"It's Not Time, Geoff"


By Michael Daly
http://www.racecomm. com


stp43fan@hotmail.com




He looked horrible, his eyes red, his face marked with cuts, lying in bed recuperating. But the moment that shook me to the core in Geoff Bodine's ESPN interview after his savage crash at Daytona came when he mentioned his late father Eli. Bodine noted that in the minute or two before he regained consciousness, he saw his father. As Bodine recounted, his father was glad to see him, but he said, "It's not time, Geoff." For a few moments it appeared Bodine could not continue, but he finally said, "So here I am."

In a racing career as successful as that of Geoff Bodine, all of the wins may well be forgotten, overshadowed by the crash and also by the image of Eli Bodine telling his son, "It's not time, Geoff." And yet remembering the career is necessary to appreciate what the sport nearly lost that Friday the 18th of February 2000.

Geoffrey "Dutch" Bodine - he revealed his nickname in a 1995 Music City Tonight interview by Charlie Chase and Katie Haas - caught the racing bug almost upon learning to walk, a natural reaction to living near Eli Bodine's 5/8-mile dirttrack, Chemung Speedway in New York, at the dawn of the 1950s. When the track opened, the tiny hamlet's population exploded, and the household of Eli and Carol Bodine always entertained a sizable portion of kids at dinner. Geoff was the eldest son and second-eldest of the family; sister Denise was the eldest.

Bodine started at his father's track by dressing in drag and competing in Powder Puff races without his parents' consent. Eventually he branched out to other tracks. By the dawn of the 1970s he had reached the Modified class, and in 1971 he made his superspeedway debut in USAC's stock car class in the inaugural Acme Super Saver 500 at Pocono.

Bodine eventually hooked up with car owner Dick Armstrong and engine builder Jack Tant, and the result was a team that was almost unstoppable and which led the Mod Tour's famed Pinto Invasion. Allen Bestwick, who grew up near Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts and later worked there, recalled on MRN in 1995 that when the Bodine-Armstrong #1 Pinto pulled into a racetrack, you knew it was going to be a whale of a show. Bodine and Armstrong terrorized the Modified tour, winning so many races that they made the Guiness Book of World Records with 55 wins in a season of 74 starts, a record that still stands.

Bodine also picked up an avid fan, named Kathy. By 1977 Geoff and Kathy were husband and wife making their home around Bellingham, MA, and youngest son Barry was on the way; there is a great photo from 1977, published in Stock Car Racing in an early 1990s interview with Bodine, of Geoff holding a winner's trophy in one hand and having his other arm around a very pregnant Kathy.

Bodine then got the desire to race in NASCAR's Winston Cup Grand Nationals. As Dick Armstrong had also fielded winning Sportsman cars for Virginia legend Ray Hendrick, going with Armstrong was a good place to start. Bodine began running in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman (Busch Grand National) class, and at Daytona for the 1978 Permatex Sportsman 300, Bodine timed second to Joe Millikan. He continued to run in Sportsman and Modified cars, and in late 1978 he signed with Connecticutt schoolbus magnate Jack Beebe. Their first race together was the '79 Daytona 500 in a field stuffed with quality rookies in quality cars, and Bodine showed his own bona fides by rocketing into the lead. He battled up front until he fell out with engine failure, but he nonetheless turned some heads.

His Winston Cup debut was aborted, however, by April. After expressing dissatisfaction with the Beebe outfit, Bodine was dropped like a rock, and had to go back to the Mod tour. He hooked up with Dick Bahre, and by 1981 was back at the Daytona 500. There he was involved in a strange incident; he spun off Four, then trundled slowly over a hill to the infield and hit a station wagon used by a local television station. Bodine and team owner Emanual Zervakis now campaigned in the Sportsman class and spent the 1981 season battling with Tommy Ellis. Their feud spilled into October's National 500 Winston Cup race, where both had solid finishes - Ellis fourth and Bodine seventh. Ellis criticized Bodine's driving afterward: "We should have finished second (to Darrell Waltrip)....I just wish Bodine had showed a little more sportsmanship. He pinched me off a lot of times."

Bobby Allison was also angry with Bodine after Bodine and Buddy Baker collided on pit road: "He's got a chip on his shoulder. He tried Grand National once and didn't make it. Now he acts like he's got to fool around instead of going racing." Bodine next ran at Atlanta.

