The 46-year-old Chemung, N.Y., native is on track to win his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, leading Aric Almirola by more than one full race as the season hits the midway point this weekend at Pocono Raceway.
Bodine and his Germain Racing No. 30 Toyota Tundra have been solid all season long, although like many teams in NASCAR, finding consistent sponsorship has proved daunting at times.
On the track, Bodine has posted some truly impressive numbers, winning at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing second three times and posting nine top-five finishes in just 12 starts this season. Those are indeed championship-caliber numbers.
Bodine and the rest of the Truck Series head to Pocono Raceway for the first time this weekend, with the running of the Pocono Mountains 125, the 13th of 25 series races this season.
SPEED will televise Saturday's race live, beginning with qualifying at 10 a.m. ET. Race coverage on SPEED starts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with the "NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup."
Bodine is bullish about another strong performance on Saturday.
"I think you're going to see a heck of a race," said Bodine. "I know everybody is saying that. The way the trucks are and the drafting that's involved, the way Pocono is, long straightaways with a little bit slower corner, drafting is going to be very large, it's going to be critical."
Also critical is experience. Bodine has 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Pocono, which means he at least knows the tricky triangle and the challenges it presents.
"I think a lot of the veteran drivers like myself and (Mike) Skinner and (Ron Jr.) Hornaday, guys that have competed there in the Cup Series, we're going to have a little advantage for a while," Bodine said. "But I think that the guys in the Truck Series are good enough and the teams are good enough that they're going to catch up. I don't think by race time there's going to be much of an advantage. I think it's going to be a great race, another good show for the Camping World Truck Series."
One of the challenges Bodine sees is the length of the race: At just 50 laps, it will require only one pit stop, which in turn means teams likely will only get one shot at adjusting their trucks on pit road.
"Fifty laps is short, it's a sprint race," said Bodine. "You don't have time to mess around. The guy that hits the setup perfect is the guy that's going to win the race. We're going to have one shot at adjusting the truck. It's a one-stop race. That's why it will be a green-flag stop. The one that gets the setup on the money is going to be the guy that wins the race."
Bodine said while he still loves the Truck Series, there's a chance — not a big one, but a chance — he'll get back to the Cup Series full-time at some point.
"I've never won a points race," said Bodine. "I've been fortunate enough to win two of the Winston Opens. I still feel like I have something to prove. This day and age, you have to have a boat load of dough to go over there and race and be competitive. It's just really hard to do. I don't want to say that I'm never gonna get back there, but it's going to be hard for me to do it. I think my best shot is with Germain Racing. That's what they eventually want to do, get me to the Cup Series with a great sponsor with Max Papis in a two-car team."
