Benson Moves into 11th-Place Tie in Points RaceWhen Pennzoil Pontiac driver Johnny Benson announced Friday in New Hampshire that he planned to leave Bahari' Racing at the end of the season to drive for the fifth Roush Racing team in 1998, the second-year veteran said there are still two items still on his 1997 agenda.
 "I'd like to give this team a victory and I really want to finish in the top 10 in driver points," said Benson. "We have never accomplished either of those goals and that would be a great way to cap off my time here at Bahari' ." On Sunday, Benson took a step closer to the second item on that agenda. Although he never threatened to win the Country Music Television 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway, Benson managed to finish 19th and on the lead lap despite driving the last third of the race with less than eight cylinders and surviving a hard crash in the final laps caused by another driver. "I can't believe we managed to stay on the lead lap," Benson said after climbing from the mangled Pennzoil Pontiac he said Geoff Bodine wrecked in an ill-advised pass attempt. "We were pretty good all day and I think we would have had a decent finish but I think we broke a valve and the rest of the way we just held on hoping to finish. Bodine got us in the end, but he got a lot of people today." Although the accident caused extensive damage, Benson remained on the track and completed the final two green flag laps of the race without losing a lap. Jeff Gordon won the race leading Ernie Irvan and Bobby Hamilton across the finish line. Benson benefited from timely caution periods throughout the day that kept him on the lead lap. But his perseverance paid dividends after the race as he gained enough points to tie Ricky Rudd for 11th place in the Winston Cup point standings. It was not a good day for any of the drivers battling for the top-10 in the points race. Rudd finished 42nd due to an accident. Ninth-place Ted Musgrave suffered battery problems and finished 30th while 10th-place Jeremy Mayfield finished in 25th place after a late-race accident. . The points race continues on Sunday in Dover, Del. Bahari' Racing plans on announcing Benson's replacement for 1998 in the next few days.
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