Johnny Finishes
In the Runner-up Position
By: Red Horse Racing
Johnny Benson and his Red Horse Racing team headed for
the heartland with one goal; to secure their first win
of the season. Mother Nature had other plans. Rain and
a threat of severe weather postponed Saturday’s event
after just 52 laps. The 167-lap event restarted on
Monday just before 2:00p.m. but thunderstorms loomed
once again and the race was called 35 laps before the
scheduled end. Benson made the best of the situation
to secure a second place finish and earn his second
top-five of the season. He also moved up to fifth in
Camping World Truck Series driver point standings.
During two practice sessions on Friday afternoon, the
#1 Red Horse Racing team tweaked their truck until it
was ready to take on the competition at the Kansas
Speedway. After qualifying fifth for the O’Reilly Auto
Parts 250, Benson was ready to get the race underway.
Just after 5:00p.m. that evening, the green flag
dropped as thunderstorms began moving into the area.
Keeping a careful watch on the radar, the # 1
team knew they needed to get to the front as fast as
possible. On lap three, Benson encountered a close
call when the # 4 of Ricky Carmichael spun right in
front of him and barely grazed the nose of the #1 Red
Horse Racing machine. Fortunately, Benson avoided any
damage during the brief contact and was able to stay
on the race track but slid back a few spots. He
restarted seventh and after a few green flag laps,
Benson reported that the truck was becoming just a
little tight in the center of the corners. Determined
to get back the track position he had lost, Benson
went to work and quickly gained spots. He took over
the fourth position just four laps later.
Still fighting a tight condition, Benson was anxiously
awaiting a chance to hit pit road for adjustments.
Shortly after reporting he was really tight in traffic,
a caution came out on lap 37 and gave him the
opportunity to pit. Crew chief Trip Bruce called for
four tires and an air pressure adjustment on lap 39.
Benson returned the following lap to fill up with fuel.
He restarted eighth.
The
race resumed under green flag conditions for three more
laps before thunder and lightening moved over the track.
The rain was coming down so hard that Benson reported he
could not see out of the windshield. NASCAR threw the
caution flag and eventually brought the drivers to pit
road to park their trucks. The race was postponed until
Monday morning. Just as crews were putting away their
pit equipment for the day, the tornado sirens went off.
Everyone took shelter until the all clear was given. A
tornado touched down a few miles from the track but no
one was hurt.
Benson and his #1 Red Horse Racing team returned to the
track on Monday morning but rain showers still loomed
over the Kansas Speedway. Scattered storms lasted until
nearly noon and NASCAR was able to dry the track and get
it race-ready by 2:00p.m.
The
competitors ran several caution laps at first to make
sure the track was safe for racing. NASCAR threw the
green flag on lap 61 and Benson started part-two of the
event in the seventh position. The caution came out on
lap 71 and Trip Bruce opted to leave Benson out on the
track when a few of the other trucks hit pit road. The
decision earned them three positions and the #1
restarted fourth. On lap 85, Benson told the crew he
thought he was wearing out the right rear tire. NASCAR
threw a competition caution on lap 85, and the #1 headed
to pit road for fresher tires. Taking four fresh tires
and an air pressure adjustment for the right rear tire
on the first time by, Benson returned the following lap
for fuel. Pitting off sequence with some of the other
trucks, he restarted 18th.
It
didn’t take Benson long to get those spots back. Just
two laps later he had already grabbed the 14th
spot. He broke back into the top-10 on lap 96 and
continued his march to the front. Benson was running the
fastest laps on the racetrack as he took over the fifth
spot on lap 110. The caution came out on lap 112 and
Bruce knew that the #1 needed more fuel to make it to
the end of the race. He brought Benson to pit road on
lap 114 for a splash of gas. Taking only the amount of
gas needed, he beat a few trucks out of the pits and
claimed the fourth spot for the restart. When the green
flag waved, Benson made a three wide pass to take over
the second spot. Just one lap later the rains came again
and soaked the track. NASCAR threw the caution and
brought the trucks to pit road. With no sign of the rain
letting up, NASCAR called the race complete 35 laps from
the finish. Benson didn’t get the chance to race for the
win but was happy with the runner-up finish after such a
long weekend.
