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07-17-2007
BODINE: Overcomes Early Spin to Finish 11th at Kentucky
In the opening laps of the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Cincinnati
Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night, Todd Bodine had the #30
Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A
run-in with debris caused a flattened right rear tire and a loss of air flow
sent Bodine into the spin cycle on the back straightaway. Both problems happened
within the first 70 laps of the race, but the second mishap would be what stood
between Bodine and a run at the victory.
"Our Lumber Liquidators Tundra was good. Even with the problems we suffered, the
truck was strong, but when you have old tires, the price you pay is positions on
the track," said Bodine, describing the backslide from first to eleventh
following the last series of pit stops in Saturday night's race.
The recovery from the flat tire was quick. A caution on lap 13 put Bodine back
on the lead lap.
"When we started off the race and had the flat, we didn't hurt the truck, and we
got our lap back by lap 14, so there wasn't much time to worry about it," said
Bodine of the flat tire that brought him into the pits on lap three. "I ran over
something on the race track, and the tire just let go."
At 70 laps into the race, Bodine, who started the race 19th, had worked back
through the field from 32nd position at lap 14 to tenth place and was racing for
position with Ron Hornaday Jr. when he became the fifth caution of the 150- lap
race.
"My truck was a little loose, and when Hornaday got right behind me, it just
took the air off the spoiler and around I went," said Bodine.
As the broadcast announcers aptly put it, Bodine was having a bad night.
"Before we spun, I thought 'we got ourselves in a decent position,'" said Bodine,
talking about the recovery from the earlier flat tire to tenth in the running
order. "While I was spinning, I was thinking 'this is ridiculous!'"
Luckily or skillfully, Bodine came out of the spin cycle nearly as clean as the
survival of the flat tire. He spun twice, and only brushed the wall with the
rear quarter panel of the Lumber Liquidators Tundra.
"I guess I got lucky," smiled Bodine. "Really you just drive through it. You
watch where you're at on the race track, and when you get to a certain point,
you hit the gas to bring the truck back around."
The problem the spin created for Bodine was a lack of fresh tires. He
flat-spotted the four on the truck, and used up his last set. When the leaders
came back to pit road at lap 96 under the final caution of the race, Bodine had
no new tires left.
"We lead a few laps, then slid back to eleventh," said Bodine. "It was
disappointing, but that's all we could do was bring home the best finish
possible in the Lumber Liquidators Tundra."
Bodine's loss at Kentucky proved to be another winning night for points leader
Mike Skinner. Bodine remains third in the series points standings. He is now
tied for third with Travis Kvapil, 288 points behind leader Skinner.
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