NASCAR WCUP: Benson Survives Martinsville War
10 April 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
|
He was most happy that he survived.
It was simply a war on Sunday as the NASCAR Winston Cup cars brought out a record tying 17 caution flags. Fortunately for Benson he was never a reason for one of the yellow flags.
"It's always that tough here," he said. "There was a lot of beating and banging today. It's just so tough to pass. The rules are so tight now. It's just so competitive and so tight, and it's making it hard to pass without bumping. Some guys can do it and we did it most of the day. I may gotten into one car but that was about it."
For Benson the race was almost like a two-act play with the first act not receiving rave reviews.
"Man, we just can't get a grip on the track anywhere," said Benson over the Tyler Jet Motorsports team radio. "I'm sliding all over the place and it won't turn in the middle of the corner."
It appeared it was going to be a very long 500 laps on the flat, half-mile oval as he struggled to stay about 25th. But then things started to get better as he and crew chief James Ince made wholesale changes to the car during pit stops.
As the laps began to tick by, the Lycos car began getting better and better. He lost a lap to leader Rusty Wallace about half way through the race and then another when Michael Waltrip and Ken Schrader stayed out after Benson had pitted and a caution flag flew allowing them to pit under yellow dropping the rest of the field down a lap.
But then Benson and Ince figured out the handling and the Lycos car started running lap times close to the leaders. He made his lap up and even passed eventual winner Mark Martin. But Benson's early handling problems took their toll as the brakes that were heavily used in the first half of the race began to fade.
"I ran out of brakes," Benson said. "I couldn't run the car the way I wanted to. I was abusing the brakes and it was too tight. We ended up OK, but we were surely better than that. I just ran out of brakes. I couldn't do anything."
Benson finished 16th and said there were lots of positives to take out of Sunday's race.
"We fought all day and actually came away with a half way decent finish," said Benson as he rested after the long race. "(Crew Chief) James (Ince) and the guys kept working and working to make the Lycos car better and by the end of the race we were about the best we had been all day."
Benson and his teammates return to action on Sunday in Talladega.
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.