Bristol Race Review

The race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway is one that all the teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series have marked on their calendar.  The No. 23 Exide Batteries team has been waiting 366 days defend its title at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” and it was trying to become the first team in NCTS history to win four consecutive races.  Accomplishing that feat meant quite a bit of work, but the No. 23 team was up to the challenge and ready to send its Toyota Tundra to victory lane. 

The team rolled its black-and-blue Exide Batteries Toyota Tundra onto the half-mile high-banked track during the two practice sessions Wednesday afternoon and immediately knew it had a fast truck.  Driver Johnny Benson said his truck was bottoming out on the right side, which was hurting him in both corners.  The team made minor changes to the front of the truck to keep it from hitting the track.  The changes helped, and Benson immediately went to the top of the leader board.  The team spent the remainder of the two sessions dialing in the truck in for the 200-lap race, and Crew Chief Trip Bruce went through a number of small changes to see how the truck would react.  By the end of the final practice session, the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing team was very optimistic about its chances for four victories in a row. 

When the green flag was displayed to the field Wednesday night, Benson was lined up on the front row next to his Bill Davis Racing teammate Scott Speed.  It only took two corners for Benson to take the lead and start to pull away from the field.  On lap 32, Benson explained to his team that the truck was in a four wheel slide at both ends of the speedway.  Bruce conferred with his team on what changes would be made during the first pit stop, which came under caution on lap 42.  

During that stop, the team changed four tires, filled the truck with fuel and made an air pressure adjustment.  Benson restarted ninth on lap 45 and was on a mission to regain the lead.  

By lap 70, Benson had fought his way back into the top five.  He told his team the truck was still a touch tight and needed just a small adjustment to help the truck get through the corners.  That adjustment was made during the final pit stop of the night, which occurred under caution on lap 118. 

The adjustment was made to the trackbar during the four-tire stop.  Thought that adjustment was meant to be the key ingredient for victory, it was not without a challenge.  Benson was the only truck on pit road, meaning he would have to be patient to return to the front.  He broke into the top 10 in only 30 laps and was posting some of the fastest lap times on the track.  Benson battled throughout the final 50 laps and brought his Exide Batteries Tundra home in the fourth spot. 

The No. 23 Bill Davis Racing team has a week off to prepare to defend its title at Gateway International Speedway near St. Louis.  The race can be seen live on the Speed Channel, Saturday, Sept. 6.

Johnny Benson

Bill Davis Racing Event Preview

Race/Date: O’Reilly 200 – Aug. 20, 2008

Location:    Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tenn.

NOTES:

·         This week’s race truck for Bristol Motor Speedway is Chassis No. 23-73.  Chassis No. 23-73 was last raced at the Kentucky Speedway where the 23 team took home their second victory of 2008.

·         Nice Battery…  Exide Batteries will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.  The Atlanta-based Exide Batteries has been a partner of the No. 23 team for three seasons.

·         Defending Winner… Johnny Benson and the No. 23 team head to “Thunder Valley” as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ most recent winner, as the team captured a victory last weekend in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. 

·         Nice Stats…  Benson has made four starts at Bristol behind the wheel of the No. 23 Toyota Tundra.  In just his handful of starts, he has accumulated one victory, two fourth-place finishes and one 13th-place finish, giving him an average finish of 5.5 at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

·         How it’s Made…  Benson will appear at the Exide Batteries plant across the street from Bristol Motor Speedway Tuesday, Aug. 19.  It will be his second trip to the Bristol plant.

·         On a Tear… The No. 23 Exide Batteries Toyota Tundra team has been on a tear since the end of June.  The team has won four of the last five races and leads the Craftsman Truck Series in victories (four) this season.  Three of those wins came in consecutive races, placing Benson in an elite club of only five drivers to win three consecutive races, a group which includes his Bill Davis Racing teammate, Mike Skinner. 

·         Autographs Anyone… Johnny Benson will be at the Toyota souviner trailer on Wednesday, August 20^th at 3 pm signing autographs.  The trailer is located behind turns one and two.

·         Listen and watch … The O’Reilly 200 scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EST, Saturday, Aug. 20.  It will broadcast on SPEED (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128).

• Racing Quotes:

• Johnny Benson on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:

• “Bristol is a place that all the teams have marked on their calendars.  We have been lucky enough to win one there, which is pretty cool.  [Crew chief] Trip Bruce made a call to pit early last year, which helped us win the race.  We had a great truck, and I knew I would have to be patient in order to get back to the front. It was a great night. 
   

• “Trip and the guys on the No. 23 Exide Batteries team have done a tremendous job this year preparing trucks that win races.  This is fun.  Momentum is such an important thing in this sport.  We have been on a roll and know we have to keep it up for the last 10 races.”