LOUDON, N.H. (July 20, 2003) – National Guard driver Todd Bodine brought home a 19th-place finish for BelCar Racing during the running of the New England 300. It’s a solid finish for the Guard crew since New Hampshire International Speedway is known to be one of the toughest tracks for passing. 

“I really felt we were going to have a good day despite starting in 32nd position,” said Bodine.  The starting line-up was set based on owner points after Friday’s qualifying round was rained out. “We had a good practice on Saturday and I felt the guys had a race set-up underneath me with plenty of options for adjustments. As soon as the race started, I knew we were better than what we had practiced.”

Within the first 50 laps, Bodine had picked up 11 positions.  His only complaint to Crew Chief Gary Cogswell, who was subbing for Derrick Finley, was the car was tough to turn through the middle of the corners. The first chance to visit pit road came under caution on lap 62. Air pressure and track bar adjustments along with four fresh tires and fuel were the course of action. 

During this sequence, Bodine was recording lap times as good as the tenth place car. Unfortunately, the team experienced a setback less than five laps later in the pits. It caused the No. 54 machine to drop from 19th to 35th place. 

“We came into the pits wanting to pull two spring rubbers out of the left rear,” remarked Bodine. “For some reason, both handles tore off and I had to leave the pits with the spring rubbers still on board. It was a strange deal and something we’re going to fix when we get back to the shop. Fortunately, we were able to come back down pit road and pull them out with pliers. We weren’t going to get worked up over it. Our car was good enough to get us back up there.”

A pitting strategy to gain track position was put into motion while Bodine drove his way back up through the field. After gaining nine spots on the track, the No. 54 was called into the pits on lap 145 under caution. During the service, the Guard crew changed only two tires, raised the track bar and added fuel. The fast stop allowed the team to go from 26th to 18th place.

With 100-laps remaining, Bodine broke into the top 15. At this time, the topic of discussion along pit road was fuel mileage. According to the No. 54 team, their calculations showed a gas shortage of 20 laps. Then on lap 203, another caution flag was thrown for debris on the track. The majority of the frontrunners chose to pit for fuel and adjustments. However, the Guard car stayed out since it was well outside of its gas window. The choice to not pit allowed the team to jump to 8th place in the standings. It also provided for good racing between Bodine, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon. By the end of this run, the No. 54 machine was in sixth place and biding its time for a caution. It came on lap 232. Fuel and a two-tire change were completed while most of the leaders stayed out. When the race went back to green for the final time, Bodine was in 24th place.

“I hated to see that happen to us,” said Cogswell. “We had a good car but had to pit within our fuel window. We had no choice. It’s frustrating to lose that kind of track position at a place like New Hampshire. We had a top-10 car.”

Bodine collected his seventh top-20 finish of the season with a 19th-place result. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson scored his second victory of 2003. Kevin Harvick finished second followed by Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman. Robby Gordon rounded out the top 5. 

Unofficial Results --  Unofficial Points Standings

Read More About The Race:
AP Race Story --- Loudon's new asphalt

Images from Saturday - Images from Sunday
 

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