The beginning
of Sunday's 500-mile race at Darlington, S.C. couldn't have
played out much worse for Johnny Benson and his #10
Valvoline Pontiac teammates.The
"four-wheel slide" through the corners combined with the
blistering pace set by leader Bill Elliott and the long
green flag run to start the race saw Benson fall down a lap
to the leaders at the 53-lap mark.
"It seems like the front end is bound
up and it chatters your teeth going over the bumps,"
reported Benson on the team radio. Benson pitted on lap 60
then again on lap 104 only to have the caution fall two laps
later and before the leaders came to pit road.
Benson was now down three laps.
For the rest of the race the Valvoline
team's strategy focused on surviving the treacherous
Darlington racetrack and outlasting the competition by
avoiding a wreck. Benson gained several spots after a
four-car accident took out several competitors and gained a
few more through normal race attrition.
By the time the checkered flag fell
Benson had climbed to 34th.
Rain delayed Sunday's race by two
hours, but Jeff Gordon used a late surge to claim his second
consecutive race in 2002.
