NASCAR WCUP: Johnny Benson qualifies 'uncomfortable car' at Charlotte

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

May 25, 2001

JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 VALVOLINE PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

(ON YOUR LAP) "I got everything I could get - that's for sure. I'm really happy. It was a good lap for the Valvoline Pontiac. I bumped the track a little bit, but I saw a lot of guys that did that. The car wasn't as comfortable as it could possibly be, but it was still pretty good. I got through one and two good; I got through three and four pretty dang good, so I thought the lap was going to be OK. I was waiting for James [Ince] to tell me to just go ahead, run the one lap and shut it off, but he didn't. I was like, 'Oh man, I've got to run one more.' It's pretty tough to get around this place two laps."

(ON YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR FOR SUNDAY) "I'm fairly confident in this car for Sunday. The guys just do a tremendous job week-in and week-out. I love jumping in these race cars. They build some good ones. "This one is a little bit better than the one we had here last week, so I'm looking forward to it."

(WAS IT TOUGH TO GO OUT AFTER DALE JARRETT CRASHED?) "That was nerve-wracking. I'm still shaking a little bit. They could tell me that he hit the apron. They could tell me he drove in the grass first or whatever, but it's still on your mind that something happened. I wasn't the next guy, but I was the second guy after him and you always have that doubt until you run through the corner. After I got through three and four coming to the green I felt pretty confident that we were going to be OK and just ran as hard as I could."

Text provided by Al Larsen

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