California Race Report
By:  RHR

Red Horse Racing’s No. 1 Toyota Tundra, piloted by defending series champion Johnny Benson, battled a loose condition from green flag to checkers, and held on to finish 12th in the San Bernardino 200 race at the Auto Club Speedway.

Benson, who started in second position, was confident that his truck was dialed-in to be a top contender in Saturday’s race. But weather and track conditions changed and the team was challenged during the race’s few pit stops to make the adjustments necessary to get Benson back on track.

“It was definitely not the day we expected to have,” said Benson. “It’s the way it goes and sometimes you just miss.”

During the first caution at lap 24, the No. 1 team took tires, then fuel, and Benson went back out to race in serious side-by-side action. The two subsequent pit stops allowed for fuel and track bar adjustments that unfortunately made little difference in the truck’s loose condition.

“During practice we got the truck where I like it to be and our qualifying effort showed that,” said Benson. “But we started off way too loose today and Trip and the guys didn’t have the time and opportunity to do what was needed to get it back.”

Benson and the No. 1 Red Horse Racing team are looking forward to the American Commercial Lines 200 race in Atlanta, scheduled for March 7, 2009. Sponsorship opportunities remain open for both of No. 1 and No. 11 teams

Johnny Starts on Front Row!
The speed of the #1 Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny was good enough to place him on the outside front row.  Johnny's best lap had a speed of 172.683 mph.  Kyle Busch earned the pole position with a speed of 174.161 mph.  Good job to Johnny, Trip and the entire #1 team!  To view Johnny's qualifying lap - click here

JOHNNY BENSON, No. 1 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing.  Starting Position: 2nd

Are you pleased with your qualifying lap?
"It was pretty smooth through (turns) one and two, but (turns) three and four didn't go the way I wanted it to. It just got away from me there and slid up the track. All in all, I'm not going to complain. Everybody here at Red Horse Racing, Trip Bruce (crew chief) and the guys, did a good job. It's been fun and we're going to see what happens. I think we'll have a decent run tomorrow, we'll have to wait and see."

Benson won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and Crafton won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

Now, both hope for another long-awaited first – an Auto Club Speedway victory.

Benson has made five trips to the two-mile track, Crafton has competed nine times. Neither has entered Victory Lane. But both have been solid. Only once has Benson finished outside the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway, a 12th-place finish in 2005.

Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, at Fontana, Benson has a Driver Rating of 101.1, an Average Running Position of 9.3, 12 Fastest Laps Run, 331 Laps in the Top 15 (for a percentage of 81.5%) and a series-best Pass Differential of +88 (passes minus times passed).

Crafton, likewise, has strong numbers out west, though not as robust as Benson. Crafton has three top 10s in nine ACS starts. Since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 88.1, an Average Running Position of 10.5, four Fastest Laps Run, 325 Laps in the Top 15 (80.0%) and a Pass Differential of 27.

Both will likely have to contend with Kyle Busch, who will once again run all three races this weekend. In his ACS win last season, his only start there, Busch had a near-perfect Driver Rating of 148.6 (150.0 is perfect).