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NASCAR BGN: Todd Bodine prepares for fun, exhausting day at Dover

19 September 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
"Dover is a great place to race. It's a physically exhausting race for the drivers and a challenge for the teams. Dover is a sentimental favorite of mine because it's where I got my first win and a place where I have won three times."-- Todd Bodine

Todd's Thoughts On Dover . . . "When we raced Dover last spring, we struggled with the Phillips 66 Chevy all day. At the end of the race we figured out we had a problem with the rear shock. We decided to test Dover to get ready for the fall race. We figured some things out and really we're going to be trying some different things with the car this weekend. We'll just have to wait and see whether it works. The team has been working really hard. We want to get back to second place in the points and we're going to have to be at the top of our game during these last six races to achieve that goal."

With three wins at Dover, Bodine maintains the distinction of being the winningest driver at the one-mile oval in NASCAR Busch Series competition. Drivers with two wins at the track include Randy LaJoie, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

The Equipment . . . "Hillbilly" is the Phillips 66 Chevy that Bodine will compete with in the MBNA.com 200 at Dover Downs International Speedway. "Hillbilly" made its last appearance at Bristol in August where Bodine was running fifth and tracking down the leaders before the track bar broke on the car. "Hillbilly's" top 2000 performances include a third-place finish at Bristol and a fifth-place finish at Darlington during the spring races.

Go USA Swim Team . . . The 2000 Summer Olympics kicked off with opening ceremonies on September 15. The Phillips 66 team has been showing its support for USA Swimming during the month of September and will once again display the USA Swimming logo on the TV panel of the car for the MBNA.com 200 at Dover Downs.

Two Weeks Ago In Richmond . . . The Phillips 66 team scored its first pole of the 2000 NASCAR Busch Series season. After battling a tight-handling race car during the majority of the Autolite Platinum 250, Bodine finished the night in fourth place, the team's first top five since winning at Michigan in mid August.

Text Provided By Penny Copen

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.