Catchfence

Mooresville, N.C. (09-19-1010) – Todd Bodine and the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team of Germain Racing entered this weekend’s TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175 with very high expectations. Bodine has won a third of the last twelve NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season, and ranked second and seventh in the two practice sessions on Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It’s fair to say the team and the driver, who have incredibly high expectations, wanted a lot more than the ninth-place qualifying position and ninth-place finish position that they earned at Loudon, N.H.

“After the way this Germain.com Tundra crew has been performing, and the strength our Toyota trucks have shown, Saturday feels a lot worse than it was. We were still a top-ten team, we had another single-digit finish. Compared to winning at Kentucky, Darlington, Nashville or even Texas, obviously, it was a let down. We’re taking our favorite chassis, TRD-131, to Las Vegas next week and I know we’re all looking forward to a good performance there,” said crew chief Mike Hillman Jr., who’s been part of his team’s four victories this season that have contributed to Bodine’s commanding 257-lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings.

Hillman explained that the New England weather changed enough from Friday to Saturday that the track surface was not what the Germain.com Tundra was set up for.

“We were really happy with the Germain.com Tundra after practice on Friday. It was very cool and overcast on Friday. Saturday was warmer with a lot more sun and it made the truck tight for the race. Unfortunatley, the changes we needed to make to fix the problem were much bigger than we could make on pit road,” said Hillman.

Bodine, who has 16 top-ten finishes after 19 races this year, was obviously disappointed with Saturday’s run and agreed that the team didn’t have the Germain.com Tundra in the same, perfect shape they’ve come to expect.

“Our race was terrible, we just missed the setup. We were way tight all day. The track was nothing like it was in practice and we just missed it. We fought it and fought it and didn’t gain on the race leaders. We are used to having our Toyota up front. We weren’t that way Saturday and it was our fault,” said Bodine.

Hillman Jr. led Saturday’s efforts while struggling with injuries sustained in Friday afternoon’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race.

“We had a little too much fun on pit road on Friday afternoon,” smiled Hillman, who sustained leg and foot injuries while carrying tires in Friday’s race. “Friday was actually pretty scary for me. I just want everyone to know that I’m fine, and, I’ll have to undergo more testing in Charlotte to see what they want to do to fix me. NASCAR has done a lot to make pit road a safer place for our crew members, and, I have to say, I’m proof that it’s worked. I’ve got a couple broken bones in my leg and foot, but, I’m otherwise fine. For the kind of hit I took, that says a lot.”

The Germain.com Tundra races next in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 25th. You can watch the coverage on SPEED beginning at 9 P.M. ET on Saturday night, or tune in to your local MRN affiliate.

Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a Facebook fan.

When shopping for your new or used car or truck, head directly to Germain.com to find the perfect vehicle or visit your local Germain dealer in Ohio, Florida, or Arkansas. Germain.com is part of Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with 21 dealerships and more than 60 years of experience.

- Germain Racing Press Release