The Bodines
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Families of NASCAR
The Bodines
10:55 AM EST (1555 GMT)
Having success at the elite levels of NASCAR is not an easy task.
It takes a lot of talent, hard work and being in the right place at the right time. And it doesn't hurt to have family members in the sport to help etch a path to follow. Look no further than the Bodine brothers -- Geoffrey, Brett and Todd.
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| Geoffrey Bodine |
Geoffrey, the oldest of the three, helped push open NASCAR's door of opportunity for Brett and Todd by setting an impressive example on the track.
For the past 47 years, Geoffrey has been racing, and he has an impressive resume to show for his time in the sport. Topping the list are his 18 Winston Cup victories, to go along with his 37 career pole positions. For his efforts, Geoffrey was voted one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
"I grew up in racing," said Geoffrey, who got his start at the family-owned Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome. "My dad, uncles and almost everybody in my family did racing of some kind. Once I started doing well, I did whatever I could to help my brothers and it was great to see them follow in my footsteps."
In June, Geoffrey replaced Tim Fedewa as the primary driver of the Cicci-Welliver Racing No. 66 Phillips 66 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Busch Grand National Series -- the car that youngest brother, Todd, drove the past two seasons on the circuit.
"I can't say that Todd and Geoff drive the same, but their knowledge of cars and what makes them go fast is comparable," said Donnie Richeson, who has served as the crew chief for both Todd and Geoffrey. "Their career paths to where they are now follow similar paths in that they worked on cars to learn more about them.
"They are both good chassis guys. Todd's worked on race cars just as much as he's raced them. He will be the first to tell you though that Geoff was the one who taught him a lot of what he knows about race cars."
Geoffrey began his racing career at the age of 5, competing in the Micro Midget division at Chemung Speedrome. From there, he worked his way up the racing ladder to what was to become the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Division, where in one season, he won an amazing 55 races.
Thanks to his enormous accomplishments, Geoffrey caught the eye of Winston Cup owner Jack Beebe, who gave him three Cup starts in 1979. Two years before Geoffrey made his Cup debut, Brett, who is almost 10 years younger than Geoffrey, began racing hobby cars at Chemung.
By 1982, Geoffrey joined the Cup circuit full-time and proceeded to win the Rookie of the Year honor on the strength of four top-five finishes.
In 1984, owner Rick Hendrick selected Bodine to drive for his newly-formed Cup team. That same year, Brett won the track championship at Stafford (Conn.) Speedway with the help of Todd, who is almost 14 years younger than Geoffrey.
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| Todd Bodine |
In 1982, Todd moved to Connecticut where he spent the majority of his time working in the maintenance and fabrication department at Sherri Cup and he spent his nights helping Brett with his race cars.
As for Geoffrey and Hendrick, they were a great fit. During six years with that team, Bodine won seven times, had 49 top-fives, 79 top-10s and 22 poles. Included in those wins was taking the checkered flag at the prestigious Daytona 500 in 1986.
Meanwhile, Brett and Todd's careers were forging ahead as well. Brett was second and third in the Busch Series standings in 1986 and '87. Todd, at the age of 22, made his BGN debut in 1986, but he was still learning the trade inside and out.
That same year, Todd was working with Danny Bumpass on his Late Model program and then he went to work for the Buck Baker Racing School and put bodies on cars for Billy Standridge.
"Those jobs were a necessity," Todd said. "Not only did they pay the bills, but I needed to stay involved in racing to some degree."
In the meantime, Brett received a full-time Cup ride with Bud Moore in 1988, and in 1989 and he placed 20th and 19th in the points. Geoffrey moved on to drive for legendary owner Junior Johnson in '90, and he came through with three more victories and placed a career-best third in the points standings.
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| Brett Bodine |
That same season, Brett got a new job as the driver for owner Kenny Bernstein, who is one of the top drag racers in National Hot Rod Association history. He rewarded Bernstein by winning his only Cup race to date at North Wilkesboro Speedway and was a career-high 12th in the final points tally.
Geoffrey stayed with Johnson in '91 as well and won again before deciding to pilot Bud Moore's Cup cars in 1992 and '93. He had three wins with Moore, but by the end of the '93 campaign, he purchased the late Alan Kulwicki's race team and became a Cup driver/owner.
His bold decision paid immediate dividends as he won three times in 1994, had seven top-five performances and won a series best five poles. Brett, meanwhile, raced in his fifth and final season for Bernstein, placing 19th in points.
That same year, Todd raced full time in Winston Cup for owner Butch Mock and placed a personal-best 20th in points. He stayed with Mock in '95 and won $664,620 in prize money.
In 1995, Brett drove for Junior Johnson before joining Geoff as an owner/driver in Cup in 1996. Brett has been running his own team the past six years, while Geoff sold his team to Jim Mattei in '98.
Geoff drove for Mattei in '98 and then hooked up with owner Joe Bessey in '99, finishing 27th in the points. It was with Bessey in 2000, however, that Geoffrey's career -- and life -- nearly ended in one horrific wreck at the season-opening, inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona.
On lap 56, Bodine was one of 13 drivers involved in the wreck -- but he definitely got the worst of it. His truck went into the wall at 190 mph, then rolled several times, smashed into the catch fence and landed upside down near the pit road exit. Nine fans, who were sitting in the stands where Bodine's flaming truck hit the fence, were injured.
Geoffrey survived the crash with a multitude of injuries -- and memories that will never leave his mind.
"I was very, very fortunate to be alive after that wreck," he said.
Yet despite all his pain, Geoffrey never seriously thought about leaving the sport.
"I remember when I regained consciousness, I asked the doctor if I could race that next week," said Bodine, who captured the 1997 International Race of Champions title.
Remarkably, Geoffrey was back in Cup action the latter part of 2000 driving a total of 14 races for three different owners. Bodine's, quick return is something he now regrets.
"I was hurting so bad for a while that I thought I was going to have to retire," he said. "And I probably should not have raced the rest of that season. Now, I am finally 100 percent healthy and I am hoping to find a full-time Cup ride in 2002. Plus, I would still love to drive for Cicci-Welliver Racing in the Busch Series, so we will just have to see what happens."
Todd competed in a limited Cup schedule from 1996-2000 before getting his current deal with the Haas-Carter operation. Todd raced full Busch seasons in 1991-93, '96-97 and 1999-2000, and was the runner-up in points in 1997. During that time span, he collected 10 checkered flags.
In 2002, Todd got his 11th Busch win at Kentucky in June and also garnered eight top-10 finishes. Geoffery had two top-10 finishes in 10 Winston Cup starts and Brett, the only driver-owner in the Winston Cup Series, had four top-20 finishes in 32 Winston Cup starts.
"NASCAR has been very good to the Bodine family," Geoffrey said. "My son Barry races now and has done some stuff in the Truck and Busch Series, and I am sure there will be more Bodines in the future who will carry on the family tradition."
