Johnny Benson and the No. 23 Toyota Tundra team headed to Memphis Motorsports Park knowing they needed to have a strong run in order to retain the lead in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship standings.

The team immediately had one of the fastest trucks on the track during practice.  Benson and crew chief Trip Bruce made minor adjustments to the truck, trying to fine tune it for the race.  Benson commented that the truck was really good both into and off the corners.  By the end of practice, the team thought it had a shot to contend for the win Saturday night.

Benson’s qualifying attempt came mid-session.  The No. 23 team captured the pole last week in Milwaukee and hoped for a repeat at the .75 mile tri-oval.  Benson’s time of 29.837 seconds put him on the pole for the 200-lap event.  It was the team’s third pole of the 2008 season and fifth pole of Benson’s career.

Benson led the 36-truck field to the green flag and immediately put distance between himself and the rest of the field.  By lap 30, he and Ron Hornaday had a two-second lead over the rest of the field.  Benson called into his crew and reported that the tires were starting to go away, which was causing him to slide the truck at both ends of the track.  Bruce planned the changes he would make to the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra during the first pit stop of the night.

Bruce’s changes included an air pressure adjustment, which was to fix the loose handling condition Benson was feeling.  The No. 23 team made that change during a four-tire stop under caution on lap 53.  He restarted eighth on lap 57.  Benson carefully headed to the front, and by lap 77, he was again battling Hornaday for the lead.

The caution flag waved on lap 77 for an incident in turn two.  Benson remained on the track and sat second when the race restarted on lap 82.  Unfortunately, as Benson shifted from second to third gear, the truck slowed, and Benson knew something was terribly wrong.  He reported the horrible news to his crew:  the motor expired.  The No. 23 team was credited with a 33rd-place finish.

The No. 23 Toyota Tundra team gets a well-deserved week off before returning to competition at Kentucky Speedway July 12.  The race can be seen live on the Speed Channel.  Check local listings for start times.