From The Inside
by Todd Bodine-Staff Writer and Winston Cup Driver
09/12/2003

Hi Race Fans -

The BELCAR Racing team headed to Richmond International Raceway last weekend hoping to grab our second top ten finish of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. In 2002, we walked away from the final night race of the season with a top five finish. We wanted to do just the same last Saturday night.

In the first practice session, the No. 54 National Guard Ford Taurus was somewhat average, but we knew if we worked on it we would have something. SHOCKS are what we really worked on. The car started out not wanting to turn through the center. We made shocks, an A-frame adjustment, track bar and sway bar changes throughout the practice. By the end, we were pretty happy.

In the second practice session, before qualifying, the car was pretty decent. We parked the No. 54 with ten minutes remaining and opted from Happy Hour to make a few changes to see how the car would react. It was great a practice for us as we clocked the fastest lap of the session, which really meant a lot to this entire BELCAR Racing team.

Heading into time trials, we knew we had a good car and we were extremely pleased with the results. The car was exactly the same way in practice. However, I think it was maybe a little better in qualifying, so that's good. It was just a little tight through the middle, which takes away corner speed. The key is picking the pace up in qualifying and that's what we did. We were just a little too tight in one and two and I think that cost us from the top five starting spot. It was pretty darn close. We finally had the qualifying result we knew we could do.

We realized when Happy Hour was done that we only needed to make a minor adjustment. Happy Hour did not reflect how good of a car we had because I did not get a clean run during the session, despite being 11th fastest. We were excited to hit the track on Saturday night because we were finally making some noise.

At the start of the race, the Ford Taurus was tight in the middle and a tick loose off, but not bad at all. We were running really good. I got in the wall off of four that one time when we were running eighth, but it wasn't going to hurt us. Then, when Matt Kenseth hit us, we had to come in and fix it. We got in the back of the field, but I really wasn't worried about it. That's how good a car we had. I thought we were going to be fine. We had a top five car … easily. The one on lap 119 is the one that took us out.

Somebody spun out back there or got turned around. I saw it. My spotter saw it. I guess Jason Leffler's spotter did not because Jason got in the back of me. I can't believe this happened to us. I just don't understand it. You're racing in the back and you figure you're not going to get run over. But, that's exactly what happened to us.

We were able to come back out of the garage and finish the race, but to cross the line 42nd, it was definitely not the night that we were looking for. It's nothing but frustrating as we had an excellent car this weekend and the luck did not go our way, I only hope the "Magic Mile" this weekend at New Hampshire will be magical for the BELCAR Racing team.

The series will take our second trip to New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend. Earlier this year, we had a top-10 finish going until gas mileage came into effect at the end of the race. You can never rule it out (Gas Mileage). Especially with the number of times this year a race has come down to this kind of strategy. I think it's just another element all the teams have to consider.

Fuel mileage is fair game. Unfortunately for us, the caution flag and our pit window fell at the wrong time in comparison to the front runners. It's just part of racing. When it works to your advantage, it's great. When it doesn't, it frustrates you.

A question that we are asked often what makes NHIS one of the toughest tracks?

It's definitely the configuration. It is flat and consists of long, sweeping corners. Passing is a premium, so track position is crucial. If you've got a good car underneath you, passing can be done, but it's a real challenge. It helps to have a good qualifying effort. If you don't, then you hope to have a good pitting strategy that can help you get up front. If you can get there, then the rest is up to you and the team to stay there. It's a tough place, which is why I love driving there.

I think another reason why I love driving there is it truly takes a team effort to win. I have to be on top of the wheel. My crew chief has to make all the right calls. The car has to handle well and have the horsepower that can pull me through the corners and onto the straight-aways. Plus, the pit crew has to be on top of its game. You can't afford to lose track position whether you are on the track or in the pits.

Another great thing that we will have this weekend at NHIS is the SAFER Barriers I absolutely commend the Bahre family for addressing this issue. They always have and continue to be competitor friendly. Soft-wall technology is a safety measure we have been quite vocal about and as a driver, I am happy to see it implemented at this speedway. Something needed to be done and it's good to see the track put a possible solution into place. Safety continues and will always be at the forefront of our sport. I applaud NASCAR and the tracks for their on-going efforts to improve safety. I hope more track operators follow the example being set by the Bahre family.

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series is ready to attack New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend. The green flag for the Sylvania 300 drops shortly after 1:00 PM EST, with live coverage on TNT beginning at 12:30 PM EST, with MRN radio also joining at 12:30 PM EST.

I am hoping for a great race on Saturday night 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