Kansas Weekend Is Another Busy Weekend For Benson On Track And Off Track He Says Fans Should See Better Show, Second Groove Will Create Better Racing

#10 Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny Benson started sixth and was closing in on
leader Rusty Wallace during last year’s inaugural race at Kansas Speedway when a mechanical problem ended his day on lap 184 leaving him with a 37th-place finish.

He hopes he can repeat that performance this weekend minus the mechanical
problems of course. But no matter how his Valvoline Pontiac runs he predicts
local race fans who choose to come to the race instead of the NFL game on
Sunday in Kansas City will enjoy a race even better than last year’s because of the second groove he expects to come in on the new track.

Most race fans know of Benson’s duties on the track, but he and almost all
Nascar Winston Cup drivers keep a busy schedule each weekend off the track as well. This weekend in Kansas is typical for Benson who makes frequent
appearances for his main owner/sponsor Valvoline and manufacturer Pontiac. Here is Benson’s tentative schedule for the weekend.

Thursday Sept. 26

4 p.m.- 7 p.m. Fly to Kansas City in a private plane and go to motorhome inside
the track.

Friday Sept. 27

9:30 a.m. - Meeting with Crew Chief James Ince in Valvoline Hauler inside
Nascar Winston Cup garage.
11:20 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. – Practice
3 p.m. Qualifying
7 p.m. Media Dinner with several members of the Nascar media.

Saturday, Sept. 28

9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Practice
11:15 – Noon Practice
12:30 p.m. Autograph signing at Valvoline souvenir trailer
6 – 7 p.m. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to sign Autographs for Pontiac.

Sunday, Sept. 29

8:20 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Goodyear Hospitality Appearance
8:50 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Valvoline Hospitality Appearance
10 a.m. Driver Meeting
11:30 a.m. Driver Introduction
Noon Race
4 p.m. Fly home


Johnny Benson On The Weekend Schedules:

“That’s the thing most don’t realize about Winston Cup racing. It’s more than
racing. It’s about taking care of your sponsors and fans. They are the ones
that pay the bills that allow all of us to do what we love to do. Without them
who knows where all of us would be. You have to be good on the track in this
sport, but you have to be good off the track as well. I don’t mind doing all
that stuff. If you make it fun then it isn’t a big deal. But if you aren’t
having a good time meeting the fans and talking to sponsors then you aren’t
going to enjoy your job.”

On Kansas Speedway:

“We really hope the race goes about the way it did last year except maybe we
can avoid the mechanical failure we had there last year. As for the fans, we
should put on a better race this time. I’ve heard from the guys who tested
there that there is a lot less grip on the track. That’s good. That means there
should be a second groove and it means that we can race side-by-side more. Plus it makes it more of a challenge for the teams. Now car setup and the driver
become more important. Last year just about anyone could go through the turns down low because the track had so much grip. This year you are going to have to have your car working better if you want to do well.”

Why The Success At Kansas Speedway Last Season?

“It’s the type of track I like and (Crew Chief) James (Ince) gave us a really
good setup. James is from Springfield, Missouri which isn’t that far from
Kansas Speedway so maybe all of us were a little bit more motivated last year
to do well in front of James’s family and friends. We are taking one of my
favorite cars this weekend so we should have a pretty good weekend. We know we have a lot of support in Kansas.”

Kansas Fans:

“Fans all over the country are great. But, going to a new track kind of creates
even more enthusiasm and we saw that there last year. I’m sure they will be the
same way this year. I know the Kansas City Chiefs are playing at the same time as we race on Sunday so it will be interesting to see how both crowds are. I’m a racing fan no matter what so if I had a choice it would be going to the race. I guess it is just your preference. But to get a chance to watch Nascar that only comes to town once a year is something you shouldn’t miss.”

THE RACE: Protection One 400
Winston Cup Race #29 of 36 for the 2002 Winston Cup season

Race: Sunday, September 29, 2002 in Kansas City, KS

TV: NBC - 1:00pm/et

Race re-air: TNT on Tues, Oct 1st at 1:00am/et; Speed Channel on Wed, Oct 2nd, 8:00pm/et; Thurs, Oct 3rd, 1:00am/et

Pre-Race Show: NBC - 12:30pm/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: $4,601,173 (was $3,996,953 in 2001)

2001 Race Winner: Jeff Gordon, 110.576mph, started 2nd

Track Race Record: Mark Martin, Sept 1997, 132.719mph

Track/Race Length: 1.5 mile oval, 267 laps, 400.5 miles

Pit Road Speed: 45mph


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Practice

Practice: Friday, September 27th, 12:20 - 2:20pm/et; Saturday, September 28th, 10:30 - 11:15am/et.


Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, September 28th, 12:15 - 1:00pm/et on TV-TNT at 1:00pm/et.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Qualifying


Qualifying Draw: Friday, September 27th, 11:20am/et

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday, September 27th at 4:05pm/et,
TV-Speed Channel and live via MRN Radio, XM Satellite Radio and via
NASCAR.com's Racecast (paid). Re-air on Speed Channel at 8:00pm/et.

Second-Round Qualifying: there is no longer a 2nd round of qualifying (since
the 2001 season)

Track Qualifying Record: Jason Leffler, Sept 2001, 176.499mph

Last Year's Pole Sitter: Jason Leffler, 176.499, finished 28th (not in Cup this
year).


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Track Specs:
Superspeedway: 1.5-mile quad-oval
Banking: turns: 15 degrees; frontstretch: 10.4 degrees; backstretch: 5 degrees
Straights: Frontstretch - 2,721 feet; Backstretch - 2,207 feet
Attendence: 75,000



#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/Car Chief: James Ince
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
Jackman: Rob Jones
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