Benson On Martinsville
Benson On Martinsville: #10 Pontiac driver Johnny Benson doesn’t hide his dislike for racing at Martinsville Speedway. The beating and banging needed to do well excites the fans, but doesn’t fit with the driving style he learned driving the family-owned race car in Grand Rapids, Mich. But Benson has two top-six finishes in the last three races on the flat half-mile Virginia oval including the memorable second-place finish in October when he ran out of laps before he could pass Kurt Busch. Benson On Liking Martinsville After Success: “I don’t think they have made any changes there have they? So my feelings are about the same. It’s still a place I don’t particularly care for but it is a bit better. They cut the track on the inside and that made it a little better to race with. Before they did that, all of us just raced on the bottom and knocked whoever was in front of you out of the way. Now once the race gets going you can kind of use two grooves there. “I mean I love watch the races there and if I were a fan I’d buy a ticket. It’s just my driving style doesn’t really go with Martinsville. When I was growing up we had to pay for everything we wrecked so wrecking a race car meant you had a lighter wallet. But, second last year isn’t too bad. If we keep running that good then eventually I guess I'll change my mind. We laugh on our truck, (Crew Chief) James (Ince) loves the place so he gets to call all the shots during the weekend.” Does A Driver Gain Confidence At Tracks? “I don’t know if you like a place better because you run well. It’s always better when you get a good finish. That’s our goal at any track we go to so whether the driver likes or dislikes a track it doesn’t matter. You do your best and go on.” Last Fall’s Race: “We ended up second that race and it was one of those deals where you were happy for second but mad it wasn’t first. It made it a little better that a few weeks later we were able to win Rockingham. A year later, looking back on that race, if I would have tried Kurt on the outside a little earlier it might have been different. Who knows? I could never get to him and you can’t do anything if you aren’t where you need to be on the track. If there were 10 or 15 laps left in the race it might have been different. I did everything I knew how to do. We raced clean and he finished first. Like I said maybe another ten or fifteen laps and things might have been different.” Key To Martinsville Success: “Wish I knew. I guess it’s not to tear your car up and stay on the lead lap so you can get yourself in position at the end. You also have to listen to your crew chief. The driver spends a lot of time starting at the bumpers in front of him. The Crew Chief knows what’s going on. If he says pit I pit and if he says stay out I stay out.” Benson Career At Martinsville Race Year S F Fall 2002 11 2 Spring 2002 39 19 Fall 2001 5 6 Spring 2001 26 20 Fall 2000 33 19 Spring 2000 25 16 Fall 1999 40 28 Spring 1999 40 35 Fall 1998 24 9 Spring 1998 37 38 Fall 1997 26 19 Spring 1997 22 17 Fall 1996 22 17 Spring 1996 18 25 THE RACE: Virginia 500 Winston Cup Race #9 of 36 for the 2003 Winston Cup season Race: Sunday, April 13, 2003 in Martinsville, VA TV: Fox - 1:00pm/et Pre-Race Show: Fox - 12:30pm/et - with hosts Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond Race Re-Air: April 16th at 8:00pm/et on Speed Channel, April 17th at 1:00am/et and 3:00pm/et on Speed Channel Announcers: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum, Steve Byrnes, Jeanne Zelasko Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond Purse/Race Awards: $? (was $3,471,717 in 2002) 2002 Race Winner: Bobby Labonte, 73.951mph, started 15th Track Race Record: Jeff Gordon, Sept 1996, 82.223mph Track/Race Length: 0.526 mile oval, 500 laps, 263 miles Pit Road Speed: 35mph Practice Practice: Friday, April 11th, 11:20am -1:20pm/et; and Saturday, April 12th, 9:30 - 10:15am/et Happy Hour Practice: Saturday, April 12th, 11:10 - 11:55am/et on TV-FX via tape at 7:00pm/et. Qualifying Qualifying Draw: Friday, April 11th, 10:20am/et ·First Round Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-36, Friday, April 11th at 3:05pm/et, TV-Speed Channel live, no re-air date/time found, and live via MRN radio/internet (link below) and XM Satellite - NASCAR Radio (Subscription Required) ·Track Qualifying Record: Tony Stewart, Sept 2000, 95.371mph ·Event Qualifying Record: Tony Stewart, Apr 1999, 95.275mph ·April 2002 Pole Sitter: #24-Jeff Gordon, 94.181, finished 23rd. Track Specs: Degree of Banking: Turns: 12 degrees Straightaways: Banking: 0 degrees(flat) Straights: 800 feet Grandstnd Seating: 91,000 Pit Stalls: 43 pits, 14-feet wide by 28-feet long 10 Pontiac Team Television Information Pit Contact: James Ince or Drew Brown Owners: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 Bobby Burrell 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 Scorer Denise Ince Pit Stop Coach: Gary Smith PR Rep: Drew Brown Drew Brown drewbrown@bellsouth.net 704-650-0428 cell 704-895-3651 home