| News/
BODINE GRABS TOP-FIVE FINISH FOR
HERZOG JACKSON MOTORSPORTS
FONTANA, Calif. (April 28, 2003) – Todd
Bodine and Herzog Jackson Motorsports picked up their fourth
top-five finish of the season on Saturday at California Speedway.
Bodine finished fifth in the CaliforniaSpeedway.com 300, which
helped him maintain his place as the points leader in the
NASCAR Busch Series driver's points standings, 99 points ahead
of second place.
After Friday's qualifying efforts, Bodine
started the 150-lap event in the fourteenth position. When
the green flag was thrown on Saturday for the commencement
of the race, the No. 92 quickly battled its way into the tenth
position after just 22 laps. Lobbying for track position with
fellow Winston Cup drivers Micheal Waltrip, Matt Kenseth,
and Kevin Harvick, Bodine was running in the eighth position
when a caution on lap 41 brought him into the pits. Crew chief
Tony "Rambo" Liberati made the call for four new
tires and a small air pressure adjustment. Upon the stellar
performance by the Herzog Jackson Motorsports pit crew, Bodine
gained valuable track position. When the green flag was thrown
for the restart on lap 47, the No. 92 was in fifth place.
Bodine continued to battle for track position
for the next twenty laps. When the third caution of the day
was thrown on lap 67, Liberati once again made the call for
Bodine to enter the pits for four fresh tires. With fresh
Goodyears on the No. 92, Bodine left the pits in the 22nd
position after most of the cars on the lead lap decided to
stay on the track, but had no problems making his way back
into the top-10, at times matching lap speeds of the leaders.
A caution on lap 117 gave the Herzog Jackson
Motorsports Chevrolet one more opportunity to enter the pits
for fresh rubber and a splash of gas. Upon the restart on
lap 123, Bodine battled for position in the top-10. After
jockeying for position with the No. 48 in a remarkable display
of racing, Bodine managed to make a pass on the inside to
grab the fifth place finish.
"The Herzog Jackson Chevy was really
great today." stated Bodine. "We knew we had a car
capable of running well, but Tony made some great calls as
far as the pit situations. I hoped that it would come down
to racing and not just a fuel mileage war. Hopefully we can
get sponsorship for the Herzog Jackson Chevy because these
guys really deserve it. They have proved themselves every
weekend to be one of the premier teams in the Busch Series.
I'm just extremely grateful to be a part of a team that gives
100% week in and week out."
Herzog Jackson Motorsports will head to Richmond,
Virginia this Friday for the Hardee's 250 at Richmond (Va.)
International Raceway. The Friday night race will be broadcast
live on FX beginning at 7:00 pm EDT on May 2nd. MRN Radio
will also broadcast the race live beginning at 7:00 pm EDT.
|