Johnny Benson

Bill Davis Racing Event Preview

Race/Date:    Kroger 250 – October 20, 2007

Location:       Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, V.A.

Johnny Benson headed to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway looking for another top-10 finish.  The No. 23 TCUV Tundra finished 10th at the half-mile short track in the spring and fifth there last fall.  The TCUV team’s expectations were high once again this weekend.

Rain set in throughout most of the day Friday, forcing the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to a single 80-minute practice session.  The No. 23 truck performed well in practice, and Benson and his team were pleased with their results.  They finished the session as the 17th- quickest team on the speed charts.

Benson was the fourth-to-last driver to make his qualifying attempt Saturday morning.  The truck ran well, but not as good as expected, and Benson qualified 17th for that afternoon’s race.

Once the 200-lap race got underway, Benson immediately began to move forward.  However, the handling of the truck became loose instantly, and it needed a little side bite as soon as possible.  Despite this, Benson kept his focus and ran well.

After the caution flag waved on lap 25, Benson and the rest of the field drove down pit road.  The No. 23 team made trackbar and wedge adjustments during the fuel-only stop, and Benson restarted 15th on lap 30.

As the drivers became more aggressive on the Virginia short track, it became hard to avoid any type of contact.  Benson’s truck was no exception.  On lap 43, the No. 23 Tundra was sandwiched between other trucks and received slight damage to the left-rear fender.

Benson’s truck soon acquired more damage after contact with another truck resulted in major damage to the left-front fender.  Benson reported to pit road so the crew could repair the damage, and he lost one lap to the leader in the process.

Benson fought hard on the track despite battling a loose-handling vehicle. When the caution flag waved on lap 108, Benson became the “Lucky Dog” and returned to the lead lap.

Benson used the multitude of cautions throughout the second half of the race to pit for more adjustments.  Attrition took its toll on other competitors, but Benson kept his cool and finished ninth.

The Craftsman Truck Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway again this weekend.  The race will be televised live on SPEED Saturday, Oct. 27.

 

"I thought Jimmy Hensley was the undisputed king of Martinsville -- see Jimmy when you quit racing they all forget about you.  For us to sweep both races at Martinsville with Jeff (Hensley) living just a couple miles through the woods over here -- that's pretty good.  It's great that Bill Davis Racing was a part of Toyota winning their second consecutive manufacturer championship and I think they clinched that today.  If we wouldn't have won then I think the No. 60 (Jack Sprague) would have and he did an awesome job running us clean -- I owe a lot to him." said Skinner.

Martinsville Photos
By VPS Motorimages

NOTES:

• This week’s race truck for Martinsville Speedway is Chassis No. 23-60.  This is the same truck Benson ran at a few races earlier in the year, including Milwaukee, where Benson was the race winner for the second year in a row.

• Close Finishes… Two of the top-10 closest finishes in history are from the 2007 season and Benson has been involved in both.  Benson finished second in Daytona earlier in the year by a slim .031 margin and last weekend in Talladega Benson finished third in a three wide photo finish.  Margin of victory last weekend was .014 seconds.

• Sponsor Alert... Benson and the No. 23 team will once again be sporting the red colors of TCUV this weekend at Talladega.

• Point Standings… Benson has climbed up the NCTS points standings fast.  He stands in the fifth position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points.

• Headed Home… Travis Sharpe, the front tire catch man for the No. 23 Toyota team was born and raised in Martinsville, Va.

• Looking back… Benson finished second in October of 2002 in Nelson Bowers Valvoline sponsored Pontiac in the NEXTEL Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway.

• Tested and Approved… Benson along with teammate Jacques Villeneuve spent some time last week preparing for Martinsville during a test session at Caraway Speedway.  Benson ran well and is ready to get things going this weekend.

• Listen and watch… The Kroger 250 is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. ET Saturday, October 20.  It will broadcast on the Speed Channel (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128).

Johnny Benson on racing at Martinsville Speedway: