rpm.espn.com: Johnny Benson

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Tuesday, December 4

Johnny Benson
By Jerry Bonkowski
ESPN.com

Johnny Benson
Benson

STATS

Year
Rank
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Money
Best finish

2001 11 0 6 14 $2,573,570 3rd, three times

Career 0 13 47 $9,546,433 2nd, twice

2001 recap
The good: After finishing 13th in 2000, Benson continued his climb upward in the standings in 2001. With solid sponsorship through 2003 from Valvoline (which is also part-owner of MBV Motorsports), Benson continued to mature as a driver in 2001 and offering even greater promise for 2002.

Season highlight: In a four-race midseason span beginning at Pocono and ending at Michigan (summer race), Benson put together a string of three top-5 finishes -- fifth at Pocono, third at Indianapolis and fifth at Michigan.

The bad: While his overall performance in race finishes has improved, he continues to struggle in qualifying. He has not sat on the pole since 1997.

Season lowlight: Without question, the MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover on June 3. Benson started fourth, ran with the leaders for the first 100 laps and appeared to have a good shot at his first career Winston Cup victory, only to be knocked out on lap 118 when his engine blew.

Johnny Benson

Key stat: Benson was the highest-finishing driver in Winston Cup competition without a win in 2001.

2002 outlook
What needs to be done: Benson needs to develop a bit more consistency in his finishes. His 2001 scorecard was all over the map, finishing great one week and looking horrible the next. A strong off-season testing program should help him towards that end.

Prediction: After finishing 13th in 2000 and 11th (tying his career-best finish, which came in 1997) in 2001, Benson is primed to record his first career top-10 finish in 2002. While the competition ahead of him will be fierce, look for Benson to finish ninth or 10th next season, a continuation of the steady progression he has made in the last two seasons.

Your take
We asked our users whether a Winston Cup win and top-10 overall finish were in store for Johnny Benson in 2002? Here are your thoughts.

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