Benson is Johnny-on-the-spot

By B. Duane Cross, CNNSI.com
January 7, 2002
4:24 PM EST (2124 GMT)

Coming off six top-five finishes and an 11th-place showing in points, Johnny Benson is not spinning his wheels this offseason.

Benson and the No. 10 Valvoline team begin the 2002 test schedule Jan. 13 at Daytona International Speedway with an eye on improvement. "No, I wasn't totally pleased," he says of the '01 campaign. "We didn't reach our goals. We wanted to win a race and we wanted to finish in the top six in points, and we didn't achieve that. We know those were lofty, but you have to aim high."

As for this year, Benson maintains the goals remain the same. "I think we can finish in the top six and we'd like to win a race. Both of those aren't too far out of our reach," he says. "We are getting better and better each year, and I expect that to continue in 2002. There are some guys who have won a race before we have but there are very few teams who run as well as we do week in and week out, and in the long run that is going to help our program more than anything else."

However, Benson, who will be driving his seventh Winston Cup season, isn't sold on the idea that testing is the best thing for a driver.

"A driver doesn't learn much during those tests. I think Daytona testing is all about getting the car fast, not the driver," he says. "As a driver you get the car adjusted so you are comfortable. By that, I mean you get the seat, the mirror, the steering wheel all fitted to your liking, but superspeedway testing is basically about shaking down your car to see where you are at for Speedweeks.

"I think we are supposed to draft on the third day [Jan. 15] at Daytona," adds Benson. "As long as everyone does it then I think it will be a great thing. It will help NASCAR see how the draft works with the new rules. It will give us an even better indication of where we are going into Speedweeks. They have been moving the rules around and changing them a lot so drafting at the test will help us out a bunch."

Nonetheless, Benson is eager for the green flag to drop at Daytona. "I think it will be a pretty good year for the fans. We had a lot of controversy last season and I think that is all behind us," he says. "That's normal for a sport growing as ours. I think this season you will see more focus on what's going on the racetrack. I think some great finishes, a close points battle, and drama like that are going to make for a great season. If we can get the focus back on what is happening on the track then we are going to be pretty entertaining for all the race fans."

The season-opening Daytona 500 is a restrictor-plate race, a non-driver factor that Benson grudgingly accepts.

"You can't strategize," he explains. "You just have to make sure that you're in the right place at the right time, and hope that you're in the right place if something happens. Myself, I don't want to be halfway back in the field in the middle row because if something happens, you're in it. It's almost guaranteed that you're going to be in it.

"I try not to think about plate racing strategy until the race because the race itself is going to wear you out," says Benson. "I try not to get all worked up for the fact that you know that it's going to be a stressful day going into the deal. When it comes down to it, you need to put yourself in a position at the end of the race to have legitimate shot of winning the race. If you're in a wreck with 25 to 40 [laps] to go, there is not a whole lot you can do about that because you've got to get yourself in that position. But the first 160 laps you might as well hang out somewhere where there is not going to be problems."

In light of the tragic 2001 season in which seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt was killed, Benson also points out that NASCAR is continuing to work on safety.

"I think NASCAR's safety effort is getting better," he says. "What they are doing isn't easy. There are areas that being looked at that need to be looked at and I think everybody is doing what they can.

"But they don't want to just all of a sudden change things. If we could find somebody that knows and can evaluate everything that is going on and can give us a direction today, we'd fix it tomorrow. But the problem is they can't give us that answer yet, so we're looking at a lot of different things. As soon as somebody comes up and says, 'This is the deal and this is going to make a difference,' then that's what we need to do."

As Benson's team prepares for the 2002 campaign, he keeps coming back to getting that elusive first victory.

"I like the attention we're getting from the fans and media about us getting our first win," he says. "That means they are noticing that we are running good each race and that is great. You always like being complimented. I can't wait until I don't have to answer questions about when we are going to win, but that will come.

"We're not worried about [a celebration], yet. We'll figure it out if we win one. You don't try to plan for a party, you've got to win first and then make a party. That's how we're working on it."