The
NASCAR Camping World Series will enjoy two weeks off
before racing resumes in Concord, North Carolina. The NC
Education Lottery 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is
scheduled for Friday evening, May 15th. It will be
televised on Speed at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Final Practice Report
By: Red Horse Racing
During the first of two practice sessions at the
Kansas Speedway, Johnny Benson reported that his #1
Toyota Tundra was hitting the race track and bouncing
so badly he compared the feeling to driving over
railroad tracks. The team worked diligently for much
of the first practice to get the truck off the track's
surface. With little time on the track, Benson
finished the first practice in the 17th position.
Just
one hour later, Benson took to the track again for a
final hour-and-a-half long practice session.
Immediately Benson reported that the truck was much
better and no longer hitting the race track. With the
first problem solved, Crew Chief, Trip Bruce and his
crew tackled the tight center condition in the truck.
Benson also reported that the #1 wasn't drafting very
well. The team made several adjustments and during the
next run, Benson could tell a huge difference. He
reported that the truck felt really good but needed to
be just a little more free. He and the team didn't
make a qualifying run and instead opted to work on
their race adjustments. By the end of the Happy Hour
session, Benson and the team felt prepared for the
race. Many other teams made qualifying runs so Benson
ended up 21st.
Brian
Scott turned the fastest lap in final practice with
Ricky Carmichael, Mike Skinner, Johnny Sauter, and
Colin Braun rounding out the top-five. Red Horse
Racing teammate T.J. Bell was ninth quick.
Qualifying for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at the
Kansas Speedway will begin at 12:45p.m. central time
on Saturday. The green flag will fall at 5:00 p.m.
that evening. The race will be televised on SPEED
Channel.
Johnny Heading to the Land of Oz
By: Red Horse Racing
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 will mark Johnny Benson’s
fifth Camping World Truck Series start at Kansas
Speedway. In four previous races, he has never
started inside the top-14 but was has been able to
work his way to the front; earning two top-five and
three top-10 finishes. Benson has never won in the
“Land of Oz” but plans to follow the yellow brick road
straight to Victory Lane this weekend.
After enjoying nearly a month off, Benson and the #1
Red Horse racing team are ready to get back to the
track. In the last three events at California
Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville
Speedway, the team has seen steady improvement by
finishing 12th, ninth and fourth
respectively. They are hoping to use that momentum to
earn an ever better finish at Kansas Speedway and make
up additional ground in the point standings. Johnny
Benson currently sits seventh in Camping World Truck
Series driver point standings.
During the series most
recent off-weekend, Benson could be found racing in
the 2009 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach,
California. Carrying the banner for Toyota, Benson
finished second overall after overcoming a 30 second
head-start given to the celebrities participating. Al
Unser Jr. finished first and won the pro category and
actor Keanu Reeves won the celebrity category.
Johnny Benson on racing at Kansas Speedway
“Kansas Speedway is a
cool track with great racing. Last year we had some
trouble during the race but we were able to pull out a
fourth place finish. We’re taking chassis 73 and that
truck is our “old faithful.” We seem to always run
well with it so we’ll take it to Kansas and see what
we can do!”
CrewChief Trip Bruce on Kansas Speedway
“Kansas Speedway is one
of my favorite tracks to go to. It’s such a nice
facility and they put on a really good show for the
fans. It’s a very technical track. Drafting comes into
play there, so you have to have a good aerodynamic
package on your truck. A driver has to give good
feedback, be smooth on the track and race smart to
finish well there. We finished fourth with Johnny last
year. I have been to Victory Lane at Kansas with Kasey
Kahne and I would love to get Johnny there this
weekend.”
