Climbing in the Truck Series Standings, Bodine and Crew Look Forward to Martinsville with Germain.com Tundra
Bodine is the Reigning Truck Series Champion after earning his 2nd title in 2010
Bodine is Third Driver in Truck Series History to Win Multiple Titles, and Clinch Early
Bodine Owns 21 Truck Series wins with Germain Racing and 36 NASCAR career wins
His career-best finish at Martinsville is 2nd (2007, 2009)
March 30, 2011 (Mooresville, N.C.) – As Martinsville Speedway gets its turn on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule this weekend, Todd Bodine and the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team are looking forward to continuing to build on what they had at the Virginia short-track last fall when the Chemung, NY, native led 83 laps en route to a third-place finish.
“We finished third but we had a really good truck. I got out run on tires at the end—we had like 50 laps more on our tires than anybody. We understood that. It’s what we did to get track position and take a chance. We ran really well. It definitely helps this Germain.com Tundra team going back to Martinsville ,” said Bodine.
The team seems to have the pieces put together. Bodine hopes this weekend could signal the end of Germain Racing’s nil in the win column in the short-track category.
“We’ve run well at Martinsville , just never got it done. The guys have done a great job putting a truck together that’s specific for Martinsville . Hopefully we can use it the best we can and finally get it done,” explained Bodine.
Bodine will race chassis GR-016. The truck is new to Germain Racing this year. It debuted in race number three as a No. 62 Tundra for teammate Gaughan.
“This week the guys have prepared GR-016 as the chassis for the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra. It will be our first time using the truck as a 30, but, we are confident it’s the best choice for the Martinsville race weekend. We learned a lot about Martinsville last fall, and certainly we hope to build on that this weekend,” said Hillman Jr.
Bodine has competed in 14 Truck Series events at Martinsville —he is one of many NASCAR drivers to have made their first career start at the track. This Saturday he’ll compete in his 169th Truck Series race when he fires up the Germain.com Tundra for the fourth race of the 2011 season. Bodine has 732 NASCAR career starts to date.
Watch Bodine in the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra on on Saturday, April 2nd, at Martinsville Speedway . The action starts on SPEED with practice airing at 2:00 PM ET on Friday. Qualifying is on air at 10:30 AM Saturday followed by racing at 2:00 PM—all on SPEED. Can’t get to a television? Tune your radio to your local MRN affiliate.
Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.
When shopping for your new or used car or truck, head directly to Germain.com to find the perfect vehicle or visit your local Germain dealer in Ohio , Florida , or Arkansas . Germain.com is part of Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with 21 dealerships and more than 60 years of experience.
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Gaughan Loves to “Hate” Martinsville
Gaughan drives the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra
He is an 8-time winner in the Truck Series
He holds two NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship Titles
Gaughan won in the GT class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year
Gaughan has competed in 10 races, completing 2254 of 2256 laps with two Top-10 finishes
Mooresville, N.C. (March 30, 2011) – Brendan Gaughan gets tapped often to promote races at Martinsville Speedway. The fit isn’t natural. Gaughan graduated from Georgetown University , he hails from Las Vegas , NV , and he didn’t cut his teeth racing on short tracks. Still, the old-school charm of the flat, tight half-mile circuit is not lost on Gaughan, nor is the fervor of the Virginia race fan. But he has this moniker…that he hates the place.
“I didn’t grow up on short tracks. I’m a big track guy, but I do enjoy racing at Martinsville Speedway. It’s one of those hard-nosed tracks. It’s old-fashioned. It’s a mean, tough place to race and it should never come off of the NASCAR schedule,” said Gaughan. “I remember running top five, finishing sixth and looking at my truck and there wasn’t a straight panel on it anywhere! One day, before I quit this great sport I want a “W” there. I’d love to have a Martinsville trophy with a sticker hanging next to it that says ‘I hate Martinsville .’”
Gaughan loves the Martinsville area, and has always enjoyed interacting with the fans and locals during his race weekends and media advances. He knows that though he’s promoted as hating Martinsville , he actually doesn’t really hate the place. What he really hadn’t realized is that he isn’t half bad at the track that befuddles many racing drivers.
“I didn’t realize I’ve actually done OK at Martinsville Speedway. The moniker that I hate the place is a long-standing joke that came about after I’d had a rough day racing at another track. When I was interviewed I said, ‘yeah, had a bad day, and the next thing I get to do is go race at my favorite track, Martinsville .’ Mike Smith from Martinsville called me up, and because of our bantering back and forth, I just continue to say I hate Martinsville with a smile on my face,” beamed Gaughan. “I love going to that area. I love working with Mike and the Martinsville fans are true NASCAR fans. It’s funny because I’ve done so much pre-race media for the track. I love the track, I love the area. But if anyone asks me, I hate Martinsville .”
