DARLINGTON, SC  (March 16, 2003) –  Bad luck or misfortune, depending on what you believe in struck the No. 54 National Guard team for the second time this season. This time Bodine could not avoid a crash that was triggered when Sterling Marlin and Jimmie Johnson got tangled up in turn four. The incident occurred just 23 circuits into the 293-lap race at Darlington. Bodine’s Guard car was damage beyond race repair and was forced to load up and go home with a disappointing 43rd place finish.

“This is just one of those racing situations you always hear about,” said Bodine. "I don't think it had anything to do with Sterling's wreck, other than I must have run over the same stuff he did. I think the right front (tire) went flat. I went down in there and the spotter said, 'Wreck.' I hit the brakes to slow down and the car went straight just as I got to the corner. They said Sterling cut down a tire and I think that's what happened to us. I don't know if it was the same piece of stuff or what. It’s just racing. It’s a shame because we were coming off such a good qualifying run here and we were looking to back it up with a similar end result.”

Friday’s qualifying run by Bodine was good for a tenth place starting spot on the grid for today’s Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. It was also a Winston Cup career best start for the 39-year old driver at the track known as “The Track Too Tough To Tame.” 

"I’m really satisfied with what we did in qualifying,” remarked Bodine after his fast lap. “We weren’t happy with our practice results so the entire Guard crew got together and made a lot of changes and it made the car a lot better. Earlier on, we were having a problem going to the throttle in practice and everything we did helped it. I had a faster second lap going but decided to back off a bit and be content because I had two more turns to go and the last thing I wanted to do was risk getting one of those Darlington stripes. We went for it on lap one and got what we needed.”

Shortly after taking the green flag, Jerry Nadeau brought out the yellow flag when he spun out in turn 3 on lap 6. The quick caution put the field on notice that Darlington really could live up to its treacherous nickname. The race went back to green flag conditions on lap 9 with Bodine holding his own in 10th position. However, just 5 laps into the run, rookie Jack Sprague slid across the front straightaway bringing out another caution and the first chance for the leaders to come down pit road. 

The No. 54 was handling tight going into the turns and loose when exiting so crew chief Derrick Finley opted for air pressure adjustments all the way around, plus taking on four new tires and fuel. The Guard crew completed the service on lap 15 in just 16 seconds. Unfortunately their day would come to an end, 8 laps later.

Ricky Craven went was the eventual winner, beating out Kurt Busch by two thousandths of a second. Unofficially, his margin of victory is the smallest since NASCAR introduced electronic timing in 1993. 
 

To Read More About Today’s Events:
Race Story1   Race Story2   Race Results   Point Standings: 
 

By: Traci Hultzapple
Senior Account Manager – BelCar Racing - No. 54 National Guard Taurus
Cox Marketing Group / Mooresville, NC  28117