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NASCAR WCUP: Pontiac Chassis Notes, Pennsylvainia 500

22 July 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

CHASSIS NOTES; WINSTON CUP; POCONO RACEWAY [The following are facts and figures regarding the chassis Pontiac teams will be running this weekend during the NASCAR Winston Cup event at Pocono Raceway.]

10

Johnny Benson enters his first race this weekend as a teammate to Ken Schrader after MB2 Motorsports acquired Tyler Jet Motorsports this week. Benson was the highest-ranked single-car team driver in the Winston Cup points prior to the move. Benson posted a strong run here with this chassis last month, running in the top 10 most of the day, before a blown engine sentenced him to a 34th place finish.

14

Rick Mast qualified 13th with this chassis last month here at Pocono and ran well in the race. But a shifter linkage problem cost him 21 laps in the garage area and left him with a 35th place finish.

18

This version of the Interstate Batteries Pontiac carried Bobby Labonte to a second place finish at California Speedway back in April and vaulted him into the Winston Cup points lead - a lead he has held ever since. Labonte, who swept both races here last year, will look to improve on June's 13th place finish.

20

Home Depot Grand Prix driver Tony Stewart has won three of the last six races on the Winston Cup circuit, and six of the last 28, dating back to 1999. Stewart will look for his fourth win of the season at Pocono Raceway with the car he dominated with two weeks ago at New Hampshire. He posted a sixth with it here last month.

22

Ward Burton brings a brand new chassis to Pocono Raceway this weekend as he looks to get back on track. Burton is ranked fourth in the Winston Cup point standings, but has posted just one top 10 in the past four events.

27

Rookie Mike Bliss is running the chassis he ran last at Dover, where he finished 32nd after crashing. Bliss also suffered a similar fate here at Pocono in June when a late-race accident forced him into a 33rd place finish.

36

Ken Schrader has posted six straight finished of 23rd or better, including an 18th here at Pocono back in June. Schrader teams with No. 10 Pontiac driver Johnny Benson for the first time this weekend, as MB2 Motorsports becomes a two-car effort.

43

John Andretti qualified on the outside of the front row at Pocono Raceway in June, but did not bring that chassis back. His team has built a new chassis for this race that was tested last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

44

Kyle Petty is set for the first of his final five Winston Cup races of the season this weekend at Pocono. He'll run the same chassis he ran here in June when he ran well before losing an engine late in the race. Chris Hussey, who serves as crew chief for Petty's Busch team, will play that role this weekend in place of Fred Graves, who had a previous commitment with a Winston West team.

93

Doug Randolph takes over as crew chief for Dave Blaney's effort in the No. 93 Amoco Grand Prix this weekend at Pocono. Randolph will hope to improve on the 30th place finish Blaney posted here in June with the chassis that Blaney campaigned in qualifying events for The Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Text provided by Al Larsen

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