NASCAR WCUP: Bodine Hopes to 'Play Like he Practiced' at Charlotte
1 October 1998
HARRISBURG, N.C. - When Geoff Bodine and the Philips Racing Team tested = at Charlotte Motor Speedway three weeks ago, things went well. So well, = in fact, that Bodine posted the top speed for the week. Bodine now hopes = that the team can pick up where they left off three weeks ago, and turn = in a performance good enough to win on Sun day during the running of the = UAW/GM 500. =20Geoff Bodine on...
...his confidence at Charlotte:
"I'm very excited about coming to Charlotte. Obviously, I've won here = before and had plenty of other good runs here, so that gives me plenty = of confidence that I can win again. Our test a couple weeks ago went = extremely well, also, so we feel pretty good. We've run this car at = Darlington and Dover, and at both tracks, it ran really well. So, I feel = like if we catch the right breaks, we have a good chance."
...why he likes this particular car:
"We've just put a lot of work into this car. It drives well. In the = last couple months, we've learned some things about our setups that = obviously help the car drive better. Like I said, it ran really well on = this racetrack when we tested, so we know it will run well here also."
...racing in Charlotte:
"Everyone is glad to be racing here at home. You get to go home at = night and sleep in your own bed, which means a lot. Plus, it's just a = great track. I'd like to race here every week, if we could. It wouldn't = hurt my feelings. Charlotte is a tough track, it's a challenging track, = but it's racey.
"This track has set standards in auto racing with its facilities and = promotions, so it's fun to go to a track that has done that and = continues to do that. You don't know what to expect until you get there = and see it."
Geoff Bodine's Charlotte numbers...
Starts: 32 Ave. start: 10.4
Poles: 2 Ave. finish: 18.5
Wins: 1 Money=20
Top 5's: 5 earned: $828,300
Top 10's: 12
