NASCAR BGN: Geoffrey Bodine prepared for last night race of the season

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

September 6, 2001

"Richmond is always a fun race. It's our last night race of the season and usually provides some exciting racing. This team has always done well at Richmond. We're taking our Indianapolis car to Richmond which handled real well at night. Richmond can be a little tricky because it's not symmetrical like the majority of the other tracks where we compete. I think if we can get a good set-up that leaves us a little free the majority of the night, we should be in good shape."--Geoffrey Bodine

Donnie Richeson On Richmond . . . "The schedule at Richmond seems to always be different and it is this time. We have last practice on Thursday night which should be a big help because we'll actually practice under the same conditions we'll race under Friday night. The key to being successful at Richmond, I think, is getting through turns one and two. The frontstretch at Richmond is so rounded it makes the front of the track longer than the backstretch. The frontstretch leading into turn one is fairly wide and a driver really abuses the motor going into that turn. Then turn two narrows up and a driver is making nearly a 90-degree turn. Turn one really invites the driver to drive into turn two too deep. Usually, the guy who has the car getting through turns one and two the best is the guy that wins the race."

Equipment . . . "Fido" is the car the Phillips 66 team will compete with this weekend in Richmond. "Fido" is the same car Bodine raced to an eighth-place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August. That was "Fido's" second top 10 in 2001, as it is the same car the team finished fifth with at Nazareth in May.

Jesel Joins Welliver To Make It Welliver-Jesel Motorsports . . . Scott Welliver announced last Friday that Wayne Jesel, owner of Gasoline Alley Engines, has become a partner in the race team, renaming the organization Welliver-Jesel Motorsports. Jesel will assume the duties of operating the organization on a day-to-day basis. With the addition of Jesel to Welliver Racing, Gasoline Alley Engines has become part of the organization. The Phillips 66 team will operate with Gasoline Alley motors as part of the new organization.

Text provided by Penny Copen

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