Terrific in Texas…The WinStar World Casino 400 will mark Johnny Benson's 10th Camping World Truck Series start at Texas Motor Speedway. Benson has earned six top-10 starts and five top-five finishes at the Fort Worth 1.5-mile Tri-Oval. Benson has also experienced his share of back luck in Texas. The fall 2006 race kicked-off a streak of engine failures that plagued the team for three straight races. Benson was going for the lead, running second and running fourth respectively when his engine expired. Thankfully he turned that bad luck around in 2008 with third place finishes in both events.
Championship still in sight….Despite dropping to 10th in the point standings after a 20th place finish at Dover International Speedway, Benson and his Red Horse Racing team are not worried. Last season heading into the Texas race, Benson sat fourth in points. He says it's too early to panic about the points yet. In fact only 169 points separate the leader and 10th place. He is confident with a few solid finishes, the #1 team will once again be in the hunt for back-to-back Championships.
Benson Sizzles in Summer…Johnny Benson loves the summer months because that is when his performance is at its best, statistically speaking. He has never won a Camping World Truck Series race before June but once the summer starts every competitor should look out. Benson has won a total of nine races during summer months in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Last season, Benson was on fire; winning at The Milwaukee Mile and then taking the checkered flag at three summer races in a row at Kentucky Speedway, O'Reilly Raceway Park and Nashville Superspeedway.
Johnny Benson on racing at Texas Motor Speedway "I'm really looking forward to racing at Texas Motor Speedway. It's one of my favorite tracks. It seems like I always run well there. I've has some good luck there except for when the engine blew three races in a row. I'm not too worried about our points position right now. We're not that many points out of the lead and all we need are a few solid finishes and we'll be right back up there."
Crew Chief Trip Bruce on Texas Motor Speedway "Texas is another mile and a half like Charlotte except it's a lot trickier. There is not as much grip as you have a Lowe's Motor Speedway. I'm glad that we are running the same tire we ran last year in the fall. What we need right now is to really be able to focus on racing. It seems like the last few races rain and tire issues have been a distraction. Feeling comfortable with the tire and having no rain in the forecast will allow us to really stay focused on getting Johnny back to Victory Lane."
Equipment Information The #1 Red Horse Racing team will compete with chassis # 73 in the WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. This is Benson's favorite truck. He raced it at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway and finished ninth and second respectively.
Series Champion Seeks Sponsorship Partner The reigning 2008 Camping World Series Champion is still seeking sponsorship for his No.1 Tundra. Red Horse Racing is currently running both the #1 Toyota Tundra driven by defending Champion Johnny Benson as well as the #11 driven by TJ Bell, without primary sponsorship. For more information on sponsorship opportunities either the #1 or the #11 please contact Tom DeLoach at 704-662-0039.
