Pennzoil Pontiac Race Report: Benson Finishes 13th in Pennsylvania 500
21 July 1997
Pennsylvania 500 July 1997 Pocono, Pa. Steady Driving, Good Strategy, and Little Bit of Luck Give Benson 13th Place Finish Pennzoil Pontiac driver Johnny Benson didn't like his chances before Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 in Pocono, Pa. The 1996 Rookie of the Year started 40th -- taking his third provisional of the year -- and struggled all weekend with a car that just wouldn't go fast. But Benson, Crew Chief Doug Hewitt and the rest of their Bahari' Racing teammates proved Sunday that sometimes steady driving, good strategy and a little bit of luck can gain a whole lot of positions on a racetrack and allow a so-so car to finish 13th. A finish that bumped Benson up to 13th-place in the 1997 Winston Cup points standings. "Today's finish was because of all the boys in the pits," Benson said as he climbed from the Pennzoil Pontiac. "That fuel mileage deal allowed us to get up to where we finished. If we didn't do that, I don't know what would have happened." The strategy began almost immediately after the green flag fell on Sunday. When Darrell Waltrip's first-lap spin brought out the yellow flag, Hewitt ordered Benson to the pits to top-off the fuel tank. With such little green-flag time, Benson had yet to pass another car so the Bahari' team had nothing to lose by bringing him in for additional fuel. More importantly, the move allowed Benson to go about three laps longer than the rest of the racers. That pitstop paid a big dividend later in the race. Benson struggled with handling. Like most competitors he complained of a severe understeer exiting each of Pocono's three unique turns. "We were tight off the turns all day," Benson said. "I guess a lot of others were the same way as we were, but we kept after it and it improved some as the race wore on." Benson only climbed to 35th in the first half of the 200 lap-race and even fell down a lap to eventual race winner Dale Jarrett and runner-up Jeff Gordon. Those two drivers took advantage of a traffic free racetrack as the race proceeded caution free. At the lap 120 mark, Gordon and Jarrett had lapped all but 15 cars as green flag stops commenced. Nearly every team pitted within a lap or two of the leaders. But, Benson remained on the track. Hoping for a caution flag that would allow him to regain his lost lap. "We were going to pit the next lap," said team engineer Jon Plyer after the race. "And then the caution came out and we made that lap up. That was pretty lucky." Benson regained the lap and when racing resumed he moved into the top-10. What appeared to be a gloomy day quickly turned into an exciting race and a chance to post a good finish. With the fuel strategy already played out, Benson managed to stay on the lead lap in the final 80 laps of the race and claim a 13th-place finish. A dramatic accomplishment compared to pre-race expectations. "Yeah we did better than we probably should have, but Johnny drove hard and we did get a little bit lucky on the fuel mileage thing," Hewitt said. Benson's performance will once again earn him the Exide "Hard Charger" Award. The award honors the driver who improved the most from his starting position during the race. It's Benson third award of the 1997 season. Benson has posted a series of charges from the back this season. He started 40th three times in 1997 and earned top 15 finishes in each race. The Pennzoil Pontiac returns to the track on Aug. 2 in Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. Benson hopes to top his 8th-place performance in 1996 when he led, a race record, 72 laps. For More Information Contact: Drew Brown Cohn & Wolfe (404) 880-5269 drew_brown@cohnwolfe.com
