---

NASCAR WCUP: Benson Still Working On The Checkered Flag

27 March 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Crew Chief James Ince Helps Another Driver to Best Career Finish

(Bristol, Tenn.) - If the Daytona 500 were 15 laps shorter and the Food City 500 at Bristol only 15 laps longer, Johnny Benson and his #10 Lycos crew would probably have visited Victory Lane twice already in 2000.

But Daytona didn't end before Benson was bounced out of the lead with three laps left and Sunday's race at Bristol ended only laps before he could catch Rusty Wallace forcing him to settle for a second-place finish - a career best.

Although they haven't taken home a trophy, Benson and the Tyler Jet Motorsports team continue to be the most surprising story in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup season.

"Two words explain our success so far," said Benson minutes after recording his best career finish. "It's (Crew Chief) James Ince. That's all you have to say."

Ince is the youngest crew chief in the Winston Cup garage but his decision making so far this year have been as good as any 20-year veteran. Just look at the first few races of the 2000 season.

A bold decision by the Springfield, Missouri native to put only two tires on the Lycos Pontiac late at Daytona enabled Benson to grab track position and lead 38 laps. Ince's gamble at Rockingham to short pit allowed Benson to finish 14th and the Ince prepared Pontiac finished sixth at Las Vegas.

On Sunday at Bristol, late in the race, while other crew chiefs were putting two tires or electing to stay on the track and enjoy the track position, Ince never wavered in ordering four tires for Benson each time he visited pit road.

"Johnny just hang with me on this," he said over the team radio. "Four tires at Bristol is the ticket."

And he was right once again.

While the other cars fell off at the end, Benson capped his charge from the 33rd starting spot and overcame pitting on the backstretch to pass several cars at the end of the race for the second-place finish.

"I'd say my weakest deal as a crew chief is the fact that I may be braver than anybody on pit road," said Ince. "But because of that I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. Fortunately I'm being able to reap the benefits of those mistakes now. I generally won't make two in a row. We've kept good notes on what we've done in the past. We feel like we've got a good grasp on what to do at these places."

It worked for Benson.

"This is an awesome feeling," he said. "I know the talent of this team even if many other people don't. I don't mind if they keep underestimating us. We will just keep running well on the track."

His surprise team doesn't surprise Ince. He's getting used to it. The last five drivers to work with Ince (Kevin Lepage, Ted Musgrave, Rich Bickle, David Green and now Benson) have all recorded their best career finishes under his guidance.

"We've got to be really excited about what we did today," he said. "Johnny drove his hind end off today and the guys did a heck of a job on pit road. To say that I'm shocked really wouldn't be fair. I knew that we had the potential. We've shown the potential this year. I'm excited with what we're going right now. The biggest thing for us is that I think it build momentum back in our race team after the Atlanta fiasco."

The aftermath of that "fiasco" might be Ince's most shining moment. It's easy to manage a team after enjoying success at Daytona and Las Vegas. But, keeping the team focused after unexpectedly missing the Atlanta race required leadership. He called a team meeting at the shop in Harrisburg, N.C., on Sunday morning to make sure Atlanta wouldn't ruin the team's season.

"Atlanta could have been a deal that broke the season. It was a situation that four races into the year it could have kind of ruined our season for us. We weren't going to let that happen. The guys dug deep and we came back. And it's the last two weeks. This week was great but the guys did a heck of a job at Darlington, too, and nobody noticed that because of our (24th place) finish. I don't know. This is a great race team right now."

He has a fan in Benson.

"Man, I cannot say enough about him. When I first came to this team I looked at the cars and noticed how well they were put together," Benson said. "His race strategy has been right on the money each time. It makes it easier on the driver. All you do is drive and let him worry about the rest."

Benson won't have to worry about what's going on the pits during the 2000 season. All he has to worry about now is when the checkered flag is going to fly with him in the lead

Text provided by Drew Brown

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.