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NASCAR- Pontiac Racing quotes

11 March 2000

NOTES AND QUOTES;  SECOND ROUND;  ATLANTA;  MARCH 11;  PAGE 1

JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 LYCOS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX:

 (ON NOT QUALIFYING)  "That's the system.  What can you do?  We're sitting
11th in the points and now we're going home.  I would have liked to have had
the opportunity at least to try to qualify today.  I don't know if we would
have gotten in or not, but at least it would have been an opportunity for
us.  We need to be better on the first day. Until the system is changed we
can't do anything about it."

 (TOUGH TO OVERCOME)  "It is.  It's just going to make us work a little bit
harder to still get in the top 10 in points.  We still feel like we can do
that.  I'm further in points now even taking a week off than I was last
year, so we can get back up to where we need to be.  Next week I'll still be
better off than I was last year even dropping in the points.  It's just a
matter of going back, getting ready for Darlington and running good the rest
of the year.  I think we can do that.  We were just a little off this week.
There's not a whole lot we can do about it.  We're just going to go back and
work harder for the rest of the year."

 (KEEPING THE TEAM UP)  "I think we can look at the first couple races we
ran this year and make that happen.  This is one race and this is where the
system got us.  Obviously our effort wasn't as good as what we needed.  But
the system is also what got us.  It's just a matter of going next week and
having a good run.  We've just got to hang tough and get in the race.  It's
not going to end our year.  I was in this spot before where I missed a race
and got to the top 10 in points in about 15 races.  We just need to do that
again.  In one way it's devastating to not be in the race but it's not going
to end our careers.  We just need to work our way back up the ladder."