![]() |
|
| Benson, No. 23 Toyota Review: Kentucky
07-10-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report
The No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra team was in the Bluegrass state over the weekend hoping to bite into the point lead Todd Bodine had over the rest of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field. Benson and the 23 team have been on a roll over the past eight weeks compiling seven top-10 finishes, including back-to-back wins. The team brought the same truck that won at Michigan International Speedway three weeks ago and was confident in the truck's ability to run up front. In the first of two practice sessions on Friday afternoon, Benson was not happy with his Tundra. He told his crew the truck was extremely tight in the gas and would not turn. The crew went to work changing just about everything underneath their Tundra trying to get it dialed in for the race. Benson went back out on the track saying the adjustments helped but it needed a lot more. In the second and final practice, Benson seemed to be happier with how his Tundra was handling. He told his guys it was still tight, but he felt like it would really be good during the race. The team made a couple of small changes to dial the truck in and at the end of the second practice Benson was running the fastest lap times on the track and the team was looking forward to the race. After another top-10 qualifying run the team started Saturday night's event in the seventh spot. On lap 10, Benson called into his crew saying the truck was tight in the gas, but explained the truck was really good getting into the corner. Rick Ren and his team discussed what changes they were going to make at the first pit stop. During the second restart of the race on lap 19, Benson ran into the back of a fellow competitor. Benson came onto the radio explaining someone in front of him did not go when the flag waved and all the trucks stacked up. He told his crew the truck had front-end damage and the engine was starting to run hot. When the caution flag was displayed to the field on lap 27 the 23 Bill Davis Racing Tundra team started to prepare for Benson to come to pit road. Benson brought his red and black Toyota down the pit lane to the attention of his crew on lap 29. The crew worked to repair the front-end damage as well as fill the truck with fuel. They also made a wedge adjustment to their Tundra in hopes it would loosen it up. When the race was restarted in lap 32 Benson was all the way back in the 32nd position. He battled to get back into the top-10, but with a tattered truck it was going to be a feat. Benson called into his crew on lap 47 saying the engine was running at 260 degrees and he needed to come in. Luckily for the team, the caution flag flew on the next lap. Benson brought his Tundra to pit road on lap 50. The team changed four tires and filled the truck with gas. They also pulled some tape off the front end in hopes it would cool the engine down. By lap 80, Benson had battled back to the 24th position but was fighting a tight race truck. Teams started to make green flag pit stops and it was playing right into the 23 teams favor. By lap 120, Benson was leading the race and really needed a caution flag in order to keep his top-five position. Luckily for the team, the yellow came out on lap 121 and put a number of trucks one lap down. Benson came in and took on four fresh tires and enough fuel to make it to the end of the race. When the race was restarted on lap 126 Benson was in the fifth position. Benson battled for the last 24 laps and came across the finish line in the fourth position. With its seventh top-five finish of the season, the 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra team overtook the second spot in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Memphis Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 15. The race can be seen live on the Speed Channel at 9:15 EST.
| |