kkrefting's avatar
Author:
Kevin Krefting
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
SPEEDtv.com Store
Grand National:America's Golden Age of Motorcycle Racing, by Joe Scalzo
Joe Scalzo’s book captures the spirit of the Golden Age of motorcycle racing.
Our Price: $39.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
TRUCKS: Bodine Ends Victory Drought with Come from Behind Win in Texas
Written by: Kevin Krefting   
06/08/2007
Fort Worth, TX
 
Todd Bodine and the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota team celebrate after winning the Sam's Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) ยป More Photos
It's been exactly one year and 25 races since defending series champion Todd Bodine celebrated a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win in Victory Lane. His last win came in epic fashion, defeating Mike Skinner at Texas Motor Speedway on the final lap after rallying from a one-lap deficit in the middle stages of the race. Although he earned the series title, Bodine freely admits his team stumbled over the final stages of the 2006 season. Those stumbles are officially history as Bodine drove the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota to victory in the Sam's Town 400 again in come-from-behind fashion.

Bodine started from the pole and was running third when his truck suddenly slowed on lap 36. He dropped to 17th in the running order and was perilously close to losing a lap when Joe Ruttman crashed on the backstretch on lap 78.

Bodine was able to steadily pick off position after position during the next long run of green flag racing, and when the leaders started making their way to pit road for fuel with less than 20 laps to go, Bodine stayed out and took over the lead. But a crash on lap 155 involving Brendan Gaughan and T.J. Bell put the field under the fifth caution of the night, and sent four of the five remaining trucks on the lead lap to pit road for service.

Travis Kvapil stayed on the track and led the field to the restart on lap 161. Just after the completion of lap 162, Kvapil first went high and then low to block Bodine heading into turn one. But Bodine had a strong run and was committed to the bottom lane, and the two made contact sending Kvapil into a long slide into turn
one, ending his chances at victory.

On the final two-lap dash to the checkered, Bodine held off a strong charge by Mike Skinner to win by just 0.188 seconds.

"I really don't like winning that way at all," Bodine said in victory lane. "We fought back all night long. We had a carburetor problem that caused the truck to just quit running and almost lost a lap because of it. Somehow it managed to fix itself, and we were able to stay on the lead lap. Then we were just about ready to come down pit road for fuel when the caution came out. I hate that we got together with Travis because he's a good guy and Mike Beam and that team do a great job. He blocked us high and then tried to block us low. You can block, but you get one move. You need to leave a lane and he didn't leave us one."

Kvapil was frustrated to end the night with a crashed truck, but was pleased to have a chance at the win.

"The thing I'm upset about the most is we have a wrecked truck," Kvapil said. "Earlier in the race we came from dead last to fourth. I knew we had a good truck and wanted clean air. We were running wide open on two tires, so I knew we were out front and we could run wide open again on the restart. I had it flat on the mat, but he got a good suck on me in the draft. As soon as I saw him go high, I went high. Then he went low and I don't know what happened but he just barely clipped me. I tried blocking him and it just worked out wrong and he got into the back of me. I really thought I had it saved. That's what bums me out the most is our K&N Filters Ford is tore up."
Page 1 of 2
Next Page »
1 2 >