Kroger 200 - October 21, 2006
Martinsville Speedway - Martinsville, VA

With five races remaining in the 2006 season, Johnny Benson and the No. 23 NAPA Toyota Tundra team knew that maintaining a chance to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship would require a lot of hard work in Martinsville.  The No. 23 team was caught up in a wreck when the series visited the .526-mile oval in the spring, which resulted in the team’s worst finish of the season.  The NAPA Tundra team was confident in the chassis it brought for Saturday’s race and expected great things in the race.

       
     

Benson was very happy with the way his truck handled in both of Friday’s practice sessions.  The team made a couple of minor adjustments to the truck, hoping to dial it in for the 200-lap race Saturday afternoon.  Benson explained to his crew that the truck was cutting really well in the center of the corners, and he could really get back on the gas.  Benson was fourth on the speed chart at the end of the final practice session.  The team remained optimistic about the race.

Benson had what seemed to be an advantageous late qualifying draw, as the sun was starting to set over the south end of speedway.  As the sun set, the track started to gain grip, which helped the competitors’ lap times.  Benson’s time of 20.139 seconds was good enough for the 21st spot on the grid, but it baffled the team as to why it struggled in qualifying after such a stellar performance in practice.

When the green flag waved on an almost perfect fall afternoon, Benson knew he would have to be smart to make it to the finish of the race and keep his championship hopes alive.  On lap 24, he reported to his crew that the truck’s handling was loose in and tight off the corners.  Crew Chief Rick Ren and the No. 23 discussed what changes would be required during the first pit stop.

That first pit stop occurred under caution on lap 33.  The fuel-only stop also included a trackbar adjustment.  The team gambled by not changing tires, but it wanted to take advantage of track position, which is key at such a small track.

The race restarted on lap 37, and Benson had his NAPA Tundra in the 10th spot.  He cautiously worked his way through the field, passing his competitors on both the high and low sides of the racetrack.  He stood seventh at the halfway point of the event.  Benson was very quiet on the radio, which the team knew meant he was happy with his truck and was just trying to hit his marks.

Benson continued to move forward, eventually reaching the fifth position by the time the checkered flag waved.  It was the team’s 12th top-five finish of the season.  With the No. 30 truck’s misfortune, the team picked up valuable ground in the points standings.  The team only sits 79 points behind leader Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 30 machine.

The Craftsman Truck Series returns to action on Saturday Oct. 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Live coverage of race, scheduled for a 5:15 p.m. ET start, will broadcast on Speed (television), MRN (radio) and XM Satellite Radio.

 

• This week’s race truck for Martinsville Speedway is Chassis No. 23-35.  The last time the truck was used in competition, Johnny Benson drove it to a 32nd-place finish at Memphis Motorsports Park after being caught up in a wreck early in the event.

• Welcome Aboard… Bill Davis Racing is pleased to welcome NAPA Auto Parts as the primary sponsor of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship-contending No. 23 Toyota Tundra this weekend in Martinsville.  The leader in auto parts will serve as the primary sponsor for this weekend’s event at Martinsville and next week’s race at NAPA’s home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway.  NAPA will also continue to serve as the sponsor of Michael Waltrip and the No. 55 team in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

• One Year Anniversary… It has been one year since Mark Chambers took over as team manager of the Bill Davis Racing NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams.  Chambers came to BDR from GM Racing, where he served as an engineer for the Corvette Racing program.  In his first year at the helm, Chambers has helped the teams accumulate five victories, 22 top-five finishes and 30 top-10 finishes.

• Points Battle… Benson trails Craftsman Truck Series points leader Todd Bodine by 113 points with five races remaining in the 2006 season.

• Looking Back… Benson finished third, right behind his current teammate Mike Skinner, in his first Craftsman Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway in 1995.

• Listen and Watch… The Kroger 200 is scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 21.  It will broadcast live on Speed (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio.

Johnny Benson on racing at Martinsville Speedway:
“The date for the race at Martinsville has been circled on my calendar since the spring.  When I look back on the 2006 season, it will be a pivotal race in our hopes for a championship.  We were spun coming out of turn four, which damaged the right side of the truck.  We had to pit under green to fix the pipes, which put us a couple of laps down.  We need to have a strong finish in order to keep our championship hopes alive.”

Crew chief Rick Ren on racing at Martinsville Speedway:
“I am looking forward to Martinsville.  I really like the short tracks on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule.  Martinsville is tough on the driver and crew.  The driver has to be up on the wheel all day, and the crew has to not have any mistakes on pit road in order to put together a strong run.  We know that if we are going to have a shot at this championship, we have to have a good run this weekend.  We know what we need to do, and now it is a matter of making it happen.”