NASCAR WCUP: Johnny Benson talks about new team owner Valvoline
20 August 2000
THOUGHTS FROM JOHNNY BENSON, NO. 10 AARON'S PONTIAC GRAND PRIX COURTESTY OF PONTIAC RACING(ON SIGNING VALVOLINE AS A SPONSOR FOR 2001) "I think it's great. We obviously needed sponsorship for the 2001 season, and Valvoline was looking to go on a car, so this is a great situation. I worked with Valvoline in the past with my ASA cars. For us and them to join together in a Winston Cup team is going to be a really cool thing. It's going to be an honor to be able to wear that Valvoline suit. They are making a huge commitment on their part, playing the role of an owner as well as the sponsor. This is just going to be a good deal for everybody involved." (ON SPONSORS PLAYING AN OWNERSHIP ROLE) "I think you'll see more of it in the future. It's an interesting concept and it brings stability to both the race team and the sponsor, which everyone knows is critical in this sport. There are a lot of things that can grow out of this kind of arrangement." (HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR 2001 TO HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE IN AUGUST?) "It's real important to have everything done now. We can prepare for 2001. We can be ready. When we get to Daytona there won't be a bunch of shuffling around; 'Do we need this? Do we need that? There's a lot of fun little stuff you have to deal with, like uniforms and stuff like that, that you don't need to be dealing with at Daytona. There is enough going on down there to start with, let alone worrying about all these other details. "It helps, too, with Valvoline having been in the sport for so long, that they understand the sport. That should make everything run very smooth." (ON THE PRESSURE AND PRESTIGE OF RUNNING FOR A LONG-TIME WINSTON CUP SPONSOR) "Sure, it adds some pressure, but in the same token we know we've got a good, quality sponsor behind us and that is worth a lot. They understand the racing end of it. Valvoline has been in this sport for a long time. They've won a lot of races and accomplished a lot. It is a good group of people there, they want to race and they want to win. We all do, and that's obviously important." (ON THE ON-GOING DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR NEW TWO-CAR OPERATION) "I think the further we get down the road the better it's going to be. The teams are starting to work together, but we're in two different buildings right now, which is, of course, going to change pretty soon. That's the kind of thing that will really help. But James (Ince) and Sammy (Johns) still work together really good, and having Kenny Schrader being the other driver involved is really good, too. There have been times already that I know they've helped us and I hope that we've helped them, and I think it will be a good combination throughout the years." (ON SUNDAY'S RACE) "I think we'll be OK. I think the race car is a good race car. We had an outside shot at maybe making something happen yesterday, but we didn't. So it's just a matter of getting the car real comfortable. We've got a few more cars to pass than what we originally anticipated, but it doesn't matter. If you've got a good race car it doesn't matter where you start."