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NASCAR BGN: Todd Bodine expects 'damage' on South Boston track

8 June 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

"South Boston Speedway is a throwback to the 25-lap and 50-lap heat races that are run on Saturday nights. When you take a car to South Boston, you pretty much do so under the assumption that there will be some kind of damage to the race car when you load it back up to go home. It's intense racing and tempers will flare." -- Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 66 Phillips 66 Chevrolet

Todd's Thoughts On South Boston . . . "Anytime you race at South Boston you just hope to leave there with the fenders still on the race car. Qualifying is important because the track is less than half a mile in length. If you don't qualify somewhere near the front then you run the chance of going down a lap early or of getting caught up in an accident because everyone is trying to avoid going down a lap. I have always run well at South Boston. Last year we were going to finish in the top five and I got caught up in a few incidents. At South Boston it is almost inevitable that something will happen, you just have to hope it happens early on because then there's a chance to get back to the front."

4 Bodine's average finish this season, minus the two Daytona and Talladega superspeedway events where he finished 34th and 25th respectively, is fifth. His average starting position, again minus the superspeedways, is 11th.

* Active Busch Series drivers who have a win at South Boston include Bodine, Randy LaJoie and Tim Fedewa. Each driver has only one win at the track. * Bodine has one win and one pole at South Boston Speedway. Bodine won the 1996 Busch Series race at South Boston and started from the pole during the fall event in 1991.

The Equipment . . . "Fido" is the car Bodine will compete with at South Boston Speedway this weekend in the Textilease Medique 300. "Fido" is the same car Bodine qualified fifth with at Nashville Speedway earlier this season. Bodine was running second until getting caught up in the Jeff Green and Chad Chaffin incident. Bodine ended the day in ninth place despite damage to the car. "Fido" is the same car Bodine finished third with last year at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

Last Week In Dover . . . The driver of the Phillips 66 Chevrolet ended the day in 13th place at Dover Downs one week ago. Bodine struggled with the handling on the 66 car all day. At the conclusion of the 200 lap event, the team discovered that the right rear shock on the car had broke at some point during the race. The 13th place finish was Bodine's first finish outside the top 10 on tracks other than superspeedways.

Text provided by Penny Copen

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