Team: MBV Motorsports
Car/sponsor/make: No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac
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| | Benson |
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STATS
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Year
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Rank
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Wins
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Top 5
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Top 10
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Best finish
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2002
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29
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1
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3
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7
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First, Rockingham (Fall)
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Career
|
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1
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17
|
54
|
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2002 recap
The good: Finally, after 226 starts, Johnny Benson enjoyed the sweet taste of victory for the first time on the Winston Cup circuit when he won at Rockingham, N.C. It was one of the few bright spots for Benson, who suffered through a season of crashes, mechanical failures and injuries.
Season highlight: Without question, Benson's win at the Rock was the high point not only of the season, but also of his career. He finally proved he could win. Two weeks prior to his triumph, Benson almost won at Martinsville, finishing second to Kurt Busch. He also came close at New Hampshire, finishing fourth.
The bad: Benson started just 31 races last season, due to a pair of injuries that sidelined him for a combined five races, both times after injuring his ribs in crashes. What's more, of his 31 starts, he was knocked out of six of those races by crashes, as well as two others by engine failure.
Season lowlight: Benson's biggest disappointment was where he finished in the final standings -- 29th -- the lowest showing in his seven-year career. Compounding the problem was the fact he had improved the previous two seasons, finishing 13th in 2000 and 11th in 2001.
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| Johnny Benson holds the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the Pop Secret 400 at Rockingham, N.C. |
Key stat: Benson failed to lead even one lap in his first 18 starts in 2002. But beginning with the summer race at Bristol, Tenn., where he led 16 laps, Benson led at least one lap in six of his final 13 starts, including 28 in his win at Rockingham, 16 in his second-place run at Martinsville, Va., and 53 in his fourth-place finish at Loudon, N.H. (which also marked his best start of the year, qualifying on the outside pole).
2003 outlook
What needs to be done: Despite the disappointing finish in the standings, Benson is a loyal soldier and his win at Rockingham proved he has gotten the toughest win of his career -- his first -- out of the way. It's that loyalty that earned him a multi-year contract extension with MBV Motorsports through 2005. For 2003, Benson has to be strong right out of the box if he is to show that his poor performance in 2002 was just a fluke. He could also aim to improve his qualifying efforts, as well.
Prediction: Benson has the talent to crack the top-10 in the standings. The long-term commitment he received at the end of the season will hopefully allow him to not concentrate on improving his performance. Benson has the potential to finish in the top-15 in 2003, and could potentially be a darkhorse to make the top-10 if he can stay out of trouble on the track, particularly when it comes to avoiding crashes and injuries.
Your take
Can Johnny Benson finally fulfill his potential and compete for a spot in the top-10 in points? Here's what our users had to say about Benson's prospects for the 2003 season.
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