Getting a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship may be the toughest title in NASCAR's top-three series, given that no driver has pulled off back-to-back championships in the series' history. Bodine, the 2006 champ, is ready to put his Lumber Liquidators Tundra to the test, aiming for a second championship and a dominating season.
"Our focus for 2008 is pretty narrow: win races and win the championship. We're not pleased with our performance last year. It was our third straight top-five points finish, our third-straight season winning races, but overall it was below our standard of what we expect of ourselves. We're working hard to improve our performance for 2008 - we want another championship with the Lumber Liquidators Tundra," said Bodine.
Lumber Liquidators joined Germain Racing in March, 2006, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The #30 team earned its first Bud Pole award and won the race in their debut of the Lumber Liquidators paint scheme. Needless to say, Bodine is thrilled to continue to carry the yellow and black colors of the Virginia-based company.
"I'm excited about coming back to compete for another championship with Germain Racing in the Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra. The combination of Lumber Liquidators and the #30 Tundra has produced five wins, three pole awards and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. With a record like that, we're happy to keep it together," said Bodine, who has collected a total of twelve NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories, all while driving the #30 Tundra for Germain Racing.
Germain Racing joined NASCAR's top ranks in 2004 when the team first competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Richmond International Raceway. The fourth place finish that resulted was the spring board to the team's championship success. Germain Racing earned two victories in 2004, five in 2005, three in 2006 and three in 2007. The team became Toyota's first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions in 2006 and in 2007 Germain Racing stepped into Busch Series competition earning a top-ten finish after leading 15 laps in their first-ever Busch Series race.
Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. says his team is ready to continue their highly competitive trend.
"We saw it with Ron (Hornaday Jr.) and Mike (Skinner) trading the lead week after week. There are no mulligans in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. You can't have four or five bad races and expect to make a come back to win a championship. Ron and Mike each had one bad race out of 25. That's how tight the competition is in the Craftsman Truck Series," said Hillman Jr. "With that said, our #30 Lumber Liquidators team has more wins than any other Tundra team - we know we are up for the challenge of making another championship run in 2008."
In addition to the return of Lumber Liquidators and the team's commitment to another championship run, Bodine is also excited about working with new teammate, Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Justin Marks, driver of the #9 Crocs/Construct Corps Tundra.
"I'm very excited to have Justin Marks as a teammate. He's a young kid with a lot to offer. I'm going to help him and coach him as much as I can. It's something I love to do, and it's important for me to do it because I was in his position before. When I needed help I went to Mark Martin. He always shot me straight and helped me become a better driver. I know what that meant to meant to me and how much it helped me, and I know it's the right thing to do," said Bodine.
Germain Racing has won two or more races each year for a total of 13 wins. Along with the victories, the team earned 4 Bud Pole awards, 54 top-five and 81 top-ten finishes and led 1281 laps in 152 Truck Series races. For more information on how Germain Racing can put your name in victory lane, visit www.germainracing.com.