Johnny Benson
Bill Davis Racing Event Preview
Race/Date:
Silverado 350K – Nov. 2, 2007
Location:
Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas
Johnny Benson and his No. 23 TCUV team headed to Texas
Motor Speedway looking to extend their streak of seven
consecutive top-10 finishes.
After making several adjustments during the practice
sessions Thursday morning, Benson and his team knew they
had their work cut out for them in qualifying. The team
needed to qualify well at the hard-to-pass track, so it
diligently prepared for Thursday night’s qualifying
session.
Benson was one of the last competitors to qualify and
knew he had a good chance to qualify near the front of
the field. His lap of 29.399 seconds put the No. 23
TCUV Tundra in the fourth position for the start of
Friday night’s race.
After the green flag waved over the 36-truck field
Friday night, the No. 23 team knew something was wrong
when it couldn’t hear Benson over the radio. The radio
inside the No. 23 Tundra was not working, and the TCUV
team anxiously awaited the first caution, which began on
lap three. With time to spare, Benson grabbed the
backup radio in the truck and replaced the faulty
radio. Now that he was able to hear his team clearly,
Benson shifted his focus to the racetrack.
Benson held onto his Tundra and kept it from wrecking
after getting forced into the wall on lap 10. His next
issue to face was a tight handling condition. A caution
on lap 40 allowed the No. 23 team a chance to remedy the
handling issue. The crew made air pressure, wedge and
trackbar adjustments during the four-tire stop. Benson
restarted seventh and began his charge to the front.
Maintaining his position well on the track, Benson drove
hard despite fighting a semi-tight handling truck. He
pitted again for fuel only after the caution flag waved
on lap 69.
On lap 83, Benson reported to his crew that he felt as
if he had a flat tire, because he immediately began
moving backward in the field. Two laps later, the
engine of the No. 23 Tundra expired, forcing the team
from the race early. Benson was credited with a
27th-place finish.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Phoenix
International Raceway this weekend. The race will be
televised live on SPEED, Nov.
9.
NOTES:
-
This week’s race truck for
Texas Motor Speedway is Chassis No. 23-73.
This is the same truck Benson drove to a third-place
finish last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
-
Money Mark… After finishing
third in last week’s Atlanta race, Benson became the
17th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor to reach
the $2 million mark in career winnings. Benson has
won $2,005,743.
-
Sponsor Alert... The No. 23
Tundra will once again sport the red colors of TCUV
this weekend at Texas. TCUV sold its 2,000,000th
vehicle this past week, marking the first time a
manufacturer has made such an achievement.
-
On a Roll… Benson and his
No. 23 team have had two wins, five top-five finishes
and seven top-10 finishes in the last seven races.
-
Point Standings… Benson has
quickly climbed the NCTS Championship standings. He
now stands in the fourth position.
-
Newcomer… Earlier this
week, BDR announced that it had signed Phillip
McGilton, former ARCA RE/MAX Series driver, to drive
the No. 22 Tundra next year in the NCTS.
-
Listen and watch… The
Silverado 350K is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET
Friday, Nov. 2. It will broadcast on the Speed
Channel (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio
(Ch. 128).
Johnny Benson on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:
“We are looking forward to Texas. We always seem to run
well there in the trucks, and we have been on a roll
these past few weeks. If we can run as competitive as
we have in the last seven races, we definitely have a
shot to win. We are going to need a good qualifying run
in order to finish well, though. Texas is notorious for
being a place where it is hard to pass, so starting up
front will give us an advantage. Hopefully we can keep
the momentum we have going right now through the rest of
the year.”
