From The Inside
by Todd Bodine-Staff Writer and Winston Cup Driver
02/20/2003

Hi Race Fans -

Well, we completed our first race of the season this past weekend at Daytona. Even though the race was rain shortened, it was the end to a busy Speedweeks 2003. It was the first race for the newly formed BelCar Racing Team and I was pretty satisfied with our results.

We had our first qualifying session of the season on Monday afternoon. We were supposed to be on the track on Sunday, but the rain came and we had to wait an extra day.

When we put the No. 54 National Guard Ford on the track our qualifying effort wasn't what we were looking for. However, when we practiced for the Twin 125's we knew we were going to have a good car to race with. The only thing I was nervous about before the race was that we were starting so deep in the field and the quality of the other cars in our race. We headed into the Twin 125's on Thursday knowing that we needed a good run, and we did just that!

The car handled and drafted great. We were really excited. Luck came into play for us as we were scheduled to pit with Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. On the lap after everyone actually pitted, we stuck to our game plan and Kurt didn't, which is what probably got him in trouble. Staying out the additional lap proved to be the right decision. We had a clear shot at our pits, a great stop and came out third where we eventually finished.

It was exciting for me to run Michael Waltrip down in the closing laps and be up front with what everyone considered the dominant cars. With all the pressure off our backs, we turned our focus to the "Great American Race". Many people don't realize there is more pressure in the 125's than the 500.

I felt pretty comfortable during the course of the race. My car was pushing but it seemed like it was not as bad as some others. We were able to run up front all day and were able to stay out of trouble. When we stayed out to try and win the race, we thought the rain would come quicker. It was a gamble we had to take.

We could have made it past halfway, to Lap 106, but when they called one to go after a quickie caution we knew we had to come in and get tires and fuel or be in trouble in the long run. There were 5 or 6 teams behind us that made the same call. As it turned out, after the pit stop we came out 23rd and in only three green flags laps before the race was called we made up five spots and crossed the line 18th.

Who could have guessed that in all that time we would run only 3 more green flag laps? This was the first Daytona 500 in which I have not been caught up in an accident. So, to come out of there with a 18th place finish and 17th in points is a pretty good feeling. I am a little disappointed though because we really had a top ten and probably a top five car, but we need to take what we are given and go from there.

We will take this car to Talladega in April with a few refinements and we are also building another superspeedway car. I cannot say enough about the guys at the shop and all the hard work they put into this car. We had our backs against the wall and they built a race car that ran great. We are going just have to tweak on it for qualifying. The guys on the road worked hard during Speedweeks and the pit crew did a great job in all three races. BelCar Racing should be proud of what we have accomplished in our first outing as a team and makes me very optimistic about our future.

Our second race of the season takes us to the North Carolina Motor Speedway, otherwise known as "The Rock". I want to go to Rockingham and finish what we started in the fall. I am optimistic about our chances, and I am looking to a good qualifying effort and race.

The Subway 400 is set to get under way this Sunday with Starting at 12:30pm EST on FOX. I am hoping for a great race on Sunday and hope that you will be keeping an eye on the National Guard Ford, along with your favorite driver(s).

I'll talk to you next week and thanks for reading!

Todd Bodine

You can reach Todd Bodine at: tbodine@catchfence.com