Benson On NAASCAR Brickyard 400

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of #10 Pontiac driver Johnny
Benson’s favorite tracks. Benson led 70 laps in 1996 plus two more in 1997 and
has three top-8 finishes in his eight races at Indy. Benson and his team tested
at Indianapolis on July 14-16.

Benson On Indy’s Importance To NASCAR:

“I think it is pretty important for NASCAR to be at Indy. It’s a place that
obviously has a lot of history and a lot of tradition. It’s hard to believe
this is the tenth year. That is pretty amazing. Every time we go there it
always feels like it’s the first time I was there. There is something about the
atmosphere at that place.”

First Impression:

“I remember my first time here in 1996. We came up there to test and it was a
big place with lots of seats, but it was really just kind of like any other
race track. We came back in August and on the first day there were a lot of
people who showed up just for qualifying. There was more the next day and that
was impressive. Then race morning they had all the drivers take a lap in the
pace car and I was like ‘you got to kidding.” I couldn’t believe the number of
people. It was like the whole city decided it wanted to see a race. I have
never witnessed anything like that. It was overwhelming.”

Favorite Memory:

“My best memory is leading 70 laps in 1996 my rookie year. We had a great car
and were up front there at the end. Near the end we didn’t have a good stop and
I kind of stalled the car and we didn’t make it out like we wanted we to. We
were disappointed but it was still a good day for us.”

Victory At Indy:

“To win a race there would mean a ton to us not just because we would win
another Winston Cup race but the fact that it is at Indy. Indy has such a huge
following and not just for NASCAR. If I had to pick a place to win, Indy would
be at the top of my list. This place pays a lot too, but the trophy would look
good in my trophy case.”

Indy Success:

“I like flat, fast racetracks. For whatever reason that just fits with my style
of driving. We have come pretty close to winning three times at Indy. Plus, I’
ve been pretty fortunate to have some good crew chiefs who made the right calls
at the end of the race. James (Ince) gave me two tires on that final stop last
year and that put me up there and we held on for third. When it comes down to
the final laps it’s nice to know you are going to get that kind of support out
of the pits.”

Weather Impact On Track:

“The weather has such an effect on the track. In the morning you can post some
pretty good speeds but when the afternoon comes you slow down like you wouldn’t
believe. When evening comes you produce some pretty good times again. Why is
that? I think it’s because Indy is such a momentum race track that if you lose
even just a little bit in the corners that shows down those long
straight-aways. There are other tracks that are similar. But Indy is not a
track where you can slip and slide very much because you can’t make up that
time. To run well at Indy you have to be right on the money.”


Valvoline Informed Sources - Story Ideas

Winning On Dirt:

Justin Wells, of Crane, Mo is leading the IMCA Late Model National Points race
driving a James Ince Motorsports built chassis. Ince, the  #10 Valvoline
Pontiac crew chief, has built eight dirt late model cars for racers across the
country. The Rogersville, Mo business has 18 victories this season. For more
information contact: 417-753-7500.

Our New House

#10 Valvoline Pontiac team moved into its new Featherlite race hauler on July
13. The team carries everything it needs on the hauler that crisscrosses
the country going to race tracks.

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 a mp3 file of Johnny
Benson previewing an upcoming race or talking about a specific subject please
email me and I will send you the audio 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.

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Benson Career at Indy

Year		S	F
2002		11	37
2001  		26  	3
2000  		13  	25
1999  		39  	19
1998  		39  	25
1997  		20  	7
1996  		14  	8

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


THE RACE: Brickyard 400
Winston Cup Race #21 of 36 for the 2003 Winston Cup season
Race: Sunday, August 3, 2003 in Speedway, IN
TV: NBC - 2:30pm/et
Pre-Race Show: NBC - 2:00pm/et - hosted by Bill Weber
Scheduled Race Re-Air: NOTE: Speed Channel has changed their lineup starting in
August - so there will be a one-hour recap of the race on Wednesday, August 6th
at 7:00pm/et and again on August. 7th; a full three-hour race show will re-air
at 3:00pm/et on Thursday, August 7th
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 $7,423,979 in 2002

2002 Race Winner: Bill Elliott, 125.033mph, started 2nd
Race Record: Bobby Labonte, August 2000, 155.912mph
Track/Race Length: 2.5 quad-oval, 160 laps, 400 miles
Pit Road Speed: 55mph

Practice
Practice: Friday, August 1st, 3:00 - 5:00pm/et; and Saturday, August 2nd,
3:00 - 3:45pm/et
Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, August 2nd, 4:45 - 5:30pm/et on TV-Speed Channel
live.

Qualifying
Qualifying Draw: Friday, August 1st, 2:00pm/et

First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Saturday, August 1st at
11:05am/et, TV-TNT live, and live via IMS Radio Network
Second-Round Qualifying: there is no longer a 2nd round of qualifying (since
the 2001 season)
Track Qualifying Record: Tony Stewart, August 2002, 182.960mph
Last Year's Pole Sitter: Tony Stewart, 182.960mph, finished 12th.
Track Specs:
Superspeedway: 2.5 mile quad-oval
Banking: turns: 9 degrees, 12 minutes
Straights: Front/Back - 3300 feet, Short Shute(between turns 1 and 2/3 and 4) -
660 feet
Attendance: ~350,000

PREVIOUS BRICKYARD 400 WINNERS
YEAR  CAR#  DRIVER           MANU      AVE SPEED   STARTING POS
1994  24    Jeff Gordon      Chevy      131.977        3rd
1995   3    Dale Earnhardt   Chevy      155.206       13th
1996  88    Dale Jarrett     Ford       139.508       24th
1997  10    Ricky Rudd       Ford       130.814        7th
1998  24    Jeff Gordon      Chevy      126.772        3rd
1999  88    Dale  Jarrett     Ford       148.194        4th
2000  18    Bobby Labonte    Pontiac    155.912        3rd
2001  24    Jeff Gordon      Chevy      130.790       27th
 2002   9    Bill Elliott     Dodge      125.033        2nd


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