Johnny Benson
- Height: 6-0
- Weight: 180
- Born: Jun 27, 1963, Grand Rapids, MI
News and Notes
Nov 18
This week: Hamlin, who trails Greg Biffle by 31 points, has no wins, two top-five finishes and no other top-10s in four starts at Homestead. He was third in both 2006 and 2007 and 13th last year. "This can be a tricky place, but it's a place where we've been pretty good ..." Hamlin said. "Qualifying is always a struggle, but we usually turn it around on Saturday and then get ourselves in the right place on Sunday. The banking here gives you an opportunity to search for that place where your car can work into turns one and three without having to use a lot of brake and then being able to get back on throttle as soon as you can. It's a fun track when your car is working -- not as much fun when you are struggling to find the balance."
Last week: Hamlin never led a lap but was able to drive to a third-place finish after starting fifth. "We had a good day," Hamlin said. "We threw a lot of different things at the car this morning, figuring that we were going to be a fifth- to 10th-place car by the practice sheets. We have a new car here, ran a setup that we never really ran before. We finished where we usually do at this race track. No matter what you throw in the car, I'm the best of the worst or the worst of the best, one of the two. Track position meant so much here. You got to try to push when you can, and my pit crew did an awesome job closing the gap on that last pit stop. I got within a car length of him (Jimmie Johnson), but I just used myself up getting there and the 31 (Jeff Burton) came on strong there. Overall, it was a great day for us. It got actually more difficult, it seemed, like the last 20 laps. You kind of struggle to hang on to your focus right there. It's just a tough transition from that light to dark. Luckily we were strung out; if it had been a restart at the end we probably would have seen some fireworks there."
Etc.: Hamlin is one of the many drivers in the Chase who have to "wait 'til next year" for another chance to stop Jimmie Johnson from winning another title. "Performance-wise, I feel like we could have had a shot at them this year." Hamlin said. "The 48 (Jimmie Johnson) is the standard. They can win races a little bit easier than what everyone else can. Until everyone else steps up to the plate, they deserve to be champions. The win at Pocono was obviously a huge race for this race team. There was a lot of emotion built up for me and the entire team, and that win came at a needed time for all of us. The win at Richmond comes to mind as well. It was a big night for me and my family and friends. That was the race I wanted above all the others. As far as the low point, I think anyone on the team would look to the DNFs (Did Not Finish) during the Chase. Between some engine problems and my mistake at California, it was really tough to watch a season that had been really good kind of fall apart on us. We win as a team and lose as a team, and I know this experience has only made us a better, more determined race team as we look ahead at next season. I will look back at this season in two ways. One, it showed we can win week and week out. That when we don't make mistakes, we can run with anyone. That's a big step for us and in a way I think we turned into the team we want to be and the team we thought we could be. I know I am a much more complete driver -- much more prepared to handle what comes my way on the race track. In another way, I think I will look at this season as a missed opportunity, in a way. Not saying we would be there this week racing Jimmie for a championship, but I think we had the team and the mindset to be a real challenger. Some bad luck and some mistakes and we are fighting for a place in the top 10 or top eight instead of fighting for a championship. That's the way this sport goes."
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