2003 Johnny Benson Fan Club -

Benson on Fuel Mileage, Bristol

The audio segment below is #10 Valvoline driver, Johnny Benson
discussing Bristol Motor Speedway where he will compete this weekend

Click Play to Listen

If there is ever a chance fuel mileage won’t be a factor in a NASCAR Winston Cup race then it is Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway where the frequent cautions on the half-mile concrete high banks allow plenty of opportunity for pitting under yellow.

Fuel mileage is becoming as big a part of racing as driver skills, aerodynamics, shocks, springs, and drafting.

#10 Valvoline Pontiac driver Johnny Benson has been on both sides of the fuel mileage game this season. At Sonoma he led 8 laps before running out of gas in the final moments of the race. On Sunday at Michigan Benson stretched the fuel mileage and ended the race in 10th.

Benson On Fuel Mileage:
“(Crew Chief) James (Ince) and I start thinking about fuel mileage about half way through the national anthem. Actually it starts a lot earlier than that. We think about it Saturday in practice. We try to get a reading on fuel consumption and we talk about what kind of gear we want to use.”

Are Fuel Mileage Races Good For The Sport?
“I don’t know. I let the fans and media decide that. Frankly, we don’t even think about that. Fuel mileage is a reality of current racing and it does you no good to complain or even talk about it. Building an engine that gets good fuel mileage is just as important as building an engine with good horsepower. It’s reality, we just deal with it.”

“Yeah I’d rather have every race decided with a last lap battle between drivers, but I have no idea how you change that.”

Benson On Bristol:
“The thing about Bristol is the first three or four laps you end up feeling kind of dizzy because of the banking and the speed. But, by the end of the day, after you get racing you get pretty used to it. As one driver put it, it’s kind of like flying fighter jets in a gymnasium.

“I like it. It’s fast, its fun and you don’t have to worry about aerodynamics or anything like that. It’s just race as hard as you can for 500 laps.”

Benson On Racing At Night:
“I like racing at night. We all grew up Saturday night racing and that’s what we like. It’s cooler, there is less glare and the track stays more consistent, but it’s really the atmosphere that makes night racing so much fun. The fans seem more intense than normal, the crew guys are hyped up and all that transfers to the drivers. Bristol might be the most exciting place we race.”

Benson Record At Bristol

Race Year S F

First Race 2003 20 19

Second Race 2002 6 12

First Race 2002 28 39

Second Race 2001 29 36

First Race 2001 28 26

Second Race 2000 29 13

First Race 2000 33 2

Second Race 1999 39 33

First Race 1999 42 29

Second Race 1998 23 33

First Race 1998 8 5

Second Race 1997 22 18

First Race 1997 33 31

Second Race 1996 29 28

First Race 1996 1996 DNS

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

Michigan 35 10

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THE RACE: Sharpie 500
Winston Cup Race #24 of 36 for the 2003 Winston Cup season

Race: Saturday, August 23, 2003 in Bristol, TN

TV: TNT - 7:30pm/et

Pre-Race Show: TNT - 7:00pm/et - hosted by Bill Weber

Scheduled Race Re-Air: NOTE: Speed Channel one-hour recap [called Fast Forward] of the race on Wednesday, August 27th at 7:00pm/et and again on August 28th at 1:00am/et; a full three-hour race show will re-air at 3:00pm/et on Thursday, August 28th

Announcers: Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach

Pit Reporters: Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, Dave Burns

War Wagon: Bill Weber and many guests

Purse/Race Awards: was $4,598,287 in 2002

2002 Race Winner: Jeff Gordon, 77.097mph, started 1st

Track Race Record 1st Race: Cale Yarborough, Apr 1977, 100.989

Track Race Record 2nd Race: Charlie Glotzbach, July 1971, 101.074

Slowest Race Record: Ned Jarrett, July 1965, 61.826mph

Worst Starting Spot to Win: Elliott Sadler, March 2001, started 38th

Track/Race Length: 0.533-mile concrete oval, 500 laps, 266.5 miles

Pit Road Speed: 35mph

Practice

Practice: Friday, August 22nd, 11:20am - 1:20pm/et; and 4:45 - 5:30pm/et

Happy Hour Practice: Friday, August 22nd, 6:15 - 7:00pm/et on TV-TNT at

7:00pm/et via tape.

Qualifying

Qualifying Draw: Friday, August 22nd, 10:20am/et

First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday, August 22nd at

3:05pm/et, TV-TNT live

Race/Event Qualifying Record: Rusty Wallace, August 2000, 125.447mph

Track Qualifying Record: Ryan Newman, March 2003, 128.709mph

Last Year's Pole Sitter: Jeff Gordon, 124.034mph, finished 1st.

Track Specs:

0.533-mile concrete oval

Degree of banking in corners: 36 degrees

Degree of banking in straights: 16 degrees

Straightaways are 650 feet long.

Concrete racing surface is 40 feet wide.

Seating capacity: ~160,000

Bristol has two pits roads: 21 pit stalls on the front stretch and 21 on the back stretch(1 must be shared) Pit Stall Size: 25.5 feet long, 15.5 feet wide

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