#10 Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny
Benson and his teammates were taught a lesson in team racing
from Penske Racing Sunday at New Hampshire International
Speedway.
Benson was well on his way to his
first Nascar Winston Cup victory leading Ryan Newman by a
few seconds on the flat mile oval. At lap 140 and with rain
closing in, Benson attempted to pass Newman’s Penske Racing
teammate Rusty Wallace who was trying to stay on the lead
lap after crashing Kyle Petty in an earlier accident.
As Benson dove low in turn two,
Wallace drove down onto Benson’s right front sending Benson
into a slide. As Benson attempted to regain control Mike
Wallace, also a lap down, hit the Valvoline Pontiac sending
it even further out of the racing groove.
Benson’s near wreck allowed
second-place Newman and third-place Kurt Busch to pass him.
Of more concern was the right front damage that caused
Benson’s car to push in the corners after the run-in with
the Wallace family.
“I’m pleased with the way we ran, just
not pleased with (Rusty Wallace),” Benson said after the
race amid a New England downpour. “But he wants his teammate
to win and that’s how he does it. I think the team cars
showed you how they played that deal.”
Benson said he was just cruising when
he came up to lap Wallace. “We had a good enough lead that
to have that happen was kind of ridiculous, but by the same
token, we’ll just work hard and go from there,” said Benson
whose fourth-place finish was the best of the season.
Crew Chief James Ince said he was less
than pleased with Wallace’s move. “If that is the way team
racing is then we are going to reevaluate what we do and
come back with something for them,” said Ince who discussed
Wallace’s driving with Nascar after the race.
Until the collision, Benson led 53
laps demonstrating his Pontiac and Newman were the class of
the field from the drop of the green. Benson started the
race on the outside front row but rain fell just before the
green flag fell delaying the start for more than an hour.
Once it did start, Benson followed
Newman the first 22 laps before more rain fell delaying the
race 1 hour 48 minutes. When the race restarted Benson
continued to follow right on Newman’s bumper.
After a 14.4 second pit stop on lap 74
Benson drove under Newman on lap 87 and then began pulling
way leading the next 52 laps. After the Wallace collision
Benson gamely held on to third place until the lap 185 mark
when Tony Stewart passed him.
The third and final rainstorm of the
day fell on lap 207 ending the race short of the 300
scheduled laps.
“After we got the front all beat up,
it started getting a little tight, but I think we could’ve
made some adjustments and still got pretty good if we would’
ve gone the distance,” Benson said. “But we will never
know.”
Benson said that despite the obvious
frustration, the team planned to take several positives out
of Sunday’s race. The car was the best of the 43, the pit
stops were all under 14 seconds and the Valvoline team was
near the top of the speed sheet throughout the weekend.
“The Valvoline Pontiac was really
good, we just kept getting underneath guys and the team car
there just turned right into you and tried to spin you out,
said Benson. “ But we ended up fourth and look forward to
going to Dover.”
Benson and his teammates return to
action next Sunday in Dover, Del.
Results
1 Ryan Newman *
2 Kurt Busch
3 Tony Stewart
4 Johnny Benson
5 Bobby Labonte
6 Ricky Craven
7 Dale Jarrett
8 Michael Waltrip
9 Jimmie Johnson *
10 Matt Kenseth
11 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12 Ricky Rudd
13 Ken Schrader
14 Jeff Gordon
15 Jimmy Spencer
16 Mark Martin
17 Robby Gordon
18 Kenny Wallace
19 Rusty Wallace
20 Jeff Burton
21 Sterling Marlin
22 John Andretti
23 Bill Elliott
24 Jeremy Mayfield
25 Dave Blaney
26 Jeff Green
27 Greg Biffle
28 Jerry Nadeau
29 Steve Park
30 Terry Labonte
31 Mike Wallace
32 Joe Nemechek
33 Kevin Harvick
34 Casey Atwood
35 Elliott Sadler
36 Brett Bodine
37 Hermie Sadler
38 Ward Burton
39 Kyle Petty
40 Kevin Lepage
41 Morgan Shepherd
42 Todd Bodine
43 Mike Skinner
