Fuel Gamble Almost Pays Off For Valvoline Team At Charlotte

Fuel Gamble Almost Pays Off For Valvoline Team At Charlotte
Benson Still Fourth In 2001 Points Race After 20th-Place Finish

Before Sunday’s 600-mile race in Charlotte, #10 Valvoline Pontiac Crew Chief
James Ince spelled out the team’s strategy to driver Johnny Benson.

“Before we think of racing anybody tonight you get to the half way point.
Once we get to that point, then we will go racing,” Ince said.

Benson agreed.

“Just let me know where the leader is all the time, because we have to stay
on the lead lap.”

As the longest NASCAR Winston Cup race of the year unfolded it appeared that
both strategies were working to perfection. Benson started eighth and ran in
that general vicinity for most of the early going avoiding a spin in front
of him by Ryan Newman and spin behind him by Tony Stewart.

“Let all them guys wreck and race in front of you and we’ll get them in the
end,” Ince said. “We’ll just use that time to make the car right.”

The race that began in 80-degree temperatures and sunlight and ended with
70-degree temperatures under the stadium lights normally gives race teams
all kind of problems with their race setups and handling.

This night was no different.

“Sometimes we are loose and sometimes we are tight,” Benson reported on the
team radio just like each of the drivers remaining in the race reported to
their crews.

At each pit stop in the early going, Ince and the crew worked to make the
Valvoline Pontiac handle better. Benson reported they were successful as the
#10 moved up the front stretch scoring pylon. Benson fell back as far as
14th but climbed as high as eighth.

In the last hundred laps it appeared Benson was sure to finish in the top
ten but the long race began to take a toll on the car as he reported power
problems coming off the corners. When it appeared he wouldn’t be able to
drive past the leaders and collect a million dollar bonus for the win as
well as his first Winston Cup trophy the team went to plan B.

The Valvoline Pontiac’s fuel mileage all night was excellent. If Benson
could stretch his mileage in the last few laps before the final pit stop he
would be the only car to make it to the end without pitting again and likely
win the race if it stayed caution free.

It appeared the plan would work, but just as Benson made his way to pit road
with about 65 laps to go the engine sputtered and died. The team scrambled
to restart the engine by shooting ether into the engine. NASCAR imposed a
15-second penalty because the team’s window man, who is only allowed to
service the windshield and driver, helped with the ether. Adding to the
troubles, Benson reported transmission problems trying to make his get-away
from the pits.

He returned to the race a lap behind the leaders and then caution flag flew
further spoiling the fuel strategy.

Benson didn’t need to pit but the transmission problems prevented him from
making up the lap. He was able to run the rest of the race without a pitstop
and finished 20th - a lap down to winner Jeff Burton.

He remains fourth in the 2001 points race. But Ince and Benson said the
chance at a trophy was more important than the points and Sunday night the
team gambled on winning the trophy.

"I ran the car out of gas coming into turn three. [After we pitted] the
motor wouldn't run anyway, so the 15-second penalty just allowed us time to
get the motor running,” Ince said. “We had a choice to make:  we could run
10th or try to win. We decided to try to win and it cost us 10 spots. But,
we're trying to win races. We tried to stretch it and I missed it by about a
half a mile."

Benson said the gamble was the right call.

“We had a little hiccup there (running out of gas), but you've got to go for
it, and we went for it. It just didn't work out for us,” he said. "The car
was decent all day. If it had gone green we might have had a shot. But when
the yellow came out, I had transmission problems. It was tough. But all in
all, the Valvoline Pontiac was pretty good. We were off just a little bit,
but not that bad."

Benson and his teammates return to action Sunday in Dover, Del.

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Drew Brown
1335 Torrence Circle
Davidson, NC 28036
704-895-3651 H
704-906-7992 C
drew_brown@mindspring.com