NASCAR WCUP: Benson Perseveres For 16th At Phoenix
6 November 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
PHOENIX, AZ: It wasn't what Johnny Benson and James Ince wanted Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. After a weekend of high hopes, the Aaron's Pontiac persevered to a 16th-place finish on the flat mile oval in the desert.
"The track was sure different today than it was all weekend for some reason," Benson said moments after climbing from the Aaron's Pontiac. "This is our first race together here in Phoenix so we have a lot of notes we will use when we come back here next year."
Benson began Sunday's race in fourth and raced in the top five for the first 30 laps but then Benson began reporting a problem that was to plague the MB2 Motorsports team all afternoon in the 312-lap race.
"We just don't have any grip," he said. "We are sliding around everywhere. It was a long day. I thought we were going to have a really good race car and it just didn't end up being that way. The track conditions changed on us and we just never got a hold of it."
Ince and crew spent the rest of the race working to correct those problems. Benson hovered between 15th and 20th for most of the race. Near the end during caution flag pitstop Benson stayed on the track while the rest of the field pitted so he could lead a lap and gain five bonus points.
"We were OK at the beginning, but then it just kept steadily getting a little worse. But we'll go to work on it. We did get a little bit better at the end, so we've got a direction for the next time we come back."
Jeff Burton won Sunday's race. Jeremy Mayfield was second, followed by Steve Park, Rusty Wallace and Bobby Labonte rounding out the top 5.
Benson did move up a spot and is now 13th in the driver point standings.
Benson and his MB2 Motorsports teammates race in Homestead, Fla. next weekend.
Text provided by Drew Brown
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