FORT WORTH, Texas (March 30, 2003) – The No. 54 National Guard team is back on track after finishing 11th place in today’s running of the Samsung/Radio Shack 500. The result is the crew’s best finish of the season and a much needed boost for BelCar Racing after suffering a series of unfortunate set backs.

"We'll take it,” said Bodine after scoring his Winston Cup career-best finish at Texas Motor Speedway. “Going from last to 11th, going a lap down and then getting the car a whole lot better says a lot about this team. I mean, we went from a car that wasn't the way we wanted it to be to something that was competitive. That’s an awesome feeling and a big plus for this newly formed team. It’s a big shot in the arm. Man, to get an 11th out of it, that's as good as winning right now."  

The No. 54 National Guard car started today’s race in 43rd position due to an engine change. A problem was found upon the completion of Saturday’s happy hour session and rather than risking further engine malfunctions, the team chose to give up their 19th place starting spot in favor of a new power plant. The NASCAR rulebook states that a team must forfeit their starting spot and go to the end of the field if an engine change is made after qualifying. Bodine was not the only driver forced to drop to the back. Jimmie Johnson, Sterling Marlin and Kevin Harvick opted to change engines after final practice.

“We couldn’t afford to take the chance,” said Crew Chief Derrick Finley. “Luck has not been on our side. We felt it was better to play it on the safe side if it meant taking away the risk of losing an engine during the race.”

In the early stages of today’s 334-lap event, the Guard car was a challenge to drive due to a severe aerodynamic push. The handling situation made it difficult for Bodine to turn through the corners so the team took advantage of two early caution periods on laps 14 and 41 to come down pit road for service. During the pit stops, track bar and spring rubber adjustments were completed along with changing four tires and adding fuel. The improvements allowed the National Guard machine to move up and race in the top 25 despite losing a lap to the leaders. During this stage of the race, only 14 cars were on the lead lap.

Meanwhile, the turning point for the Guard guys came with just 100 laps left in the event. While running in the 14th spot, and about to make a pit stop, the caution flag came out allowing Bodine to race and pass the leader, and eventual race winner Ryan Newman. The move allowed the team to get back on the lead lap and in contention for the race win.

“All day we were running times as fast as the leader or at least within the top five,” added Finley. “Getting back on the lead lap put us back in the hunt. It also allowed us to really gauge how well our car really was. I have to say we were pretty happy with it as the day went on.”

The “money stop,” as they call it in racing, came on lap 284 under caution for the No. 54 pit crew. Bodine requested a few more changes to be made to the car for the last run of the day. The Guard machine needed to rotate better through the corners better during a long run. With 50 laps to go, an air pressure and wedge changes were made along with putting on four “scuffed” tires and adding fuel. Bodine’s call was right and when all was said and done, he was able to pick up three more track positions before the checkered flag flew to end his day in 11th place.

It was Ryan Newman overtaking Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 11 laps to go that allowed him to become the seventh different Winston Cup winner at Texas Motor Speedway.

Read More About Today’s Events:
Race Stories   Unofficial Race Results   Point Standings: (TODD GAINS 5 POSITIONS)

Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 54 National Guard Taurus, qualified 19th for tomorrow's NASCAR Winston Cup event and will start sixth in today's Busch race. He spoke about a couple of issues prior to Saturday's practice session.

TODD BODINE - No. 54 National Guard Taurus - WITH THE TRACK AGING AS IT HAS, DO YOU FORESEE MORE SIDE-BY-SIDE RACING SUNDAY? "I think it's going to be better. Today's race is going to tell a lot. When the groove starts to get slicked up with some oils being put down and when guys start leaking fluid, then we'll see what's going to happen. The track has still got a lot of grip, so it's going to be interesting to see. I just don't know if it's going to happen this year, but we'll probably find out today."  

THE FIRST COUPLE OF LAPS HERE ALWAYS SEEM TO BE ADVENTUREOUS. ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT HERE?  "Yeah, I'm very aware of that, especially starting today because I'm sixth and I'm on the outside. Tomorrow I'm on the inside so I'm not quite so worried about tomorrow. The thing about this place is you have to tip-toe the first little bit and not worry about racing the first five or six laps. You just want to get in line and then let things settle down. The inside is still the fast way right now, so you've got to get down there."  

AFTER SIX RACES DO YOU FEEL THINGS ARE STARTING TO WORK BETTER?  "I think we're about halfway. Derrick (Finley) is still learning his position. It's a totally different role than he's ever been in, so there are different responsibilities and different things that he has to do. He's still learning, but he's getting better every week. Our communication probably isn't as good as it should be and it's definitely not as good as it can be. I thought the fact that we worked together last year was going to help us get ahead of that curve and it has to a certain degree, but, like I said, Derrick is still learning the position and I'm trying to help him with that. We've got a lot of new crew members and we're still going through some rough waters, but, as a whole, we're fairly pleased with what we've got."  

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU SAW THE 20 CAR PARKED AT THE NASCAR TRAILER?  "It's nice to see that they're sticking by their guns. When the champion's car gets impounded, that's pretty big. But where they were wrong with their race car was pretty big. It wasn't like you could say, 'Well, just fix it next week.'  It was pretty blatant, so it was good to see that they stuck by their guns."  

THAT OBVIOUSLY SENDS A MESSAGE TO OTHER TEAMS AS WELL. "That's the way they've got to do it in order to keep the competition on their toes and keep everybody aware that this is serious and they're not going to put up with it."
 

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