#10 Valvoline
Pontiac Driver Johnny Benson Chicago Preview
Beginning with last Saturday’s 400-mile race at Daytona, the
NASCAR Winston Cup Series begins a stretch of races through
the summer months that will see temperatures rise to the
hottest of the season. Temperatures at Daytona reached 97
degrees last weekend and a forecast of near 90-degree heat
on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway means heat will be a fact
this weekend as well. Drivers have different ways of
combating that cockpit temperatures that rise to as much as
150 degrees forcing them to lose as much as 8 pounds a race.
Benson on Fighting Heat During A Race
"I think the first thing you have to do is realize you
aren’t going to win that battle. It’s going to be hot and
you better learn to live with it. It’s funny when you are
running good you don’t seem to notice the heat as much as
when you are running badly. I think Benny Parsons once said
if you want to know what it’s like to race one of our cars
put on your winter jacket and hat, get in your car on a hot
summer day, roll up the windows, turn on the car heater and
ride over railroad tracks for about four hours."
Are There Driver Aides?
"Each driver has a helmet air conditioning system that is
really just like a fan blowing your face. Normally it's
blowing air that is cooler than the air in the car, and that
helps. Sometimes the guys will give you ice to dump on your
body during a long race, but that only goes so far. We have
heat shields for our heels so we don't burn them on the
floorboard and our normal fire stuff prevents us from
burning anywhere else. That keeps us from getting burned but
it doesn’t keep you cool. There are a variety of cool suits
out on the market
right now and some work better than others. The bad thing
about a cool suit is it only works for an hour and a half,
and the races that we run last as long as 3 and a half
hours. When that thing quits working it’s like wearing a
rubber jacket and that’s hot."
Bottom Line?
"I guess the bottom line is drink lots of water and run so
well that you forget about the heat."
Valvoline Informed Sources - Story Ideas
What's the owner doing at testing?
At testing events, the car owner normally would be as
ignored as a busboy at Hooters. Why are Valvoline
representatives a key part of pre- and in-season testing for
the No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac and No. 9 and 19 Dodge Dealers
Intrepid R/Ts? That's because Valvoline uses the Nascar
Winston Cup tests to try out its new qualifying oils, gear
oils, radiator wetter that go into the engines of Johnny
Benson, Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield.
Now Hear This and See This:
Johnny Benson audio is now available. If you would like an
mp3 of Johnny Benson previewing an upcoming race or talking
about a specific subject please email me and I will send you
the wav or mp3 file of Benson. If you would like weekly
pictures of the #10 team and Benson please email me and I
will give you the pass code so you can download pics every
Monday. Media only please.
The Business of Racing is Business:
Half of the stories written about Nascar Winston Cup racing
are business related these days. Jim Rocco - Senior Vice
President at the Valvoline Company - is one of the listed
car owners of Johnny Benson's #10 Valvoline Pontiac and an
excellent interview for stories dealing with team owners,
sponsorship or economics of racing.
For Sale?
Want to know how much it costs to be on a Winston Cup racer?
Valvoline has a color graphic in jpg form that gives rough
costs estimates of every spot on a Winston Cup car.
Home Grown Racing
Valvoline as well as Benson and his Crew Chief James Ince
value local racers across the country. Benson races a
pavement late model and Ince owns and races with his dirt
team in the Midwest. Valvoline supports local racers by
giving money through a competition called the Valvoline Cup
open to all American racers.
Benson 2003 Record
S F
Daytona 40 19
Rockingham 2 13
Las Vegas 16 12
Atlanta 23 11
Darlington 22 25
Bristol 20 19
Texas 13 32
Talladega 17 41
Martinsville 28 32
California 32 36
Richmond 13 15
Charlotte 10 24
Dover 30 5
Pocono 25 24
Michigan 26 25
Infineon 25 30
Daytona 22 27
Chicagoland Record
Year S F
2002 Did Not Race Due to Injuries Suffered At Daytona
2001 34 33
Benson on Chicago Speedway
Click Play to Listen
Click above to download
Real Player Free
10 Valvoline Pontiac Team Television Information
Pit Contact: James Ince or Drew Brown
Owners: Valvoline (Jim Rocco)/MB2 Motorsports (Tom Beard,
Nelson Bowers, Read Morton)
Crew Chief/Car Chief: James Ince
Engine Builder: Hendrick Motorsports
Spotter (Race Day) Jay Guy
Spotter (Practice Only) Russell Hoekwater
Engine Tuner John Kendrach
Over The Wall Pit Crew
Front Tire Changer Rick (Fuzz ) Burgdoff
Front Tire Carrier Shane Cooke
Rear Tire Changer Greg Burkhart
Rear Tire Carrier Steve Genenbacher
Gasman Jimmy Watts
Tire Specialist Skippy Johnson
Catch Can Steve Mann
Jackman Doug Morgan
Other Crew Members
Truck Driver: Gale (Bandit) Wilson
Mechanic: Jerry Hess
Mechanic: David Baum
Shocks: Mike Cluka
Tires: Jeff (Skippy) Johnson
Engineer: Tim Turner
Computers & Gas Runner: John Hayes
Scorer: Terry Lane
Pit Stop Coach: Gary Smith
PR Rep: Drew Brown
THE RACE: Tropicana 400
Winston Cup Race #18 of 36 for the 2003 Winston Cup season
Race: Sunday, July 13, 2003 in Joliet, IL
TV: NBC - 3:00pm/et
Pre-Race Show: NBC - 2:30pm/et - hosted by Bill Weber
Scheduled Race Re-Air: Speed Channel - July 16th at
8:00pm/et; and July 17th at 1:00am/et and 3:00pm/et.
Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach
Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, Dave
Burns
War Wagon: Bill Weber and many guests
NASCAR on TV and Fox Sports
Purse/Race Awards: (was $4,491,173 in 2002)
2002 Race Winner: Kevin Harvick, 136.832mph, started 32nd
Race Speed Record: Kevin Harvick, 2002, 136.832mph
Track/Race Length: 1.5 mile oval, 267 laps, 400.5 miles
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Practice
Practice: Friday, July 11th, 12:20 - 2:20pm/et; and
Saturday, July 12th,
10:30 - 11:15am/et
Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, July 12th, 12:10 - 12:55pm/et
on TV-Speed
Channel live.
Qualifying
Qualifying Draw: Friday, July 13th, 11:20am/et
First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday,
July 11th at
4:05pm/et, TV-Speed Channel live, no re-air date/time found,
Track Qualifying Record: Todd Bodine, July 2001, 183.717mph
Last Year's Pole Sitter: Ryan Newman, 183.051mph, finished
5th.
Track Specs:
1.5 mile tri-oval
Banking:
18 degrees in the turns
11 degrees in the front stretch
5 degrees in the back stretch
Attendence: ~75,000 another 10,000 in the infield
PAST RACE/POLE WINNERS at Chicago
RACE Winners:
2002: #29-Kevin Harvick, 136.832mph, started 32nd
2001: #29-Kevin Harvick, 121.200mph, started 7th
POLE Winners:
2002: #12-Ryan Newman, 183.051mph, finished 5th
2001: #66-Todd Bodine, 185.717mph, finished 14th |
