Bill Davis Racing Event Preview
Race/Date:
Toyota Tundra 200 – August 11, 2007
Location:
Nashville Superspeedway – Nashville, T.N.
Johnny Benson and the No. 23 TCUV Tundra team hoped to
defend its 2006 victory at the 1.33 mile Nashville
(Tenn.) Superspeedway. Benson has also won every
Toyota-sponsored race in the past two years, and his
truck appeared to be a strong contender for this
Toyota-sponsored event.
The handling of Benson’s truck was somewhat tight at the
beginning Friday’s first practice session, and the crew
worked diligently to get the TCUV Tundra up to par. The
team ran strong during both practice sessions, and
Benson looked forward to qualifying Saturday morning.
Benson was the third driver to make his qualifying run.
He knew it would be tough to qualify well with such an
early draw, but he posted a great lap of 30.377 seconds,
which earned him the 10th position on the starting
grid.
After the green flag waved Saturday night, Benson
immediately reported to his crew that his No. 23 TCUV
Tundra was snug from the center off the turns. However,
he was still able to pick off positions one by one.
Benson dove down pit road under caution on lap 43 and
received four tires, fuel, air pressure and trackbar
adjustments. He restarted seventh on lap 47 and drove
into the third position just four laps later. Benson
remained in the top three for the next 50 laps.
Just when it seemed Benson would contend for the
victory, ill fortune set in. The right front tire of
Benson’s TCUV Tundra blew out on lap 109, sending the
No. 23 truck careening into the wall and out of the
race. Benson was credited with a 30th-place finish.
Benson will join the rest of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series at the tough to tame Bristol (Tenn.) Motor
Speedway in two weeks. The race will be televised live
on SPEED Wednesday, Aug. 22.
NOTES:
-
This week’s race truck
for Nashville Superspeedway is
Chassis No. 23-37.
This is the same truck that Benson finished fourth
with at Dover’s Monster Mile earlier this year.
-
Last Year’s Winner… Benson was able to capture
the win at Nashville last year due to a very heated
race involving the two front runners on the
green-white checkered restart. Benson is looking to
win yet again this weekend at the Superspeedway.
-
Finishes Where? Not only did Benson pull off
the win at Nashville last year, but Benson has an
average finishing position at Nashville’s
Superspeedway of 5.0, which makes him a serious threat
to win again.
-
Toyota Domination… Benson has won every race
that Toyota has sponsored over the last two years.
Toyota sponsors two races per year, Milwaukee and
Nashville. Benson won both Milwaukee and Nashville
last year, as well as winning again at this year’s
Milwaukee race, so watch out for Benson to pull it off
again in his Toyota Tundra this weekend.
-
Moving On Up… Benson is gaining ground fast.
He moved up yet another spot in the points after
finishing second at ORP last time out. He now stands
in the fifth position in the NCTS Championship point
standings.
-
Nice Start… Benson will make his 90th
NCTS start this weekend in Nashville. His first race
was at Phoenix International Raceway in 1995 where he
took home a tenth place finish.
-
Certified Tundra… The Toyota Certified Used
Vehicles logos will again adorn the hood of the No. 23
Toyota Tundra this weekend at the Toyota Tundra 200.
-
New Addition… Mark Chambers, BDR’s truck team
manager and his wife, Kim gave birth to a beautiful
baby girl named Lydia Rae on Friday, August 3rd.
She weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces.
-
Listen and watch… Toyota Tundra 200 is
scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, August
11. It will broadcast on the Speed Channel (TV), MRN
(radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128).
Johnny Benson on racing at
Nashville Superspeedway:
“Nashville is great. Even though the track is tough to
pass on, it is a neat place to race. Plus they give out
the coolest trophies. I always wanted one of those
guitars and I finally got one last year. Our team has
been on a roll here lately and I hope we can keep that
momentum going this weekend. I would love to bring home
another win and another guitar.”
“Toyota is pretty big in Nashville. They always bring
an enormous group of employees to the track, so we
definitely want to do well in front of them anytime we
get the chance. I have won every race that Toyota has
sponsored the last two years, so maybe the luck will be
in our favor again this weekend.”
