Johnny Benson – Exide
Batteries Racing
Post Race Report
Race:
NC Education Lottery 200
(Race 6 of 25)
Track:
Lowe’s Motor
Speedway
Date:
Friday, May 16, 2008
Started:
14th
Finish:
11th
Laps Completed:
138
Total Laps:
138
NCTS Points:
Eighth
Tied for fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Championship standings heading into Friday night’s event
at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Johnny Benson and his No. 23
Exide Batteries Toyota Tundra team looked forward to
moving up even further in the standings.
Weather issues delayed practice Friday morning, so
Benson was more than ready to go when practice finally
began. He posted good lap times in the sole practice
session and expected more of the same in qualifying.
Benson had an early draw in the qualifying order. He
recorded a time of 31.090 seconds, placing him 14th on
the starting grid for the race that evening.
Benson vaulted forward immediately after the green flag
waved over the 36-truck field. The handling of his No.
23 Exide Batteries Tundra became tighter by the lap, but
he still managed to pick off positions.
The second caution flag of the night waved on lap 21,
and Benson joined the majority of the field on pit
road. The handling of Benson’s truck improved as the
race continued, so the crew made no changes to the truck
during the four-tire stop.
After returning to the top-10, Benson made his move to
the front on lap 50. He moved into the top five as the
halfway point of the 138-lap race approached.
A long green flag run forced the field to make green
flag pit stops. Benson made his four-tire stop on lap
80. A fast stop by the Exide crew placed Benson fourth
when the round of pit stops was completed.
Soon after the pit stop, Benson felt something funny.
He reported to crew chief Trip Bruce that his truck’s
handling was loose and that he thought a wheel might be
loose as well. The Exide crew readied itself for a pit
stop when the caution flag waved with 34 laps
remaining. The crew fixed the handling issue during the
stop.
Armed with the fastest truck on the track, the veteran
race driver battled for the lead on lap 120. Numerous
cautions plagued next few laps, forcing Benson to keep
digging for the lead position. He finally took the on
the lap 127 restart, but NASCAR officials believed
Benson jumped the start. Benson was black flagged and
forced out of contention for the win. He finished 11th.
Benson and the rest of the Craftsman Truck Series will
head to Mansfield, Ohio, next week. The race will be
televised live Saturday, May 24 on Speed Channel
This week’s race truck for the event at
Lowe’s Motor Speedway is Chassis No. 23-60. This is the same
truck Johnny Benson drove to a third-place finish at
California Speedway in February.
Back in Black and Blue…
● Exide will serve as the primary
sponsor of Benson’s No. 23 Toyota Tundra for the first
time this year. Many Exide employees will tour Bill
Davis Racing Headquarters in High Point, N.C., and
participate in a go-kart outing with Benson before
attending the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race this
weekend.
● Sweet Home… Benson is excited about racing at Lowe’s
Motor Speedway because he will be able to sleep in his
own bed the night before the race. Benson and his family
reside in Charlotte.
● Last Year… Benson was in the third position and
charging for the lead with just 12 laps to go last year
in Charlotte. Unfortunately, his right front tire blew,
sending him into the wall and out of the race.
● Off-time… Benson spent time during the past two weeks
with his family and racing his Late Model Stock Car at
his hometown racetrack in Berlin, Mich. Benson finished
sixth in his race.
● BDR Stat… Last time out in Kansas, Bill Davis Racing
started its 300th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
Over the years the dominating team has captured 17 wins,
79 top-five finishes, 123 top-10 finishes and 32 poles
in 303 races.
Johnny Benson on Racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“I really like racing at Charlotte, not only because it
is my home track, and I have a lot of family and friends
there, but because it is a great track to race on.
Charlotte is always pretty fast, and we always seem to
put on a great show for the fans there as well. We have
a long stretch coming up, and it is very important to
get things kicked off running well starting at
Charlotte. Hopefully we can do that this weekend for
Bill and Gail Davis, as well as Exide Batteries.”
