NASCAR BGN: Bodine looks for 'free-handling' car at Richmond
7 September 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
"Richmond is a difficult race track to figure out at times. It's easy for a driver to try and overdrive the track because the turns at Richmond are pretty wide. When you come out of turn two, the wall is right there. The key to doing well at Richmond is keeping all four fenders on the car and to have a fairly free-handling race car because there's a tendency for cars to tighten up as the race goes on." -- Todd Bodine Todd's Thoughts On Richmond . . . "Richmond is one of those tracks where a lot of guessing goes on. The track changes a lot at Richmond and it's fairly sensitive to weather conditions. It's important to have a fairly free-handling race car during our last practice because by the time the race starts on Friday night conditions will have changed dramatically enough for the cars to handle real tight real quick. This Phillips 66 team has done a pretty good job of being able to prepare possible adjustments to make to the car during the race and that's what we'll have to do at Richmond. I love racing Richmond. I've always done well there whether I was in a Busch car or a Cup car. It's a great race for the drivers and it's a great race for the fans."
The Equipment . . . "Fido" is the Phillips 66 Chevy that Bodine will compete with in the Autolite Platinum 250 at Richmond International Raceway. "Fido" made its last appearance at Indianapolis Raceway Park where Bodine finished seventh after starting 22nd. "Fido's" best finishes are a pair of third-place finishes scored at St. Louis and Pikes Peak in 1999.
Go USA Swim Team . . . For the second week in a row, the Phillips 66 Chevrolet will sport a decal declaring the company and team's support for the USA Swim Team in their quest for gold in the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, Australia. The Phillips 66 Race team is showing its support for USA Swimming throughout the month of September.
Last Weekend In Darlington . . . After starting 17th in the Dura Lube 200, Bodine finished the day in 16th place. A tight-handling condition on the Phillips 66 Chevy prevented Bodine from making up a lot of ground during the event. Bodine finished the event one-lap down to the race leaders.
Text provided by Penny Copen
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