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NASCAR WCUP: Chassis Notes, Richmond International Raceway

9 September 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

[The following are facts and figures regarding the chassis Pontiac teams will be running this weekend during the NASCAR Winston Cup event at Richmond International Raceway.]

10 Johnny Benson enters this weekend's action ranked 16th in Winston Cup points after last week's 38th place setback at Darlington. Benson will look to rebound at Richmond with the chassis he last ran at New Hampshire on July 9, when he posted a 14th place finish. He also ran this piece here in May and drove to a 25th place finish.

14 Conseco Pontiac driver Rick Mast earned one of his best finishes of 2000 - a 12th at Loudon in July - with this chassis. He is coming off a strong run last week at Darlington, where he also finished 12th in the Southern 500. Mast is still looking for his first start of the year at Richmond, as the team did not qualify for the Pontiac Excitement 400 in May.

18 Winston Cup points leader Bobby Labonte comes to Richmond after winning his third race of the season last week. Labonte, who is driving the car he last ran at Loudon, has only two finishes this season outside the top 15, one of which occurred here in May. The Interstate Batteries Pontiac was the innocent victim of a back straightaway incident here in the spring, and had to settle for a 26th place finish, which still stands as its worst result of the year.

20 Tony Stewart drove to his first career victory in this race last year and has since gone on to post five more wins in 33 starts. The last time he drove this chassis was here in May when he found himself in a position to win again. But a cut tire late in the race forced him to settle for an eighth place finish. Stewart, who has won races at the next three tracks on the schedule, has posted a second and a ninth the past two weeks..

22 Caterpillar Pontiac driver Ward Burton will look to improve on the sixth place he posted here in May during the Pontiac Excitement 400 with the same chassis he ran last at Loudon in July. Burton is coming off a great run last week at Darlington where he finished sixth after leading the second most laps during the rain-shortened Southern 500.

27 Viagra Grand Prix driver Mike Bliss hopes for a longer night at Richmond tomorrow night than he had here in May, when an accident ended his night after just 170 laps. He is looking to improve on that 41st place run with the chassis his team fielded in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

36 Ken Schrader moved up to 15th in the Winston Cup drivers points after a 16th place effort at Darlington. Schrader is optimistic this weekend after running 12th in this chassis at Richmond in May and then qualifying it seventh at Loudon in July.

43 The last time John Andretti ran this chassis he put it on the outside of the front row at Pocono in June. A pit stop problem dropped him a lap that day and kept the car from posting better than a 21st place finish. But Andretti hopes a flawless effort by his Petty Enterprises teammates Saturday will help him better the 18th place finish he earned here in May.

44 Steve Grissom continues his late-season run in the Hot Wheels Pontiac this weekend with the chassis he drove at New Hampshire in July. He finished 36th that day in his first start of the year, and then made his second start last week at Darlington where he finished 26th.

93 Rookie Dave Blaney posted his third top 20 finish of the year last week at Darlington and his second in the last six races since Doug Randolph took over as crew chief for the Amoco Grand Prix. Blaney is running the chassis he last ran at New Hampshire, and is hoping his recent test here will help him better the 34th place finish he earned here in May.

Text provided by Al Larsen

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