NASCAR- Lycos/Benson Team Misses Atlanta
11 March 2000
– Johnny Benson watched the raindrops fall as he stood underneath the liftgate of the Lycos hauler receiving condolences from other drivers while trying to put into words what it felt like to be the 11th place driver in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup season and still miss the Atlanta race. "This is tough. There’s no doubt about it," said Benson who finished sixth six days ago at Las Vegas and has been the biggest surprise on the circuit in 2000. "I understand why and how it happened but it doesn’t make anything easier. We had a chance yesterday and we were going to have a chance to make the field today, but rained washed it all out. NASCAR’s provisional system wasn’t an ally either. Benson’s 40th place qualifying effort on Friday wasn’t good enough for the top 36 spots in the race. To fill the 43-car field, NASCAR takes the top seven cars in the points that weren’t in the top 36 of qualifying. Since it is only the fourth race in the season, NASCAR awards those seven spots based on last year’s point finish. Tyler Jet Motorsports, which campaigned different drivers than Benson and a different crew chief than James Ince finished 32nd in 1999. There were no spots available by the time it reached the 32nd place car of 1999. "We missed Sunday’s race based on something that happened last year," Benson said. "That makes it pretty bad. But we knew what the rules coming into this. I just wish we could have gotten second round in. But there isn’t much we can do now." Benson is likely to fall to about 20th in the points. Ironically, when he goes to Darlington this weekend he will have a better chance to gain a provisional starting spot should he need one. NASCAR begins using the 2000 points to award provisional beginning at Darlington. "I hope we won’t need one for the rest of the year. Our goals are still the same. We want to be in the top 10 and sit on the stage when we go to New York City. We’ve got something good here and we aren’t going to let it stop just because of what happened here this weekend." JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 LYCOS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX: (Courtesy of Pontiac) (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."