurting a little bit in the corners, but it all worked out for us today.”

“The timing was right,” added Reutimann.  “DW being here and it being Toyota’s race.  You can’t ask for anything more.  I didn’t even know how to get to Victory Lane, and I had never done a burn-out before.  I’ve seen guys do it on TV, but I had to figure it out.”

Skinner would go on to finish fourth, one spot behind Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra.  Other Tundra racers who finished among the top-10 included Bill Lester, who crossed the finish line seventh, and Johnny Benson, who ended up eighth.  In addition, Tundra drivers led all but one lap in the 150-lap event, with Skinner (98 laps), Reutimann (41 laps), Bill Lester (7 laps) and Todd Bodine (3 laps) all taking turns at the front of the field.  

In the NCTS championship point standings following the first 16 races of the 2005 campaign, four Toyota drivers are among the top-15 in the standings.  David Reutimann is fifth with 2,114 points, 286 points behind leader Dennis Setzer.  Following Reutimann in the standings are Tundra racers Mike Skinner (1,996 points) in eighth-place, Todd Bodine (1,961 points) in 12th-place, and Johnny Benson (1,894 points) in 15th-place.

The next race on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway, August 24

NOTES:

• This week’s race truck for Nashville Superspeedway is Chassis No. 23-37.  Benson last drove truck No. 60 at the Kentucky Speedway to a ninth place finish.

• New Leader… 30 year NASCAR Veteran Rick Ren has taken over as the crew chief of the No.23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra.  Ren’s first race with the Bill Davis Racing organization brought the team a strong 16th place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park last Friday night.  He comes to Bill Davis Racing from Robert Yates Racing, where he oversaw the NASCAR Busch Series operation.  Ren has been a pillar in Toyota’s entry into the NASCAR ranks.  He was the crew chief of the No. 24 car last season when the manufacturer won their first race at Michigan International Speedway.

• Tested and Approved… The No. 23 TCUV Tundra team tested Nashville Superspeedway on July 26 and 27 in preparation for Saturday’s running of the Toyota Tundra 200.

• Watch and Learn… Johnny Benson, along with other Toyota NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers, will visit the Toyota Tundra plant in Princeton, Indiana.  Each individual plant has a Toyota Motorsports day where members of the Toyota racing family come and interact with employees.  The day will consist of a plant tour, autograph session, and lunch.  This will be the second time in 2005 that Johnny Benson has attended such an event.

• Listen and Watch … The Toyota Tundra 200 is scheduled to start at 5:15 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 13.  It will broadcast live on Speed (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio channel 144.

Johnny Benson on racing at Nashville Superspeedway:
“Our Nashville test didn’t go quite as well as we would have liked.  The track was a little different from when we’ve tested there in the past, but, on the other hand, it was probably closer to what the actual conditions will be for the race.  We were off a little bit during the test, but I think we learned some things that will allow us to make changes so my truck should be pretty good for the race.”

“I love Nashville.  The track is pretty neat, although it’s tough to pass.  It’s a finesse-type of race track where you have to really concentrate to hold it down at the bottom of the track.  It also requires a lot of discipline to make sure you don’t go into the corner too hard.  Trying to hold it down on the bottom of the track will allow you to get by some of the guys coming by on the corners.  I like a finesse-type of race track.”

“The guys on the race team are in the same boat as I am.  We’re in a different classroom now, and we have a different person in charge.  Everybody has to learn how Rick wants things done.  We have to find the best way to communicate.  The first couple of weeks will probably be tough -- trying to read each other and trying to figure out the direction we need to go in with the truck.  Rick needs to learn what I like in the truck, and I have to learn how he makes his adjustments.  He needs to figure out when I say ‘loose’ -- he needs to understand how ‘loose’ it is, and the changes that need to be made.  I have to figure out from him how far he goes when he makes his changes.  Chemistry is really important and hopefully we’ll get that figured out quickly.”

Crew chief Rick Ren on racing at Nashville Superspeedway:
I am really excited about the opportunity to come and work with veteran driver Johnny Benson and all the guys at Bill Davis Racing.  This team has a lot of potential, and I am looking for great things out of them.  I am hoping we have a strong performance this weekend in Nashville.  It is important to us to run well because Toyota is the title sponsor and will have a number of employees there.  It is an added incentive to do well for the employees and supporters of the Toyota Tundra.”

Toyota - Pre Race

THIS RACE:  The Toyota Tundra 200 will be the fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Nashville Superspeedway.  There will be nine Toyota Tundras in the field at Nashville -- the 16th NCTS race of the 2005 season.

LAST RACE:  In the most recent NCTS race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (August 7), David Reutimann was the top Tundra to the finish line.  Reutimann guided his No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra to an 11th-place finish at the Indianapolis short track.

