Gentlemen (and lady) 'start your engines' for Lake Placid fundraising event

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. Jan. 4, 2010; With ample snow, a typical chill in the air, and the 30th anniversary of the 1980 Winter Olympics just a month away, Lake Placid will present a Currier and Ives winter scene Jan. 8-10 to the drivers from NASCAR and NHRA converging on the two-time Winter Olympic village for the fifth annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering.

The 12 pilots are led by 2009 NASCAR Rookie of the Year Joey Logano and road racer Boris Said, who has been the dominant performer over the previous four challenges. The daring dozen will leave their comfort zones and drive modified bobsleds down the three-quarter mile, 16-turn Mount Van Hoevenberg track, site of the 2000 Winter Goodwill Games as well as the 2003 and 2009 World Bobsled Championships.

The competitors will have practice sessions on Friday, more practice and qualification Saturday, and a pair of races, including the NASCAR versus NHRA head-to-head confrontation Sunday. The full weekend schedule can be found at www.bodynbobsled.com.  

Tickets are available for the gala banquet and auction Saturday night at the Lake Placid Crowne Plaza Resort. They may be purchased online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase.

Here is the lineup for the fifth annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering.

Team NASCAR
Geoff Bodine, 1986 Daytona 500 Winner and event founder
Joey Logano, 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year
Boris Said, five-time Bo-Dyn Bobsled Challenge Gold Medalist
George Brunnhoelzl III,
2009 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified champion
Philip Morris,
2009 NASCAR Whelen All American Series champion
Randy LaJoie,
two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion
Carl Renezeder, seven-time national champion in off-road series
Todd Bodine,
won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship in 2006 
Dan Wheldon,
IRL driver with 15 career wins (will not compete)

Team NHRA
Jeg Coughlin Jr., four-time Pro Stock world champion 
Morgan Lucas, 13-time NHRA winner 
Shawn Langdon, two-time Super Comp world champion
Melanie Troxel, only female drag racer with wins in Top Fuel and Funny Car

While the goal for any race car driver is to win, the mission of the event is to create awareness and funding for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project Inc. NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine joined forces with auto racing designer Bob Cuneo of Chassis Dynamics in Oxford, Conn., to create made-in-America bobsleds for the United States men's and women's national teams. Since 2002, the Bo-Dyn effort has produced one Olympic gold medal (Jill Bakken), two silver medals (Todd Hays and Shauna Rohbock), and a bronze (Brian Shimer). Additionally, U.S. team member Steve Holcomb ended a 50-year world championship drought when he drove his four-man Bo-Dyn sled to the world title in Lake Placid last February. The men's and women's squads have claimed numerous World Cup medals this season - five gold medals among them - in the run-up to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With the help of Bo-Dyn technology, the team is now poised to end a 62-year gold medal drought in the Winter Olympics.

The Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, Inc. graciously accepts and appreciates your support of our Made-in-America efforts. To make a donation, please log on to www.bodinebobsled.com

What Daytona is to auto racing, Lake Placid is to bobsledding