NASCAR Cup

Dover II: Todd Bodine preview

FROM THE NO. 54 NATIONAL GUARD COCKPIT: DRIVER TODD BODINE Are you disappointed not to have a chance at Dover qualifying since the threat of Hurricane Isabel cancelled Friday's events? "I think the most important thing is safety for the fans, ...

Published: Sep 17, 2003, 8:53 PM

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FROM THE NO. 54 NATIONAL GUARD COCKPIT: DRIVER TODD BODINE

Are you disappointed not to have a chance at Dover qualifying since the threat of Hurricane Isabel cancelled Friday's events?

"I think the most important thing is safety for the fans, workers and all the competitors. It's best to sit at home for an extra day versus taking the risk going up there in the middle of a hurricane. It looks like we'd be sitting around on Friday doing nothing anyway since rain is forecasted. I appreciate NASCAR and Dover track officials for taking a proactive stance."

Your best finish at Dover in Cup came earlier this year. What do you need to do to better the result?

"We will have to make the best of all our practices on Saturday. That also means we can't afford to make any mistakes in race set up choices. It's not going to be easy once the race does get started. I'll be starting the National Guard Ford in 33rd place. We will need the complete package so that we have a chance at getting up front despite the track position deficit to start. We can't be missing a thing and I think that's why Dover is such a tough track to conquer. To have a chance at winning, the complete package requires you to be able to handle well through all four corners so that you maximize your corner speed. You also have to be perfect on your entry and exit. I've had the privilege of winning here in the Busch Series so I think I've got a good grasp of what it takes to do well."

"Another thing you have to be careful about is breaking the traction due to the rough track surface. It's easy to do and something I almost did last year in this race. The car can quickly get around on you and it's next to impossible to recover. When you break traction, you have to do all you can to prevent from spinning out."

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