Hornaday's error, Benson's malaise has CTS near even (cont'd)

At one point in the race Benson had an unofficial lead of more than 60 points over Hornaday. But on Lap 79 rookie Colin Braun crashed on the frontstretch when he got loose under Benson coming off Turn 4.

Before 20 more laps were logged, Benson's night, which he called "horrible for both of us," was complete. The race's fifth caution flew at Lap 88 when Benson and T.J. Bell made contact going into Turn 1.

“

It's just weird and amazing how this points deal has been going on. It definitely makes for a long day, I can tell you that.

”

JOHNNY BENSON

"I felt like I was underneath him and felt like he came down," Benson said before seeing a replay. "All of a sudden we bumped and both spun and wrecked and it pretty much ended our day. It took the right-front and pretty much destroyed everything up in the right-front."

Benson's crew did even more work than Hornaday's conglomerate, as they had to replace a lot of brake and suspension pieces, as well as a track bar.

Despite that Benson, who's already said he's leaving Davis' team at the end of the year and who's been in the top three in the Truck standings the past three seasons since finishing 10th in his debut year with BDR in 2005, was almost beside himself after the race.

"It's just weird and amazing how this points deal has been going on. It definitely makes for a long day, I can tell you that," Benson said.

The accident with Bell doomed Benson, who was ahead of Hornaday on the racetrack when he returned from behind the wall, but within a couple laps cut down a right-front tire and smacked the wall, bringing out the sixth of seven cautions at Lap 130.

After having two more tire problems, Benson parked his truck for only his third DNF in 24 races this season.

"At the end we kept blowing tires -- something was rubbing on there and we couldn't figure out what it was -- so we just started disconnecting a lot of stuff and I spun out and I thought I just better get off the racetrack," Benson said. "It was miserable -- a bad day."

Benson said the one good thing he carried away from Phoenix was a lack of pressure.

"We decided at the beginning of the year, running for the championship we weren't going to worry about anything and we weren't going to put any pressure on -- we're just going to go have some fun and go do it," Benson said. "So we're making it fun for the fans -- I can guarantee you that."

In the last gasp of weirdness, Hornaday seems to be enjoying it, too.

"Johnny and I said we're going to go fishing and whoever catches a fish first is going to win the championship -- because we definitely don't want to win this thing on the racetrack because we are both wrecking," Hornaday said. "All you got to do is laugh, because here is Johnny wrecked and I'm wrecked.

"When you think you have an opportunity to maybe make some gains," Benson said before hesitating, "it felt like every truck I got near, not running into you but [they'd] start making a lot of contact with a lot of different people. I was trying to be as patient as I could around there, but you can't drive other trucks. It ended up being what it's going to be.

"We're doing everything we can to hold them off," Benson said. "It felt like [coming into Phoenix] these next two races we have to get through them with no problems and unfortunately we both had problems [Friday]. Really, leaving here is no different than when we came in."

"The No. 23 is tore up worse than what we were," Ren said post-race. "We gained three points after getting wrecked and tore all to heck on the first lap. It's what the Truck Series is about. Next week at Homestead it's going to come down, if we're both in the top 10 it's by one position if we're equal in leading laps."

Ren said he was making up for Benson's lack of stress.

"When you get down to these last few races it's just bad anyway -- I mean it's just stressful," Ren said. "The thing of it is, it's stressful on me but you've got to try to not let the guys see how much stressed you are. Like I told them [Friday], 'don't beat ourself, let's have fun, just do what you do and it's all going to work out.'

"Everything happens for a reason. I believe in fate and what it is, is what it is [so] one of us going to win next week."

"Nobody has got the advantage anymore -- whoever is going to win this is going to have the least amount of luck," Hornaday said. "No advantage, no nothing. This is so cool to come down [to this]. I was just talking to the guys and just laughing. That's all we can do, just laugh at a night like this.

"Man, [my truck] is tore up. I was going to take that thing to Homestead. I'm not taking it now. Darn Homestead. Man, it's going to be tough down there. It's going to be nerve-wrecking. We're going to be biting fingernails and turn gray."

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