Equipment Information
The #1 Red Horse Racing
team will compete with chassis # 73 in the O’Reilly
Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. This is Benson’s
favorite chassis. He last raced it at Atlanta Motor
Speedway where he started 18th and finished
ninth.
In the Loop
Johnny Benson had spent
four-and-a-half seasons with Bill Davis Racing before
joining Red Horse Racing this season as the defending
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.
So you can forgive him if it took
Benson a little time to adapt. It didn't take
much time. Benson has improved his finish in
each of the season's four races, and now sits seventh
in points. So, too, did his statistics improve
with each passing race:
-
At Daytona, Benson finished 26th
with a Driver Rating of 79.7 and an Average Running
Position of 17.5.
-
At Auto Club Speedway, he
finished 12th with a Driver Rating of 81.7 and an
Average Running Position of 10.7.
-
At Atlanta, Benson finished ninth
with a Driver Rating of 96.0 and an Average Running
Position of 8.8.
-
At Martinsville, Benson posted
his first top five, finishing fourth with a Driver
Rating of 105.9 and an Average Running Position of
6.8.
Now, Benson finds himself in the
top 10 of every key Loop Data stat category. He has a
Driver Rating of 90.8 (sixth-best), an Average Running
Position of 10.9 (sixth) and a Laps in the Top 15
percentage of 80.4 (sixth). Even more promising for
Benson: In his 2008 championship winning season,
Benson was ninth after four races – two spots lower
than he is now.
Words From the Truck Director
"After a few
weeks off, everyone is really looking forward to
heading to Kansas and getting back on track this
weekend. Kansas Speedway is the second visit this
season for the series to an intermediate track.
"We've been competing at the track
since 2001, but racing in the Kansas City-area dates
back to the inaugural season. Just down the road, I-70
Speedway and the road course at Heartland Park Topeka
hosted the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 1995
to 1999.
"As we get ready to get back to it,
a team the garage s watching is Greenlight Racing. The
#07 Chevrolet has been strong over the first four
races and it's not much of a surprise with Bobby
Dotter leading the team and Chad McCumbee behind the
wheel.
"In our eight trips to this track,
Victory Lane has yet to see a repeat winner. We've had
young drivers like Erik Darnell grab their first
career wins and we've had series champions like Ron
Hornaday Jr. end up with the checkered flag.
"One of my favorite first-win
memories at Kansas was watching Ricky Hendrick grab
his first win there in 2001. It was so cool to see his
dad, Rick, and his mother with big smiles on their
faces in Victory Lane.
"Ricky wouldn't leave until all the
post-race inspections were done. And when they were,
we got to continue a tradition the officials do for
all first-time winners, which is a victory cheer for
the driver. Every time we go to Kansas and I see
Victory Lane, I remember that day and how special it
was to see a young, talented kid win.
"So for the great fans that are
always out when the trucks come to town, I'd say keep
your eyes on everyone. It could be any driver's race
to win, veterans and young guys alike."
38 Trucks Entered for Kansas
Thirty-eight trucks are on
the preliminary entry list for the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 this
weekend at Kansas Speedway. The race, which will
be the first event not run in conjunction with a
Sprint Cup Series weekend, has no Cup drivers entered.
The No. 51 Billy
Ballew Motorsports truck, which has been driven by
Kyle Busch, has Brian Ickler as a driver. Former
Sprint Cup driver J.J. Yeley is entered in the No. 73
Tagsby Racing Chevrolet. Also entered is Kansas native
Jennifer Jo Cobb in a Cope/Keller Racing truck. Cope
himself is entered in one of his trucks as well.
Among entries for
teams that have used multiple drivers this year, Chris
Fontaine and Chris Jones are in GunBroker.com Racing
trucks, Marc Mitchell and Brandon Knupp are in Fast
Track Racing entries, and Ben Stancil is in an MB
Motorsports truck. TRG Motorsports is also entered
with driver J.R. Fitzpatrick, who is running a limited
schedule this season.
_small.jpg)
