A Look at Kansas with Mike Hillman Jr
04-21-2009 8:14 pm

Todd Bodine and the No. 30 Ventrilo Toyota team started the 2009 season right where they left off last year, in Victory Lane. Their season-opening win at Daytona also gave them bragging rights as the first repeat winner at the famed track.

Led by crew chief Mike Hillman Jr., Bodine and team have been contenders every race and will be this weekend at Kansas Speedway as they compete to become the first repeat winner at the 1.5-mile track.

Hillman Jr. discusses his thoughts on Kansas and the No. 30 team.

Q: What is special for you about Kansas Speedway?
"It's always cool to go back to the first place you ever won a race as a crew chief. Kansas is where we started collecting really strong top-three finishes in 2005. We were the truck to beat most everywhere we went and we earned the first three-race win streak to close out the season. We followed it up in 2006 with the championship. Hopefully, we can go to Kansas, take the points lead, and do things the way we did in 2006, when we held the points lead for 21-straight races."

Q: What makes this team so successful?
"Chemistry. We are like a big family. All the guys that work on the truck, and the guys back at the shop and Todd and myself. We have a special relationship—a special bond. This No. 30 crew and the whole Germain Racing team is more like family than it is the people you work with."

Q: There has never been a repeat winner at Kansas. Do you think your team is a contender?
"Kansas is a typical mile-and-a-half track which means you've got to turn in the center of the corner. It's another momentum track. I think we can win any week we go to the race track, but especially the mile-and-a-half race tracks and superspeedways. So yes, I think we can put the No. 30 Ventril Toyota in Victory Lane to be the first repeat winner at Kansas."