Valvoline Richmond Preview

#10 Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny Benson describes Richmond International
Raceway as “almost perfect” when grading the NASCAR Winston Cup track. Drivers like the competition, fans like the short track action and great viewing, and the crews appreciate the two-day schedule. Benson said it’s even easy to do hospitality appearances with the layout of the track.

Benson likes Richmond so much he is going to race twice this weekend. On Friday night he’ll be in the #31 Whelen Monte Carlo for the Busch Series race. Benson earned the Busch Series title for Bace Motorsports in 1995. Benson and Crew Chief James Ince plan to use the Friday night Busch Series race to get a jump his competition in Saturday night’s Winston Cup race.

While the results haven’t been spectacular, Benson’s Valvoline Pontiac has come to life in recent weeks. A 15th-place finish at California Sunday would have easily been a top ten or top five finish if he hadn’t lost a lap in the early
part of the race. Benson has been a victim of another driver’s accident in at
least six of the season’s 10 races and untimely caution flags in three others.

Benson has posted three consecutive top-10 finishes at Richmond.

Describe Your Season So Far?

“I know everyone says this but we haven’t been too bad this year. A few breaks
here and there and we’d be sitting really good. Like yesterday in California we
weren’t good as soon as the race started. So we came in and worked on the car. That meant we had to go to the back of the pack. Wouldn’t you know that would be the time we go green for 120 laps and Kurt Busch laps all but about a dozen cars. We were very good but he was on fire and we lost our lap. For the rest of the race we could run with anyone but making up a lap there is so tough. I stayed in front of the leaders there at the end for a good long while. If we
hadn’t lost that lap we could have had a top five finish.

“We have been pretty good this season when we weren’t in other people’s wrecks. That’s just a case of being at the wrong spot at the wrong time. I think as the season goes on we will climb up there in the points. James has done a
tremendous job keeping the morale up in our shop and the crew has put in some long hours. I think we have tested about every other week for the last two
months. It will pay off soon.”

What Do You Like About The Richmond Weekend?

“On the whole, it is pretty dang good place to have a race. It’s a good track
for us to race on. It’s a good track for the fans to watch. It’s a good track
for even the people who do hospitality. Our crew guys like the two-day shows
plus Richmond is just a great city to visit and hang out. I’ve said before we’d
run 38 races at Richmond if they let us. It’s about perfect.”

Benson On What He Will Look For Friday And Apply Saturday

“You are looking at track conditions and trying to learn what type of changes
to expect from the track. It will start extremely slick. Every year they tell
us they don’t seal Richmond but they do. I hear this year they sealed it twice
this year. It will be interesting to see how fast the sealer is wearing off and
where it is wearing off. Without having any late practice on Saturday like we
had in the past it’s going to make what we learn in the Busch race Friday even
more critical.”

What Is Your Strategy At Richmond?

Richmond is a track where you do a lot of slipping and sliding. You want to get
out front, stay up with the lead cars and at the end hopefully you will be in a
position to win. We have always raced pretty well up there. We have great
equipment and it’s a type of track I like. It’s nice and smooth and it’s a
track where finesse is the key. Those are the kind of tracks where I like to
race. Along with everyone else also.”


THE RACE: Pontiac Excitement 400
Winston Cup Race #11 of 36 for the 2002 Winston Cup season

· Race: Saturday, May 4, 2002 in Richmond, VA
· TV: FX - 7:00pm/et
· Race re-air: Speed Channel on Wednesday, May 8th, 8:00pm/et
· Pre-Race Show: 6:30pm/et, with hosts Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond
· Announcers: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds
· Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum and Steve Byrnes
· Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond
· Posted Awards/Purse: $? (was $3,270,994 in 2001)


· 2001 Race Winner: Tony Stewart, 95.872mph, started 7th
· Event/Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett, Sept 1997, 109.047mph
· Track/Race Length: 0.75 mile oval, 400 laps, 300 miles
· Pit Road Speed: 35mph

Practice
· Practice: Friday, May 3rd, 11:20am - 1:20pm/et; 4:45 - 5:30pm/et.
· Happy Hour Practice: Friday, May 3rd, 6:15 - 7:00pm/et on TV-FX at
  6:00pm/et.

Qualifying
· Qualifying Draw: Friday, May 3rd, 10:20am/et
· First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday, May 3rd at 3:05
  pm/et, TV-? and live via MRN Radio(link below) and via NASCAR.com's
  Racecast (paid).
· Second-Round Qualifying: there is no longer a 2nd round of qualifying (since
  the 2001 season)
· Track/Event Qualifying Record: Jeff Gordon, May 1999, 126.499mph
· Last Year's Pole Sitter: Mark Martin, 124.613mph, finished 13th

Track Specs:
Short Track: 0.75-mile oval, 60-foot width with 10-foot apron
Banking: turns: 14 degrees; frontstretch 8 degrees; backstretch 2 degrees
Straights: Backstretch - 860 feet; Frontstretch - 1290 feet
Seating Capacity: ~105,000


#10 Valvoline Pontiac Team Television Information

Pit Contact: James Ince or Drew Brown
Owner: Valvoline/MB2 Motorsports (Tom Beard, Nelson Bowers, Read Morton)
Crew Chief: James Ince
Car Chief: Gary Putnam
Engine Builder: Hendrick Motorsports
Spotter Brian Dantine
Engine Tuner: Ondre Rexford

Over The Wall Pit Crew
Gas Man: Jimmy Watts
Front Tire Changer: Mike Cluka
Catch Can: Steve Mann
Windshield: Russ Hoekwater
Jackman: Tim Boatwright
Front Tire Carrier: Shane Cooke
Rear Tire Changer: Joe Piette
Rear Tire Carrier: Steve Genenbacher

Other Crew Members
Truck Driver: Jerry Hess
Shock Specialist: Mike Cluka
Tires: Kyle Petty
Engineer: Tim Turner
Computers: John Hayes
Scorer: Terry Lane
PR Rep: Drew Brown

Other Information:

All wind tunnel testing is performed in Ottawa, Canada and Detroit.

Benson Career At Richmond
Year            S      F
Fall 2001      27    10
Spring 2001  11      6
Fall 2000        8      7
Spring 2000  23    25
Fall 1999      30    22
Spring 1999  26    28
Fall 1998      32    41
Spring 1998    8    18
Fall 1997      37    13
Spring 1997  23      9
Fall 1996      34    10
Spring 1996  33    37

Big Brothers Big Sisters Of America:

Benson is racing this week for the Anchorage, Inc., Anchorage, AK Chapter of
Big Brothers Big Sisters Of America. Each week Valvoline donates money to the national Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America organization as well as an
individual local chapter based on Benson's on-track performance. Valvoline
matches Benson's performance by donating $5,000 for a win, $2,500 for a pole,
$1,000 for a top ten 10 finish, $500 for a top 20 finish and $20 for each lap
led. The 3-year program has raised over $750,000.