POINTS PACE:  After the first 15 races of 2005, four Toyota Tundra drivers are among the top-15 in the NCTS championship point standings.  David Reutimann is sixth in the standings with 1,929 points, 350 points behind leader Dennis Setzer, and just 123 points from second-place Ted Musgrave.  Following Reutimann in the standings are Tundra racers Mike Skinner (1,826 points) in 11th-place, Todd Bodine (1,791 points) in 13th-place, and Johnny Benson (1,752 points) in 15th-place.

LAST YEAR HERE:  A year ago, Johnny Benson was the top finishing Toyota driver at Nashville when he crossed the finish line sixth in his No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Tundra.  Toyota drivers Robert Huffman (eighth), David Reutimann (ninth) and Mike Skinner (10th) followed Benson across the finish line.

TWO FOR TOYOTA:  Toyota drivers have registered two wins in 2005, and Toyota has six NCTS victories since the beginning of the 2004 season.  This year, the most recent Toyota win was at Memphis (July 23) when Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Tundra, registered the first win of his NCTS career.  The 22-year-old racer started from the pole and led 54 laps en route to his inaugural series victory.  Toyota’s first win of the 2005 campaign came at Kansas (July 2) when Todd Bodine guided his No. 30 Allman Brothers Band Tundra to ‘Victory Lane.’

PLENTY OF POLES:  Since the beginning of the 2004 NCTS season, Toyota drivers have started races from the pole position 11 times.  Last year, Tundra drivers captured the pole position five times and this year Toyota racers have had six poles.  Brandon Whitt’s pole at Memphis was the first for Toyota on a short track (less than a mile), as well as the first pole by a Toyota driver not from the Bill Davis Racing team.  Teammates Mike Skinner (California, Texas and Charlotte) and Bill Lester (Kansas and Kentucky) at Bill Davis Racing have combined for five Toyota poles in 2005.

LESTER LIKES NASHVILLE:  “I like Nashville because it’s like the 1.5-mile tracks we race at -- although a little shorter -- and I’m really comfortable at those types of tracks,” says Lester.  “I also like the consistency of a concrete surface -- so I like the track from that perspective as well.  Nashville is like Kansas, where we ran up front all race, and Kentucky, where we qualified on the pole.  Those things, and the fact that I know my crew chief Doug Wolcott is going to give me a good truck, make me feel pretty good about Nashville.”

LESTER HERE LAST YEAR:  “We had a terrific run going at Nashville last year and had the misfortune of having a tire problem with about 30 laps remaining in the race,” explains Lester.  “I was running in the top-five most of the day. It felt good running up front with the race leaders.  It was just disappointing we had the tire problem -- with no warning whatsoever -- and next thing you know I was trying to knock down the wall in Turn One.”

FIRST FIRST:  Chad Chaffin, driver of the No. 60 Wyler Racing Tundra, earned the first NCTS pole position of his career at Nashville Superspeedway.  The Tennessee native captured the pole position at Nashville in 2003.  He would go on to finish sixth in the NCTS race that year, his best Nashville finish in four races at the track.

TESTING TALK:  “Our test (July 26-27) at Nashville didn’t go quite as well as we would have liked,” says Johnny Benson.  “The track was a little different than when we’ve tested there in the past.  On the other hand, the track was probably closer to what the actual conditions will be for the race.  We were off a little bit during the test, but I think we really learned some things that should make my truck pretty good for the race.”  

TOYOTA TUNDRA 200 TRACK TALK:  “The Nashville track is pretty neat, although it’s a tough place to pass,” explains Benson.  “It’s a finesse-type of race track where you really have to concentrate to hold your truck down at the bottom of the track.  It also requires a lot of discipline to make sure you don’t go into the corner too hard.  If you can hold your truck down on the bottom of the track, it will allow you to get by some of the guys in the corners.”

NEW CREW CHIEF:  The Nashville race will be Johnny Benson’s second working with new crew chief Rick Ren.  “Everyone on the race team is in the same boat,” says Benson.  “We’re now in a different classroom, and we have a different person in charge.  Everybody has to learn how Rick wants things done.  We have to find the best way to communicate.  The first couple of weeks will be tough -- trying to read each other and figure out the direction we need to go with the truck.  Rick also needs to learn what I like in the truck, and I have to learn how he makes adjustments.”

REUTIMANN RUNNING STRONG:  In the last four NCTS races, David Reutimann has recorded a second-place (Memphis) and two third-place finishes (Kansas and Kentucky), as well as an 11th-place result at IRP -- where he was the top-finishing Toyota.  The recent streak of good finishes has moved Reutimann into sixth-place in the NCTS championship point standings.

POINTING OUT POINTS:  “We’re the top Toyota in points, but the points deal is really tight right now,” says David Reutimann.  “Anything can change at any moment. We need to stay focused and keep running like we’re running to keep moving forward.  This is Toyota’s race and we want to have a good showing for them.”
 
WALLACE WITH WALTRIP:  Mike Wallace will again drive the No. 12 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Toyota Tundra at Nashville.  Wallace replaced Robert Huffman in the No. 12 truck at IRP.