#10
Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny Benson knows a win this
weekend in the Brickyard 400 would make him forget about the
two wrecks, four broken ribs, and two cracked ribs that are
painful reminders of his frustrating 2002 season.
That goal isn’t remote.
His team tested the fastest of the
second test session teams at Indianapolis on July 15 and 16
with Jerry Nadeau filling in for Benson while he recovered
from the rib injuries. Benson knows he’s climbing in a fast
car Friday. He also knows Indy is a place where he has
enjoyed a measure of success in his six races at the
2.5-mile track.
Benson Notes:
Benson has completed 99.7 % of the
laps in his six races at Indy. That ranks fourth best of
active drivers with more than five races there.
Benson finished third at Indy in 2002
earning $233,300 – a career high.
Benson led 70 laps in 1996 and 2 laps
in 1997 at Indy. He has three top-8 finishes in his six
races at Indy.
Johnny Benson On Indy’s Importance:
“Heck, we’d race there just for the trophy and maybe to kiss
the yard of bricks after the race. It pays a lot but nothing
would matter more than the trophy.”
Which Would You Rather Win Indy Or
Daytona?
“What’s the difference between winning Indy and Daytona? I
don’t know because I haven’t won either of them yet, but it
has to be like choosing between steak or lobster for dinner.
Either one is going to be a good time.”
Comparing Indy And Daytona Races:
“There are a lot more things that the drivers and crew
chiefs have control over at Indy that you don’t at Daytona.
And its nothing against Daytona, I’m talking more about
racing with a restrictor plate. Handling, horsepower, the
driver, the drafting all come into play more at Indy. At
Daytona the car matters a lot more than the driver. Plus, at
Indy you don’t have to worry about those big wrecks that
take out half the field sometimes.”
Would A Win Sunday Make Your
Season?
“Sure. If we win this weekend that will change they way a
lot of people have looked at our season and might go a ways
to changing the way we look at our season. Whether you are
having a good or bad season everyone wants to win Indy as
much as they want to win Daytona.
Indy Success:
“I like flat, fast racetracks. For whatever reason that just
fits with my style of driving. We have come pretty close to
winning three times at Indy. Plus, I’ve been pretty
fortunate to have some good crew chiefs who made the right
calls at the end of the race. James (Ince) gave me two tires
on that final stop last year and that put me up there and we
held on for third. When it comes down to the final laps it’s
nice to know you are going to get that kind of support out
of the pits.”
Weather Impact On Track:
“The weather has such an effect on the track. In the morning
you can post some pretty good speeds but when the afternoon
comes you slow down like you wouldn’t believe. When evening
comes you produce some pretty good times again. Why is that?
I think it’s because Indy is such a momentum race track that
if you lose even just a little bit in the corners that shows
down those long straight-aways. There are other tracks that
are similar. But Indy is not a track where you can slip and
slide very much because you can’t make up that time. To run
well at Indy you have to be right on the money.”
Will Passing Be As Difficult As
Previous Years?
“The first year (1996) I raced there I saw some passing on
the outside, but that’s difficult. Especially now since our
competition is getting closer and closer the passing has
gotten harder and harder to do at Indy. That’s frustrating
for the driver. You work on the guy in front of you trying
to pass him by doing a few different things and if you lose
your momentum doing that three or four guys pass you.”
Do You Notice The Crowd At Indy?
“Not when you are in the race car. Before the race and maybe
on the parade lap you notice all the fans, but once the
green flag drops you have your hands full.”
How Important is Qualifying At
Indy?
“It’s huge to qualify good there. Someone said four of the
eight races at Indianapolis have been won from a top-4
starting position. That’s enough to tell anyone how
important Saturday qualifying will be to the race on Sunday.
We know we have to qualify well to stand a chance to win.”
Benson Career at Indy
Year S F
2001 26 3
2000 13 25
1999 39 19
1998 39 25
1997 20 7
1996 14 8
THE RACE: Brickyard 400
Winston Cup Race #21 of 36 for the
2002 Winston Cup season
Race: Sunday, August 4, 2002 in
Indianapolis, IN
TV: NBC - 2:30pm/et
Race re-air: TNT on Tues, Aug 6th at
1:00am/et; Speed Channel on Wed, Aug 7th,
8:00pm/et; Thurs, Aug 8th, 1:00am/et;
Pre-Race Show: NBC - 2:00pm/et -
Hosted by Bill Weber
Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny
Parsons and Wally Dallenbach
Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum,
Marty Snider, Dave Burns
Posted Awards/Purse: $7,423,979 (was
$6,752,478 in 2001)
2001 Race Winner: Jeff Gordon,
130.790mph, started 27th (his 3rd win at Indy)
Race Speed Record: Bobby Labonte, Aug
2000, 155.912mph
Track/Race Length: 2.5 quad-oval, 160
laps, 400 miles
Pit Road Speed: 55mph
Practice
Friday, August 2nd, 3:00pm -
5:00pm/et; Saturday, August 3rd, 3:00 - 3:45pm/et.
Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, August
3rd, 4:45 - 5:30pm/et on TV-Speed Channel at 6:00pm/et tape
delay.
Qualifying
Draw: Friday, August 2, 2:00pm/et
Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36,
Saturday, August 3 at 11:00am/et, TV-TNT and live via IMS
Radio Network
Track Qualifying Record: Brett Bodine,
August 2000, 181.072mph
Last Year's Pole Sitter: Jimmy
Spencer, 179.666mph, finished 13th.
Track Specs:
Superspeedway: 2.5 mile quad-oval
Banking: turns: 9 degrees, 12 minutes
Straights: Front/Back - 3300 feet,
Short Shute(between turns 1 and 2/3 and 4) -660 feet
#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 Dantinne
Engine Tuner: Ondre Rexford
Over The Wall Pit Crew
Gas Man: Jimmy Watts
Front Tire Changer: Mike Cluka
Front Tire Carrier: Steve Genenbacher
Catch Can: Steve Mann
Windshield: Russ Hoekwater
Jackman: Doug Morgan
Rear Tire Changer: Greg Burkhart
Rear Tire Carrier: Shane Cooke
Other Crew Members
Truck Driver: Jerry Hess
Shock Specialist: Mike Cluka
Tires: Jeff Johnson
Engineer: Tim Turner
Computers: John Hayes
Scorer: Terry Lane
PR Rep: Drew Brown
Big Brothers Big Sisters Of
America:
Benson is racing this week for the Anderson, SC 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 the Valvoline Pontiac's on-track
performance. Valvoline matches the 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 $900,000.
