NASCAR WCUP: Johnny Benson ready for another strong performance at Daytona Saturday Night
1 July 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
[Back in February, Johnny Benson and his Tyler Jet Motorsports
teammates
came to Daytona with a plain, white, unsponsored No. 10 Pontiac Grand Prix
and little fanfare. There were few expectations placed on what was
basically a new team. But then the night before the Daytona 500, Benson's
team picked up the promise of a primary sponsor, and then went on to lead
38
laps and challenge for a win in "The Great American Race."
After leaving Daytona, Benson continued to make waves, grabbing a
sixth
place finish at Las Vegas and then a runner-up finish at Bristol. The
team
has had a solid first half, and despite missing the race at Atlanta, still
ranks 20th in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.
This week the team returned to Daytona, and looked to be on its way to
duplicating its impressive Speed Weeks performance. Benson, who will
start
20th in Saturday's Pepsi 400, ran among the top five during the entire
Thursday practice session. But one of the biggest differences this week
will be the look of the car. Instead of applying vinyl decals to the car
the night before the race, the team will be removing them and returning to
the plain, white, unsponsored scheme with which they started the year.
The
removal of those decals is slated for 5:30 p.m. today in the Tyler Jet
garage stall at Daytona International Speedway.]
(ON RUNNING UNSPONSORED IN SATURDAY'S RACE) "There's the good, old saying that 'Wider Is Better' with Pontiac. Now this team has its own saying that, 'whiter is better.' We're hoping that it is going to work out well. Right now we're a little disappointed with qualifying. But we think this race car is going to be very good for the race. We're just looking forward to running well on Saturday."
(IS THE SPONSORSHIP SITUATION A DISTRACTION?) "I just drive the car. We're just going to keep on doing what we know how to do. James (Ince) and I are going to get in there and do our jobs, and try to get this thing back up front. If it all works out, it works out. If it doesn't, it's just the luck of Daytona."
(WHY DOES THE TEAM RUN SO WELL DOWN HERE DESPITE THE LACK OF RESOURCES?) "I think it's about good people, and I think we've got good people right now. Obviously, the funding hasn't been as good as what we would have liked. But this has a lot more to do with people. These guys are focused on building fabulous race cars, and I enjoy being in them."
(CAN THEY RUN IN THE FRONT SATURDAY?) "Yeah. I think the car is going to be very good. James Ince and all the guys working on this Tyler Jet Pontiac have been doing a great job. I'm pretty sure the car is going to run very good. We're looking forward to it. It's always the luck of the draw here. You just have to be in the right place at the right time and make it up through the draft. We'll be happy if we're up near the front at the end."
Text provided by Al Larsen
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos
and art, visit
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Photo Museum and the
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