New Track, Old Tricks: Todd Bodine and the No. 11 Toyota Care Tundra team head to Phoenix International Raceway on Friday for the Lucas Oil 150 after coming off a momentum-building run at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend.With one previous win at Phoenix to his credit and three top-five finishes, Bodine has a wealth of knowledge in his memory bank to rely on while breaking in the new pavement this weekend. Though he still believes the handling and setups will be a challenge for everyone since it will be the first race since the repaving for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors, Bodine has a good idea of how the track will feel and what balance he’ll need in his Toyota Care Tundra to be fast.
“Even though there’s new pavement at Phoenix, from what I hear it drives just like the old track, just faster and with a lot more grip. It’ll be interesting to see since really none of us have been on it, but hopefully it’ll be more than one groove wide. A lot of times with new pavement, there’s just one groove that’s fast and it’s on the bottom all the way around. After watching the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races from the spring though, I think it’ll be a good show for us. Phoenix has always been one of my favorite tracks, and I’m confident after our strong run at Texas last week that our Toyota Care Tundra will be fast right out of the gate,” Bodine explained.
Previous Race Recap: Texas Motor Speedway ace Todd Bodine and the No. 11 Toyota Care Tundra team traveled to the Fort Worth, Texas track on Friday night with the two-time champion’s experience and a fast Red Horse Racing chassis in their corner for the WinStar World Casino 350. Bodine used the knowledge from his six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories at the 1.5-mile track to find the balance and speed he needed in his Tundra throughout the weekend to contend for another win. Solid work on pit road by his Red Horse crew and timely adjustments throughout the night helped Bodine secure an eighth place finish.
Chassis History: Crew chief Rick Gay and the No. 11 Red Horse Racing team have prepared chassis number 085 for this weekend’s competition at Phoenix International Raceway. This specific Tundra chassis has been piloted by Bodine three previous times in 2012, most recently at Kentucky Speedway in September. Bodine was on his way to a solid finish at Kentucky behind the wheel of this Tundra before he was collected in a multi-truck incident and knocked out of contention.
Todd Bodine on Phoenix International Raceway
You have one previous win at Phoenix, but will any of your experience carry over to the new pavement?
“Phoenix has always been one of my favorite tracks, and I think we’ll be able to carry over some things because I don’t think it’s changed all that much. I know that this Toyota Care team has put together a fast Tundra for me and that’ll really be the most important part, besides getting adjusted to the new handling and getting the setup right quickly.”
Does Phoenix compare to any other track on the NCWTS schedule?
“Phoenix doesn’t really compare to any other track, it’s pretty much its own animal. They’ve changed the banking and the shape just a little so that’ll be interesting to see as well. From watching the race in the spring it’s definitely different so we’ll have to figure it out in a hurry. But I don’t’ think it’ll be that much different and it should be a good show.”
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