SPARTA, KY (June 16, 2003) – Running from a "monster" was a little easier for competitors in Saturday evening's Busch Series event at Kentucky Speedway after Todd Bodine and his Monster Chevy were collected in a lap-165 crash.  The incident forced Bodine to head to the garage for repairs.  The No. 92 was able to re-enter the race, where it finished in the 29th spot.  Despite the event's final outcome, Bodine maintained a third-place position in the 2003 NASCAR Busch Series driver's points standings, 72 points out of the lead. 

Bodine entered the event at Kentucky Speedway as the defending champion.  In last year's Kroger 300, he edged 2002 Busch Series champion Greg Biffle to take the checkered flag by a mere .036 seconds.  The win came in Bodine's first appearance at the 1.5-mile track. 

After Friday's qualifying efforts, Bodine was slated to start Saturday's event in the 14th spot.  However, due to an engine change late Friday evening, the No. 92 was relegated to the back of the field.  When NASCAR officials dropped the green flag for the start of the event, Bodine began his climb to the front.  When the evening's first green flag pit stops began on lap 60, the Monster Chevy had advanced all the way to the 16th position. 

On lap 67, crew chief Tony "Rambo" Liberati made the call for Bodine to enter the pits for his first stop of the night.  Four tires, fuel and a small air pressure adjustment were added to the No. 92.  Bodine left pit road in the 18th position, but was one lap down. 

Doing what he does best, Bodine continued to make his way through the field.  When the yellow flag flew for the second caution of the night on lap 147, Liberati instructed the No. 92 to make another trip to pit road.  Due to the car being slightly tight, a small wedge adjustment was needed, along with four fresh tires and fuel. 

Unfortunately, the No. 92 became a victim of a crash on lap 165 after trying to avoid a collision ahead while remaining in the 13th position.  The Monster Chevy made contact with another competitor, tearing up much of the car's nose.  After making sure Bodine was unharmed, Liberati instructed him to enter the garage for quick repairs in the hopes the No. 92 would return to the track.  Working feverishly, the Monster racing team made the necessary repairs, allowing Bodine to re-enter the race on lap 185.  Although more than 20 laps down, Bodine was able to finish the event, posting a 29th place finish and gaining valuable points for the championship.

"It's a shame," stated Bodine.  "We really thought the Monster Chevy could have been a top-five car.  Getting mixed up in an accident is obviously something that you try to avoid, but things like this happen, and we just did the best we could to finish.  Thank you to the people at Monster for allowing us to continue.  We'll go to Milwaukee and hope to get a good finish there and keep this team in contention for the championship."

Monster, headquartered in Maynard, Mass., is the leading global careers website, recording over 49.5 million visits during the month of April 2003 according to independent research.  Monster connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process.  The Monster global network consists of local content and language sites in the Unites States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg, India, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Finland.  Monster is the official online career management services sponsor of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team.  More information about Monster is available at www.monster.com or by calling 1-800-MONSTER.

After a weekend off, HJM will head to West Allis, Wisconsin for the running of the GNC Live Well 250 at The Milwaukee Mile.  The event will be broadcast live on FX beginning at 2:00 pm EDT on Sunday, June 29.  MRN Radio will also broadcast the event live, beginning at 2:00 pm EDT.  To learn more about Herzog Jackson Motorsports, Todd Bodine and their sponsors, please visit www.hjmotorsports.com, www.reggiejackson.com, www.todd-bodine.com, www.monster.com and www.esgr.com. 

By:
Holly Heidenwirth / Eclipse Management Co., Inc.