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Whelen Richmond
Preview
Former NASCAR Busch Series Champion Johnny Benson makes his
return to the Busch Series this weekend in Ted Marsh’s #31
Whelen Monte Carlo. Benson and Crew Chief James Ince will
lead Marsh’s effort to add a Busch South trophy to go along
with its NASCAR modified and Busch North trophies the Old
Lyme, Connecticut-based team earned in recent years.
Since announcing the agreement in April, Marsh and Ince have
been preparing the cars in Connecticut for at least five
races and possibly even more. The Marsh team plans to bring
the car to the Valvoline team’s shop in Concord, N.C. during
the week then on to Richmond. After Richmond, Benson and
Marsh will team up again to race in Loudon, N.H. the
following week
Benson has competed in a handful of Busch races since the
1995 season when he won the championship for Bace
Motorsports.
Benson On Busch Return:
“I’m looking forward to it. Going back to the Busch Series
should be a lot of
fun. There are a lot of good people over there and I’ve had
a lot of success in
the Busch Series. It’s going to be fun and competitive but
one of the reasons
we are going over there is to see what we can learn for our
Winston Cup deal.
It would be great if we can go there and win for Whelen and
learn a lot for our
Valvoline program.”
Benson On Whelen and Marsh Crew:
“I had met them last year but didn’t really start getting to
know them until
this year. It seems like you can’t go to a racetrack up in
the Northeast
without seeing their logo somewhere. I’m going up to their
plant next week to
see their employees so that should be a lot of fun. I used
to work in tool and
die so I can relate to a lot of their employees. We want to
win for them no
doubt. I don’t know who will be more excited about winning
Whelen or me. But I’
d like to find out.
“The Marsh guys have been great so far as well. We haven’t
had a chance to test so we are going to get to know each
other this weekend. But I think we are
going to be fine. This is going to be kind of fun I think.”
Benson On Busch Cars Vs. Cup Cars At Richmond:
“You drive Richmond the same in both cars. I mean the Busch
car will probably
turn better because of the shorter wheelbase. Outside that,
as a rule, you
drive the cars the same. The groove is the same. I’ve raced
there in the Busch
Series and watched a lot of races there and it’s pretty much
the same.
“From the driver perspective you don’t change your strategy
that much either.
It’s still a long race. Yes, it’s half the distance but
that’s still a long
race. Tire wear is an issue and you still have to be smooth
during the race. I
think from watching the Busch Series on television lately,
you also need to
keep your car going in the right direction and avoid all the
wrecks.”
The Race:
Hardee's 250
Richmond International Raceway
Friday, May 3, 2002
7:30 p.m. ET
TV: FX Radio: MRN
Race Schedule
Thursday, May 2nd
12:30 p.m.- 2:30 p.m. Practice
4:00 p.m. Qualifying - All Positions (2 laps)
6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Happy Hour
Friday, May 3rd
7:10 p.m. Drivers Introduction
7:40 p.m. Start - Hardee’s 250
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