Benson, Schrader teams combine under one roof.

While Johnny Benson's #10 Valvoline Pontiac crew prepares for Thursday's qualifying race and Sunday's Daytona 500, the crewmembers back in Charlotte are busy preparing to move to a new 40,000-square-foot race shop at the Concord, N.C. airport.

Benson's MBV Motorsports team is working out of three buildings spread out near Lowes Motor Speedway. After Daytona it will move all of its employees to the new shop with teammate Ken Schrader's MB2 Motorsports team now based in Mooresville, N.C.

"The new shop is about 90 percent complete," said #10 Crew Chief James Ince (right on pic). "The #36 is moving in right now and the office personnel are moving in as well. We are actually going to move as soon as we get home from Daytona."

Ince explained the motives behind the move: "Right now the #10 is in three different places. We have a car shop, a main shop and a body shop in three buildings about 15 miles apart. For us, the good part about the new building is the size. The size gives us the room to do what we have to get done. It moves everything back in house for us and gives us more control over what we are doing. We have been strung out in three different places since November so its nice to get us back together under one roof. When I get to see all my stuff in the same pile it will benefit us greatly."

Ince is optimistic about working with Schrader's team: "The new shop puts us and the #36 together which improves the whole togetherness thing. I think it's going to improve. But nothing will improve over night. I can only speak for the #10 team and we are prepared to go racing for the year. We have 15 cars done. We are in awesome shape."

"The #36 is building cars like the #10 style," Ince continued. "We want to do more of that but right now they are up in Mooresville and we are having to talk on the phone. If we can start sitting in meetings and looking at each other we can get more done. I think the benefit will be six months down the road."

Johnny Benson, driver of the #10 car, is equally pleased with the move: "All of us are looking forward to getting into the new shop. It will make us more like a team. It's going to be good to get all of us together and focus in the same direction. I know it has been tough on James and the guys working in so many different buildings."

"I think the benefit to the Valvoline team will come in the long run. Two heads are better than one and when we get to consult with the #36 on a daily basis that will help both our programs," added Benson.