Race/Date: O’Reilly 200- Aug. 24, 2005
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tenn.
NOTES:
• This week’s race truck for Bristol Motor Speedway is Chassis No. 23-35. Johnny Benson last drove truck No. 35 at The Milwaukee Mile in June.
• Double Duty… Benson will attempt to qualify for his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event of 2005 at the .533-mile concrete oval. Benson made his first Cup Series appearance of the season last weekend at Michigan International Speedway. He will be behind the wheel of the No. 00 car owned by Michael and Buffy Waltrip.
• So Close… Benson finished second in a Cup Series event at Bristol in 2000. He finished behind the all-time win leader at Bristol, Rusty Wallace. Benson has accumulated two top-five finishes and four top-10 finishes at Thunder Valley during his career.
• Nice Finish… The No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra has finished in the top 10 in three out of the last four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. The team is currently 14th in the championship standings, only 82 points out of 10th position.
• Listen and Watch … The O’Reilly 200 is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, Aug. 24. It will broadcast live on Speed (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio channel 144.
Johnny Benson’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results at Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway
Date Start Finish LC/TL Status $Won
8/25/2004 20 13 206/206 Running $7,590 Starts Poles Wins Top-fives Top-10s LC/TL $Won
1 0 0 0 0 206/206(100%) $7,590
Bill Davis Racing Quotes:
Johnny Benson on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
“I love racing at Bristol. I don’t like the practice or qualifying sessions because so many things can happen out of your control that can ruin your weekend, but the racing there is unbelievable. It is the only place we go to where you can hear the crowd over the engines. I think our Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra is going to be good. Rick [Ren] had a good car there in the spring with Dale Jarrett before he wrecked toward the end of the event. I think we can take his notes and come up with a setup that will really work well for the race.
It is going to be a busy weekend for me. On Wednesday night, we will race our Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra. I will then turn around and try to qualify the State Fair Corn Dogs car for Saturday’s 500-lap event. I am excited about the opportunity to dip back into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.”
Crew chief Rick Ren on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
“I really enjoy racing at Bristol. The night race at Bristol in any division is the ultimate race. You can have the best truck there and can have a good day or a real bad day, and it is usually is not your fault. There is a lot of beating and banging at Bristol. There is not much room for error on the track because of how close the racing is. You have to have a great day and stay out of trouble to win, which is hard to do.
“My first win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series came at Bristol in 1996 with Rick Carrelli. To win at Bristol is like winning at Martinsville or Daytona. There is so much tradition there. It is a place where all teams want to get to victory lane.”
Johnny Benson 2005 Season Totals
Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top Tens DNF Money
16 0 0 2 6 2 $219,235
2005 Johnny Benson Craftsman Truck Series Results Date Start Finish LC TL Status Money
2/18/2005 Daytona International Speedway 16 10 100 100 Running $18,300
2/25/2005 California Speedway 8 12 100 100 Running $13,515
3/18/2005 Atlanta Motor Speedway 4 11 135 135 Running $10,715
4/9/2005 Martinsville Speedway 17 17 250 250 Running $9,940
4/30/2005 Gateway International Raceway 24 11 160 160 Running $11,925
5/15/2005 Mansfield Motorsports Speedway 6 23 251 254 Running $8,115
5/20/2005 Lowe’s Motor Speedway 27 4 136 136 Running $15,750
6/3/2005 Dover International Speedway 15 34 8 200 Accident $9,640
6/10/2005 Texas Motor Speedway 4 2 167 167 Running $46,775
6/18/2005 Michigan Speedway 4 24 100 100 Running $9,815
6/24/2005 The Milwaukee Mile 28 35 140 200 Engine $7,215
7/2/2005 Kansas Speedway 15 28 161 170 Running $9,790
7/9/2005 Kentucky Speedway 13 9 151 151 Running $15,825
7/23/2005 Memphis Motorsports Park 20 9 202 202 Running $11,675
8/5/2005 Indianapolis Raceway Park 14 16 198 200 Running $10,515
8/13/2005 Nashville Superspeedway 9 8 150 150 Running $9,725
Totals 14 15.81 2409 2675 90.06% $219,235
Johnny Benson NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Career Totals
Races Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s DNFs Money
Totals 41 0 0 10 23 3 500,017
