Benson
Michigan Preview
#10 Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny Benson returns to his
home state of Michigan this weekend when the NASCAR Winston
Cup Series races at Michigan Speedway on Sunday.
The Grand Rapids native is spending the week in Michigan
before heading to the race track on Thursday night. Benson
has finished in the top 8 in four of the
last six races at Michigan International Speedway.
Johnny Benson on Michigan Return:
“We don’t have a whole lot of plans. We are going straight
to Michigan after Watkins Glen. The girls and Debbie and I
are going on a mini-vacation in the
days leading up to the race.”
Benson on Michigan’s Importance:
“All of our races are pretty important, but Michigan
Speedway is pretty important to me because it is in my home
state. Also, because we have run there well in the past.
It’s a place where you have an opportunity to pass if your
car is running good.
“What I like most about Michigan Speedway is that it becomes
a two or three groove track immediately after the green flag
drops which gives the driver a
ton of options when you race there.”
Benson on Michigan’s Pressure:
“I don’t think there is any extra pressure on me racing at
home. You know you hear guys say all the time they want to
do really well at their home track.
Heck, I want to do well at every track where we race. I
don’t know if going home to race gives you any extra…but it
does let you know that you have a lot
of great fans there rooting for you.
A win would be big. Whether it is at Rockingham where we won
our first race or Michigan, Daytona or Indy would all be
big. No doubt, Michigan is in my top
five of places I want to do well.”
Benson on Secret To Michigan Success:
“You have to have a lot of momentum and that means getting
through the center of the corner there. That makes you fast
coming off the corner and getting down
the long straight-aways. It takes horsepower and handling to
do well there. And, man it’s fast. A lot faster than most
everybody realizes.”
Benson on Season So Far:
“No, we aren’t happy how we are running this season. The
last five of six races of last year we were as good as
anyone. We felt we would be right there banging on the door.
A lot of it is the new body style and the new rules. We are
further behind than we would like to be but we are moving
forward trying to get
better and better all the time. A lot of teams are in our
boat. But I’m confident we will get better. This is a tough
business and it gets tougher
every day.”
Benson Career at Michigan
Race Year S F
June 2003 26 26
August 2002 35 8
June 2002 30 6
August 2001 22 5
June 2001 10 12
August 2000 23 5
June 2000 11 24
August 1999 41 21
June 1999 26 19
August 1998 38 34
June 1998 21 22
August 1997 1 24
June 1997 7 10
August 1996 19 7
June 1996 37 37
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
Chicago 36 18
Loudon 26 26
Pocono 29 20
Indianapolis 40 13
Watkins Glen 27 27
THE RACE: GFS Marketplace 400
Winston Cup Race #23 of 36 for the 2003 Winston Cup season
Race: Sunday, August 17, 2003 in Brooklyn, MI
TV: TNT - 2:00pm/et
Pre-Race Show: TNT - 1:30pm/et - hosted by Bill Weber
Scheduled Race Re-Air: Speed Channel on Wednesday, August
20th at 7:00pm/et and again on August 21st at 1:00am/et; a
full three-hour race show will re-air at 4:00pm/et on
Thursday, August 21st
Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach
Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, Dave
Burns
War Wagon: Bill Weber
Purse/Race Awards: was $3,880,083 in 2002
2002 Race Winner: Dale Jarrett, 140.556mph, started 8th
Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett, June 1999, 173.997mph
Track/Race Length: 2.0 oval, 200 laps, 400 miles
Pit Road Speed: 45mph
Practice
Practice: Friday, August 15th, 11:20am - 1:20pm/et; and
Saturday, August 16th,9:30 - 10:15am/et
Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, August 16th, 11:10 -
11:55am/et on TV-TNT at 3:30pm/et via tape or after the
Busch Series race.
Qualifying
Qualifying Draw: Friday, August 15th, 10:20am/et
First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday,
August 15th at 3:05pm/et, TV-Speed Channel live, re-air at
9:30pm/et and on Sat. August 16th
at 2:00am/et
Event/Track Qualifying Record: Dale Earnhardt Jr, August
2000, 191.149mph
Last Year's Pole Sitter: Dale Earnhardt Jr., 189.668mph,
finished 10th.
Track Specs:
Superspeedway: 2.0-mile D-shaped oval
Banking: turns: 18 degrees; straights: frontstretch 12
degrees, backstretch 5 degrees Backstretch Length: 2,242
feet; Front stretch Length: 2,229 feet
73 feet wide with 10-foot apron in turns, 45 feet wide with
12-foot apron on straightaways
Pit lane is 50 feet wide and contains space for 44
individual pit areas
Seating: 136,000, attendence: 151,000.
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 Brian Perry
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
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