BENSON ‘LOOKING FORWARD’ TO
FIRST RACE AT NASHVILLE

Johnny Benson is a big fan of going to a race track for the first time.  In fact, he uses the word “love” to describe his feelings.

           
And when that emotion is coupled with how well he and the Yellow Transportation team are running, Benson is all aglow about Saturday’s Pepsi 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.  The 225-lap event will be televised live by FX beginning at 3:30 p.m. (EDT).

           
“I am really looking forward to this weekend,” says Benson.  “I believe we will have a very good weekend.  I love going to tracks for the first time.  It is something I’ve always enjoyed.  And I usually have some success when we run somewhere the first time.”

           
Benson had never seen the 1.333-mile facility “except on TV” until last month when he and the Yellow team tested at the Tennessee track.  “We tested with the Cup car,” says Benson. “It was awfully cold so we didn’t learn a whole lot as far as the new tire is concerned.  But it was good chance for me to get a feel for the track.”

           
What Benson discovered was “it is very different – especially from the flag stand into turn one.  It basically has an extra corner down the front stretch.  It is a pretty significant dogleg.

           
 “It acts almost like another corner,” adds the driver of the Yellow Transportation Dodge.  “Not so much for handling, but for being aware of where you are at, if cars are around you and things of that nature.  The distance (between the flag stand and turn one) is deceiving because the track has some elevation changes at that point.   It is unique.   I don’t think it is bad.  It is just something you need to be aware of.”

           
Benson was “impressed” with how smooth the concrete surface was.  “I’m really looking forward to racing there,” says Benson.  “It is always a lot of fun to go to a new place.”

           
Another reason why Benson expects a “fun” weekend is how much ground he and the Yellow team have made up in their quest to become a factor in the race for the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series championship.

           
An early-race accident in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway left Benson in 41^st place in the point standings.   His fourth-place finish last Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway vaulted him into 15^th place.    It also put him over the million-dollar mark in career winnings for the NASCAR Busch Series.

           
 “We actually could be a lot better off points wise,” says Benson.  “I’ve been really happy with how the Yellow Transportation team has run so far this season.  Our results haven’t always been what we wanted.  Obviously, Bristol was a heartbreaker for us.  We should have two straight top-fives heading to Nashville.”

           
Benson was running third with less than two laps to go two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway when the Yellow Dodge was clipped by the car driven by David Stremme.  The contact caused Benson to bounce off the wall and spin down the track.  As a result, Benson finished 13^th. 

           
“But we are still real early in the season,” points out Benson.  “We just need to keep running like we have been, get in the top 10 as quickly as we can, and then try and get in position to challenge for the championship in the last third of the season.

           
Benson and Team Yellow are only 51 points out of the top 10 and 124 from being in the top five