From The Inside
by Todd Bodine-Staff Writer and Winston Cup Driver
09/19/2003

Hi Race Fans -

The BELCAR Racing team headed to New Hampshire International Raceway last weekend, hoping to grab the top ten finish we almost had at the track earlier this year. We are also aiming for at least one more top ten finish to round out the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

In the first practice session for the No. 54 National Guard Ford, we were pretty good. We were loose in, tight in the middle and off. We made several kinds of adjustments through practice that included wedge, track bar, and shocks.

We had a decent qualifying run on Friday. I was very loose. We were a little too tight in practice and we just made one minor adjustment and the car was just too loose. I couldn't even get to the throttle and couldn't drive it in real hard because it was just so free through the middle. For the race, it's a good thing, but it's hard to go fast like that.

For the remainder of the practices we battled loose in and tight off with our Ford Taurus. We played with the shocks and springs hoping to find something that we were comfortable with.

The race was interesting for us, to say the least. It was all about racing the track with a temperamental-handling car 54 in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. The No. 54 National Guard team finished 35th place after starting 29th. A small victory was achieved with 100 circuits to go when the car started recording competitive lap times.

When we started the race, our car was so incredibly loose. We just had to bide our time and hope to get a quick caution to come in for adjustments. It didn't go our way. We had to wait it out for 80 laps. By that time, we had lost two laps. It really was a shame.

For the first 200 miles, the Guard car was loose entering the corners, as well as tight through the middle and off. Opportunities to make changes occurred under green on lap 80 and under caution on laps 125, 127, 145, 181 and 193. Each service was accomplished under 15.5 seconds. Crew Chief Gary Cogswell zeroed in on shocks and spring rubber adjustments as the main course of action.

For some reason, the car wouldn't react the way we needed it to until we worked on the right front shock. Once we did that, we were pretty decent. However, we were just too far behind in track position to move up in the standings. That's just racing.

We decided as a team to turn a disappointing day into a learning experience. We tried several things that I think made the car better and we should have we a good idea of what we need when we return next season.

We head to the Monster Mile this weekend, but Hurricane Isabel has already beaten us there and has rearranged our schedule for the weekend. I think the most important thing is safety for the fans, workers and all the competitors. It's best to sit at home for an extra day versus taking the risk going up there in the middle of a hurricane. It looks like we'd be sitting around on Friday doing nothing anyway, since rain is forecasted. I appreciate NASCAR and Dover track officials for taking a proactive stance.

We will have to make the best of all our practices on Saturday. That also means we can't afford to make any mistakes in race set up choices. It's not going to be easy once the race does get started. I'll be starting the National Guard Ford in 33rd place. We will need the complete package so that we have a chance at getting up front, despite the track position deficit to start. We can't be missing a thing, and I think that's why Dover is such a tough track to conquer. To have a chance at winning, the complete package requires you to be able to handle well through all four corners so that you maximize your corner speed. You also have to be perfect on your entry and exit. I've had the privilege of winning here in the Busch Series, so I think I've got a good grasp of what it takes to do well.

Another thing you have to be careful about is breaking the traction due to the rough track surface. It's easy to do and something I almost did last year in this race. The car can quickly get around on you and it's next to impossible to recover. When you break traction, you have to do all you can to prevent from spinning out.

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series is ready to attack Dover International Speedway this weekend. The green flag for the MBNA America drops shortly after 1:00 PM EST, with live coverage on NBC 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