Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: After record, Benson has high hopes

Friday, March 2, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Roush Racing has held the key to the lock on Victory Lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when it comes to NASCAR Winston Cup races, but Johnny Benson is out to break Roush's streak.

Benson, who has finished in the top 10 in two of the three Winston Cup races held in Las Vegas, became one of the pre-race favorites when he set an unofficial track record of 173.376 mph in the No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac during a test session here last month.

Benson's lap bettered Ricky Rudd's record of 172.563 mph during his qualifying run last year.

"We ran good that day," Benson said of the test. "But it doesn't mean a whole lot. The weather is going to be different, the track temperature is going to be different, and the rubber on the track is going to be different.

"But we hope the results are the same. But to be honest, you don't know what's going to happen until you get there."

Benson said he hopes to repeat his testing performance during today's Bud Pole qualifying session.

"I think in qualifying you have to hang it out at all tracks and Las Vegas is no different," he said. "At Vegas, you have to be smooth and you have to hit your spots just right. Most importantly, you have to have a lot of confidence in what that racecar is going to do.

"Last year, I trusted the car and we really picked up in qualifying and ended up eighth. I hope it is a bit easier this year with just a little bit better result."

Benson said the reason for his success at Las Vegas is that the track suits his driving style. Benson, who posted a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas in the inaugural race in 1998 and finished sixth last year, said the relatively flat track suits him as well as any on the Winston Cup Circuit.

"It's a track that is smooth, fast, flat and suits my driving style," Benson said. "It's a place I enjoy racing. I don't know why drivers prefer one track to another.

"I like flat tracks; for whatever reason I do better on those tracks."

Schmidt was paralyzed from the shoulders down in an IRL testing accident at Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000.

Wallace's Pontiac, fielded by Eel River Racing, will don a paint scheme featuring the 100-percent Colombian blend of Hills Brothers Coffee. The front half of the car will be the same Ferrari red as the No. 90 Hills Brothers Coffee Ford, but it will fade to black toward the rear of the car.

Hut Stricklin's No. 90 Ford, which is fielded by Junie Donlavey, has carried the Hills Brothers brand logo since 1999.

Wallace said his team's sponsorship search has been a distraction through the first two races of the season.

"I think when we get through this sponsorship search, it will be a huge relief for everybody -- not just our team, but all the people that are mystified as to how we can keep racing without a sponsor," Wallace said. "It would be a big load off our whole team right now."

It marks the first time since 1998 that Wallace had been on top of the championship. That season, Wallace led the points standings for an eight-race stretch -- his longest continuous points lead in his 17 full Winston Cup seasons.

Wallace finished third in the season-opening Daytona 500 and was seventh last weekend in the Dura-Lube 400 at Rockingham.

The bonus would be in addition to the estimated $350,000 first-place check. The total purse for the race is $4,281,953.

Also, five drivers -- Kenny Wallace, Joe Nemechek, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Mike Skinner -- would claim a $1 million bonus for winning the race as part of Winston's "No Bull 5" promotion.

The top five finishers from Sunday's race will be eligible for the second "No Bull 5" race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 on May 27 at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C.

Fans who visit the mobile screening unit, located behind Gate B outside the track, can receive free cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and erectile dysfunction screenings. The unit will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday.