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BODINE COLLECTED IN WRECK AT KENTUCKY
SPEEDWAY
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.
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