Gateway International Raceway is a bright spot on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule for the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team. The team has one win at the Madison, Ill., race track, and knows how to be a fixture at the top of the running order there.
"Gateway is a track I've always enjoyed racing because it's a challenge for drivers and crew chiefs to find a perfect balance in the setup. It's critical to get your race truck to handle the differences in both ends of the track," said driver Todd Bodine. "The Germain.com Tundra is always a contender at Gateway and that's because our team does such a great job of focusing on whole track setup at every track we race."
Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. explains that the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team focuses on "feel" each weekend, which means Gateway preparation isn't really different for their team compared to any other race track, despite the track's very unique corners.
"The feel that Todd is looking for at Gateway is similar to what he looks for in any track that's under a mile and a half in length. We'll take the setup we had at Iowa and make small changes for Gateway," said Hillman, whose No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team has scored three top-five and four top-10 finishes in five Truck Series races at the St. Louis area race track.
Bodine will race chassis TRD-131. Hillman says it's the best in the fleet, and, true to the team philosophy, he always puts out the best truck.
"This truck is our Texas race winner, but it's also the best truck we've got for racing at Gateway. The most important race on the schedule is the next one, so Gateway is getting the best equipment we have," explained Hillman.
Bodine captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship points lead following race seven at Charlotte. After ten races, he has an 88-point lead over second-place Aric Almirola. In the Truck Series owners standings, Germain Racing leads Kyle Busch Motorsports by ten points.
Notes: Bodine, No. 30 Germain.com Tundra, Gateway
- Bodine has one win, four top-ten and three top-five finishes at Gateway in five Truck Series races at the track
- Bodine has spent 706 of 793 laps completed at Gateway running in the top 15
- Bodine has an average finish of 6.8 and an 80% record of top-ten finishes at Gateway
- Bodine has led the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship points since Charlotte
- Germain Racing leads the Truck Series owners points standings
- Germain Racing has earned two or more victories each year in the Truck Series since its first race in 2004. The team has 19 wins, seven pole awards and one Truck Series championship
-Bodine has earned 18 wins and five pole awards of Germain Racing's Truck Series total of 19 wins and seven pole awards
- Germain Racing competes in NASCAR's three premier, national series, has earned top-10 finishes in each and consecutive top-10 points finishes in the NNS division. In 2010, Germain Racing expanded its competition portfolio to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
