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NASCAR BGN: Todd Bodine looks for second win at California this weekend

26 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
"I have always run well at California. We have one win there and what should be at least a pair of top-five finishes. We were running second at the Busch race there in 1998 and were penalized when a tire got away during a pit stop. Last year we were running eighth and moving up with three laps to go when we got tapped from behind and hit the wall. We are looking to rebound from our 25th place finish at Talladega and get back in the points lead with a good run in California."

-- Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 66 Phillips 66 Chevrolet

Todd's Thoughts On California . . . "Horse power and aerodynamics are key at California. The straightaways are real long at California and you have to have a lot of horse power. A good-handling race car is just as important. There is a lot of room for two-wide racing. The track is somewhat similar to Michigan Speedway. This is one of those events that can go virtually caution free if everyone is on their toes. Because the cautions tend to be rare at California, fuel conservation becomes a factor. When I won the race there in 1997, we went nearly 140 miles after our last pit stop to win it. So fuel strategy usually factors into the races at California."

* In 2000, Bodine has completed 96.7 percent of the laps run in the NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division.

* With seven top-10 finishes in 2000, Bodine leads all drivers in the top-10 performance category. The seven top-10 finishes scored in 2000 brings Bodine's career total to 119 top 10s in 213 starts.

* Bodine's last win in Busch Series competition was in October of 1997 and occurred at California Speedway.

The Equipment . . . "Twister's Sister" is the car the Phillips 66 team competes with this weekend at the California Speedway. "Twister's Sister" has two previous starts in 2000 at Atlanta and Texas where she finished fourth in both events. Before competing at Atlanta in March, the best finish for "Twister's Sister" was the fifth-place finish Bodine scored in Rockingham during the fall of 1999.

Two Weeks Ago in Talladega . . . The rain that washed out qualifying for the Busch Series in Talladega two weeks ago, awarded Bodine and the Phillips 66 team the top starting spot in the Touchstone Energy 300. After collecting the five bonus points for leading a lap and running in the top 10 throughout the majority of the event, the Phillips 66 team experienced a set-back in their championship chase when the two front shocks on the No. 66 broke. The team was able to change the shocks without losing a lap, but Bodine was unable to tag on to the draft for the final 10-lap shoot out and finished the day in 25th place.

Text provided by Penny Copen

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