Valvoline
Atlanta Preview
This weekend’s "100 Years of University of Kentucky
Basketball" paint scheme on Johnny Benson’s #10 Valvoline
Pontiac is the subject of much discussion among the owners
of the Nascar Winston Cup team as it prepares to race Sunday
at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Benson’s team is half-owned by Lexington, Kentucky-based
Valvoline and half-owned by Georgia businessmen Read Morton,
Tom Beard, and Nelson Bowers - alumni and huge supporters of
the University of Georgia.
Rival Kentucky’s paint scheme on the trio’s car at its home
race track combined with Benson being a native of Michigan
where they have some pretty good college teams make for some
interesting conversation on the #10 hauler.
Adding to the atmosphere will be the Kentucky-Georgia
football game Saturday in Lexington and the presence Sunday
of former Georgia and now Kentucky Basketball Coach Tubby
Smith who plans to be in Benson’s pit during the race.
Tom Beard, Car Owner & Georgia Alum:
"We like our Kentucky partners at Valvoline so much that we
just wanted them to have a win in Georgia on Sunday cause it
ain't gonna happen in Lexington on Saturday. We just provide
the car which is like a blank billboard. If Valvoline wanted
to put a picture of General Sherman’s face on the side it
would be just fine with us. Let me rephrase that as long as
it isn’t a Georgia Tech bumblebee on the car we will be
fine."
Johnny Benson:
"It all kind of depends on how you look at it. We are either
going to have one heck of an argument Sunday or we are going
to get the fans of Michigan, Kentucky and Georgia all
rooting for us to win a race. This might be the only thing
fans of those colleges agree on all year but if we do well
then we’ll put up with those kind of arguments every
weekend."
Jim Rocco, Senior Vice-President Valvoline Company:
"Valvoline is a proud Kentucky company and we wanted to
nationally honor Kentucky basketball, something all
Kentuckians hold dear to our hearts. We hope Johnny can give
the UK fans a thrill or two like UK basketball has provided
us for the last 100 years. Now I realize our Georgia
partners might have to hold their tongues when they look at
the paint scheme but as good of year as they are having in
football they can suffer through it for a weekend."
Johnny Benson At Atlanta
Year S F
03/10/2002 10 27
11/18/2001 8 23
03/11/2001 19 7
11/20/2000 21 10
11/21/1999 17 39
03/14/1999 36 22
11/08/1998 40 23
03/08/1998 15 9
11/16/1997 12 10
03/09/1997 40 11
11/10/1996 16 27
03/10/1996 1 38
THE RACE: NAPA 500
Winston Cup Race #33 of 36 for the 2002 Winston Cup season
Race: Sunday, October 27, 2002 in Hampton, GA
TV: NBC - 12:30pm/et
Race re-air: TNT on Tues, Oct 29th at 1:00am/et;
Speed Channel on Wed, Oct
30th, 8:00pm/et; Thurs, Oct 31st, 1:00am/et
Pre-Race Show: NBC - 12:00noon/et - Hosted by Bill
Weber
Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally
Dallenbach
Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider,
Dave Burns
Purse/Race Awards: $4,765,544 (last year $4,126,672)
2001 Race Winner: Bobby Labonte, 151.756mph, started
39 using a provisional
Race Record: Dale Earnhardt, Nov 1995,
163.633mph(before track conguration)
Race Record: Bobby Labonte, Nov 1997,
159.904mph(after track conguration)
Track/Race Length: 1.54 mile oval, 325 laps, 500.5
miles
Pit Road Speed: 55mph
Practice
Practice: Friday, October 25th, 3:20 - 5:20pm/et;
Saturday, October 26th, 9:30 - 10:15am/et.
Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, October 26th, 11:15am -
12:00noon/et on TV-Speed Channel at 12:30pm/et.
Qualifying
Qualifying Draw: Friday, October 25th, 2:20pm/et
Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday,
October 25th at 7:05pm/et, TV-Speed Channel and live via PRN
Radio, XM Satellite Radio and via NASCAR.com's Racecast
(paid). Will be re-aired at 2:00am/et on Sat Oct 26th.
Second-Round Qualifying: there is no longer a 2nd
round of qualifying (since
the 2001 season)
Track/Event Qualifying Record: Geoffrey Bodine, Nov
1997, 197.478mph
Last Year's Pole Sitter: Dale Earnhardt Jr, 192.047,
finished 7th.
Track Specs:
Degree of Banking: Turns: 24 degrees
Straightaways: Banking: 5 degrees; Straights: Frontstretch -
1471 feet;
Backstretch - 1380 feet.
Grandstand Seating: 124,000
#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 (Race Day) Brian Dantinne
Spotter (Practice Only) Russell Hoekwater
Engine Tuner: Devin Barbee
Over The Wall Pit Crew
Gas Man: Jimmy Watts
Front Tire Changer: Bobby Burrell
Front Tire Carrier: David Smith Tilley
Catch Can: Steve Mann
Jackman: Rob Jones
Rear Tire Changer: Greg Burkhart
Rear Tire Carrier: Shane Cooke
Other Crew Members
Truck Driver: Gale (Bandit) Wilson
Mechanic: Jerry Hess
Mechanic: David Baum
Shocks: Mike Cluka
Tires: Jeff Johnson
Engineer: Tim Turner
Computers & Gas Runner: John Hayes
Scorer: Terry Lane
Pit Stop Coach: Gary Smith
PR Rep: Drew Brown
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