Johnny Benson (High Sierra Photo)

A solid pit strategy and a fast truck earned the No. 23 Toyota Tundra team another top-five run at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. Johnny Benson participated in a NASCAR test session Thursday at the .5-mile track, and knew right away his No. 23 team would be a threat for the win Saturday afternoon. The team tried to tighten the handling of the red-and-black truck up coming out of the corners; still, Benson thought the truck would be strong on long green flag runs. The team made additional adjustments to its Tundra, and by the end of the day, Benson and his crew were happy with how their truck was handling.

The team worked on qualifying runs during Friday's two morning practice sessions, and Benson emerged fourth on the speed chart. Benson said the truck was balanced, and he looked forward to qualifying and the race. Unfortunately, the No. 23 team never got a chance to qualify due to heavy rain in the area. Since the field was set based on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners' standings, Benson was slated to start sixth for Saturday's race.

When the green flag waved over the 34-truck field, Benson immediately knew there was something wrong with his No. 23 Tundra. He reported to his crew that he had a left rear tire going down and needed to pit as soon as possible. Luckily, the caution flag was displayed to the field at that time, as Benson nursed his ailing truck around the bottom of the track. He brought his truck to pit road on lap seven for two left side tires and fuel, then returned to the pits on lap eight for right side tires.

When the race restarted on lap 12, Benson found himself in the 33rd position. The veteran driver knew he would need patience and a lot of luck in order to return to the front of the field. When the caution flag waved on lap 42, Benson brought his Tundra down pit road for fuel only. A fast pit stop gained Benson a number of positions on the track. It was also the last time the No. 23 truck would be on pit road during the 250-lap event.

Benson restarted the race in 23rd and began making his way through the field. He told his crew he needed 10 or 12 laps to get going, but the truck really felt good. By lap 100, Benson had climbed to the eighth position and continued his charge to the front.

The next 150 laps were filled with 12 caution flags, and when the checked flag was displayed to the field, Benson had his No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Tundra in the fourth position. His truck was among four Tundras to finish in the top five.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Dover (Del.) International Speedway Friday, June 2. The race can be seen live on the Speed Channel at 8 p.m. ET.