RICHMOND, Va. (May 5, 2003) – Todd Bodine & Herzog Jackson Motorsports (HJM) experienced a rough night on Friday at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (RIR) as a crash on lap 87 led the current leader of the NASCAR Busch Series driver's points race to a 29th place finish.  

Due to the HJM team's feverish work behind the pits to get thegpsstore.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo back on the track, Bodine was able to finish the race, moving from a low of 37th place to 29th place, gaining valuable points which allowed him to hold on to first place in the NASCAR Busch Series driver's points standings.  

Earlier in the week it looked doubtful that the No. 92 HJM Chevrolet would even run at the famed .75-mile track. Due to the lack of sponsorship, HJM had made the decision not to run at RIR, but last minute sponsorship with thegpsstore.com made it possible for the team to make the trek to Virginia. Drew Reger, owner of the The GPS Store, heard about Bodine and Herzog Jackson's plight on XM Radio and decided to sponsor the No. 92 for a one-race deal.  

"I've always been a fan of NASCAR," stated Reger. "To be able to help this team & at the same time get the word out on thegppstore.com was something that I felt would be beneficial for both sides." 

When the green flag dropped on Friday under the lights of Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Bodine was sitting comfortably in the outside of row eight in the 16th position. The first of 14 cautions, (a track record) would occur on lap 15 just as Bodine began to navigate through the pack. With the re-start three laps later, Bodine was running in the 15th position.  

Running patiently in the 14th position, the No. 92 made its first pit stop of the night when a wreck on lap 63 brought out the event's second caution. Crew chief Tony "Rambo" Liberati made the call for four new tires, and the quick stop by the Herzog Jackson Motorsports team made it possible for Bodine to gain two positions after leaving pit road.  

Unfortunately, two laps after the re-start on lap 87, the No. 92 would spin into the wall, bringing out the third caution flag of the night. Due to the severe damage to the right front of thegppstore.com Chevrolet, the car had to be brought behind the wall for repairs, causing the No. 92 to lose precious laps and track position. After making the necessary repairs to the No. 92, Bodine was able to return to the track on lap 113, although he was more than 20 laps down. Thegppstore.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo finished the race in the 29th position.

"It was an unfortunate night for thegppstore.com Chevrolet," stated Bodine after the event. "After practice on Thursday we felt like we had one of the top cars and had a chance to bring the car back to victory lane. Hats off to this team who worked incredibly hard to get me back on the track to finish the race. It just shows the integrity of this team. Even though we've had sponsorship problems, they've never given less than 100 percent the entire season. A huge thank you to Drew Reger and thegpsstore.com for giving us the chance to keep this top-notch organization running."

The Herzog Jackson Motorsports team will travel to Gateway (Ill.) International Raceway in Madison, Illinois this weekend for the running of the Charter Pipeline 250. The event will be broadcast live on FX beginning at 2:30 pm EDT on Saturday May 10th.  MRN Radio will also be broadcasting the event live beginning at 2:30 pm EDT.  

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