News/September 2002

HERZOG JACKSON MOTORSPORTS TEAM HEADS TO KANSAS HOPING TO IMPRESS A HOMETOWN CROWD

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 24, 2002) - It's a homecoming of sorts for the Herzog Jackson Motorsports team this weekend as driver Todd Bodine and the rest of the Excedrin QuickTabs crew head to Kansas Speedway.  Located nearby in St. Joseph, Missouri is Herzog Contracting Corp., the contracting company owned by team owners Bill, Randy and Stan Herzog.

Though Randy and Stan have attended a good number of NASCAR Busch Series events throughout the season, the trip to Kansas Speedway gives many Herzog Contracting Corp. employees their only chance to meet Bodine and mingle with the crew.  Race weekend begins a little early for the team as the crew heads to a get-together held for Herzog employees and friends, as well as the team at the home of Bill Herzog.  Even the Excedrin QuickTabs transporter will make the trip early since the team unloaded from Dover and reloaded in record time allowing the transporter to leave on Monday afternoon.

It's back to work for the team on Thursday getting through technical inspection and then preparing for qualifying on Friday.  The team hopes this year's qualifying effort goes a little smoother than the inaugural Busch Series race at Kansas Speedway last season.  The team was forced to go to a backup car after hitting the wall during its qualifying run.  Crew chief Tony Liberati brought a strong backup car though, and the No. 92 Excedrin Chevrolet took the checkered flag in sixth place.

Bodine has never raced in a Busch Series race at Kansas Speedway, though he took part in the Winston Cup race there last year.  The Excedrin QuickTabs team chose to spend two days testing at the 1.5-mile oval in early September and is optimistic about its chances at a good finish in front of the hometown crowd.

"This is a track that I have never raced a Busch car at before, so the team and I opted to spend a couple of days testing here," said Bodine.  "It was a successful test.  We ran pretty well in qualifying trim and then worked on our race package, which went well also.  We're hoping the track will prove to be a bit like Chicagoland Speedway since we qualified on the pole and finished in second there this year.  The Herzog Jackson Motorsports team raced well in Kansas last year and I am confident we'll run well again. 

The Herzog Jackson Motorsports crew means business as they make the trip to Kansas Speedway.  Bodine and Liberati have pulled out the best of the best in terms of the Chevrolet Monte Carlos in the Herzog Jackson Motorsports stables.  The team will utilize HJM-04 for its primary car, which is the car that Bodine won the pole position and finished second with at Chicagoland Speedway.  The backup car is no slouch either, being the winning car from Kentucky Speedway.

"This is the closest track to the Herzog's home base in St. Joseph, Missouri that we race on and I know they will have a bunch of people there to cheer us on," continued Bodine.  "It would be great to put on a good show for everyone involved with the team, especially those who don't have the opportunity to see us race every week."