Race Car Stuff

I have always loved race cars, but even as a kid my favorite winter spectator sport was bobsleding. It was the best part of the Olympics from my prespective. One thing I always noticed was that the USA teams were not really in the hunt for the win. But former Daytona 500 Champion and successful NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine has changed that by putting his NASCAR experience into the design, development and promotion of the US Bobsled team.

Bodine’s efforts have since helped provide the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation with sleds designed involving NASCAR technology. The so-called Bo-Dyn sleds finally broke through at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City when the U.S. team ended its 46-year Olympic drought with three medals, a gold, a silver and a bronze.

Bodine’s current project is a fund raiser event for the Olympic team. It involves a bobsled race with at least 10 NASCAR drivers. So far the list includes Kenny Scharder, Boris Said, Kenny Wallace, Dick Trickle, Steve Park, Randy LaJoie, Kevin Lepage, Joel Kauffman, Stanton Barrett and Bodine’s brother, Todd.

Current Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart also could be in the mix if he’s able to find an opening in his hectic schedule.

“I’m hoping I can because I’d really love to,” Stewart said. “It sounds like a real blast, and I’m really interested in the sport and the people involved in it. It’s a really tough sport.”

The event will take place January 5-7 and should be an interesting experience. For more information check out http://www.bodinebobsled.com which is an interesting web site in itself.