Gaughan has earned two top-ten finishes and three 11th-place finishes in ten trips to Martinsville . He’s completed 2254 of 2256 laps in the Truck Series. In his Sprint Cup Series debut at Martinsville , he started 11th and finished 17th on the lead lap. These are impressive numbers for a guy who started out racing in off-road and has had to learn the subtle nuances of short-track racing all the while competing against the best in NASCAR.
In the weeks between Darlington and Martinsville , Gaughan participated in two of his favorite past-times. Scuba diving, and, watching the NCAA tournament. With his Hoyas out of the tourney, Gaughan will likely cheer for VCU—the team that defeated Georgetown .
Watch Gaughan’s No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra on Saturday, April 2nd, at Martinsville Speedway. The action starts on SPEED with practice airing at 2:00 PM ET on Friday. Qualifying is on air at 10:30 AM Saturday followed by racing at 2:00 PM—all on SPEED. If you’ll be away from a TV, set the DVR and tune your radio dial to your local MRN affiliate.
Germain Racing has earned two championship titles in the Truck Series. The Toyota team owns 22 victories and 9 pole awards in the series that continues to grow ratings on SPEED. For more information on Germain Racing, visit www.GermainRacing.com or follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing.
Brendan Gaughan holds eight Truck Series victories to go along with his two K&N Pro Series West championship titles. He currently ranks 21st in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver’s points standings following his 26th-place finish at Daytona. Follow Gaughan at www.BrendanGaughan.com or on Twitter @Brendan62.
About South Point…The South Point (http://www.SouthPointCasino.com) is a 2,200-room resort in Las Vegas , Nevada providing affordable luxury while catering to visitors and locals alike. This casino destination features a world-class spa, bowling center, eight restaurants, showroom, equestrian arena, convention center, exhibit hall, bingo and all of the casino games that made Las Vegas famous. The South Point opened in December 2005.
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Lori Smith
Germain Racing
218 Raceway Drive
Mooresville, NC 28117
(704) 799-4300 Office
(704) 799-7742 Fax
lsmith@germain.com
www.germainracing.com
Twitter: @Germainracing
Also on Facebook: Germain Racing
Justin Lofton, No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Event: Kroger 250
When: Saturday, April 2, 2 PM (Eastern)
Broadcast information: 1:30 PM (Eastern) SPEED
Last Time Out: Justin Lofton qualified 17th for the Too Tough to Tame 200 in Darlington during the tour’s last race three weeks ago. The outing started out with a big obstacle after a multi-truck wreck broke out on the very first lap of the event. Lofton unfortunately got caught up in the melee, suffering front end damage, but the Ryan Fugle led No. 77 Lofton Cattle team worked on Lofton’s battered Toyota Tundra, repairing the damage and handling issues. Lofton held up his end of the bargain too, picking off positions through the very last lap of competition. The checkered flag waved with Lofton driving home in the 13th position.
Two Wheel Time: Lofton got his start racing when he was just 12 years old. But rather than four wheels, Lofton flexed his competitive muscle on two wheels, racing mountain bikes. Though full bodied, four-wheeled, horse-powered machines are now his thing, Lofton still enjoys hitting the trails on two wheels. During the break in NCWTS competition, Lofton took advantage of the time away from the track by relaxing at home and hitting the trails with his truck chief Doug Powers.
Lofton at Martinsville : Lofton will make his third start at Martinsville this Saturday during the Kroger 250. His first trip to the paperclip-shaped track ended early after contact from a lapped truck forced him to the garage area for repairs. His return visit to the .0526-mile oval last fall was a competitive one after he qualified just outside of the top-10 in 11th, and finished a solid 13th.
Lofton Loves Short Tracks: Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion earned the honor after claiming six race wins. Three of them were on tracks measuring a half-mile or less. In 2010 during his rookie season in trucks, Lofton tallied six runs within the top 15 on tracks measuring a mile or less, including a solid fifth place run at the challenging, high banked, half-mile in Bristol.
Truck Information: Lofton will race chassis GR102. It is a brand new truck that has not yet seen race action. However, the team tested the truck at the Motor Mile before heading to Martinsville .
Lofton on Martinsville : “I’m so excited about heading to Martinsville this week. It’s a fun short track and you really have to be on your game there because things happen so fast. If you can stay out of trouble, you can come home with a solid finish. I feel like we have some momentum rolling after Darlington . The guys were relentless working on the truck there and it paid off with a good finish. We hope to keep adding to it.”
Crew Chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle on Martinsville : ” Martinsville is a historic track that I am excited to go to. It is one of those races on the Truck schedule that all of the teams want to win. I am real excited to get back to racing after having the last few weeks off.”
