NASCAR WCUP: Johnny Benson post qualifying notes, Martinsville

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

April 7, 2001

JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 VALVOLINE PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

(ON HIS RUN) "It wasn't too bad. It was just a typical Martinsville lap - you just kind of slip and slide. I'm happy, but I'm not. I thought we could run a little bit quicker than that. Now we'll just have to worry about Sunday."

(HOW TOUGH IS IT TO GET A HOLD OF THIS TRACK WITH THIS TIRE?) "It's about the same as it has been in the past. It's a place that takes five, six, seven laps to get going. In qualifying you only get two and a half to three laps, so it's not going to be its best today. But here I think it's just more me than it is anything."

(ON GAINING TRACK POSITION QUICKLY SUNDAY) "There are a couple things you have to look at. Yeah, you want to get as much track position as you can early on, but you have to do it without damaging the race car. Right now, with where we're starting, it's important for us to make sure that we keep the nose on the car, let some time go by and then just decide what is going to happen from there.

"I have finished in the top 10 here before, one lap down -- not that we want to do that, but you'll have a hard time finishing near the front if you don't keep the front end on the car."

Text Provided By Al Larsen

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