Despite all that, Bodine got his big break when Joe Millikan was let go from Cliff Stewart's Pontiac team in April 1982. Bodine began running close to the front in the Stewart Pontiac and promptly won poles at Daytona and Talladega. He finished fourth at Michigan and Dover, fifth at North Wilkesboro, and at Atlanta in November he led 49 laps but equalized tires cost him a top five finish. For his impressive efforts, Bodine was named Rookie of the Year, and for 1983 Stewart acquired Gatorade sponsorship and #88 from DiGard Racing.

Along the way Bodine was proving himself an innovator - not only did he work at setting up the chassis, Bodine was also introducing full-face helmets to NASCAR, at a time when open-face helmets were universal.

In his first start in the Gatorade Pontiac, Bodine qualified second for the Daytona 500. He also ran in Daytona's Goody's 300 and was involved in a spectacular five-abreast scramble for the win on the final lap. In the 500 he stormed to the lead and engaged in a stellar running battle with Joe Ruttman's Ron Benfield #98 Chevrolet. But past halfway Bodine's engine gave up.

After a fourth at Richmond, Bodine entered the Carolina 500 at Rockingham and lost a lap before rain delayed the race a week; picking up with 350 laps to go, Bodine promptly got back on the lead lap and caught the caution he needed when Joe Ruttman slammed the guardrail and almost tumbled down Turn Three. From there Bodine worked through traffic and by Lap 400 had the field beaten. But as he raced to put Cale Yarborough a lap down the Gatorade Pontiac got out from under him and cracked the Turn Two guardrail.

The next week saw Bodine on the pole at Atlanta. In the opening 18 laps he put the field a straightaway behind him but then fell out with engine failure. Blown engines began plaguing the Stewart team almost every week; engine woes took Bodine out at Talladega after he led 43 laps; a crash with Chauncey "Jocko" Maggiacomo at Dover - "He's got no business on a racetrack," Bodine growled afterward - relegated him to 35th; a multicar crash took him out at Charlotte. He did manage sixth place finishes at Daytona and Talladega in July, fourth at Bristol, second to Bobby Allison at Dover, and fifth at Martinsville. But after crashing out at Rockingham, Bodine informed Stewart he was leaving for new team owner Rick Hendrick for 1984; Stewart responded by canning Bodine on the spot.

The new Hendrick Motorsports team brought crew chief Harry Hyde back to prominence in the sport. After a top ten at Daytona, Bodine followed with top tens at Richmond and Rockingham. After struggling for several weeks, Bodine burst forth at Martinsville, overhauled Bobby Allison and fellow Mod Tour alum Ron Bouchard, and had his first Winston Cup win. "It wouldn't have been possible without Harry Hyde. He's the reason I left a good team last year."

In early July Bodine competed in the Oxford 250, and witnessing the event was Harry Hyde. "After I watched some of the things (he) did a couple of weeks ago..... I was convinced right then and there he was the best I'd ever seen with one of them short track cars." Bodine backed that up by whipping heavily-favored Darrell Waltrip at Nashville. Bodine wrapped up 1984 by pouncing on Bobby Allison's blown tire to win at Riverside. Bodine often shot off the track in the esses to pass people. It left Bodine ninth in final 1984 points.

"But in (1985), Geoff changed," said Tommy Johnson in Peter Golenbock's book The Last Lap. "Geoff manipulated the power around to where he was the one who called the shots on the car, what setup went under it, and then Harry (Hyde) and Geoff got to where they totally could not get along." Despite that, Bodine finished fifth in 1985 points; he completely annihilated the field at Pocono in June, but three late yellows and a mismatched set of tires gave the win to Bill Elliott. In July at Pocono Bodine's pole was disallowed in a spat over fuel, but he roared from mid-field and led impressively again; 1985, though, belonged to Bill Elliott and Bodine wound up fourth. Bodine also scored at Daytona by winning the Busch Series Goody's 300.

When Tim Richmond joined Hendrick, Bodine acquired Gary Nelson as crew chief, and the tandem won the Daytona 500. They won again at Dover in May, but after that Richmond took off, winning six races in a ten-race span and seven overall. Bodine was involved in one of NASCAR's greatest finishes, at Pocono in July 1986; Richmond pased Bodine on the final lap, but Bodine fought back and the two rubbed throughout Turn Three; Bodine crossed up and Ricky Rudd dove low and came an inch short of Richmond. For 1986 Bodine came in eighth in points and second to Dale Earnhardt in laps led.

1987 looked good at first as Bodine won a wild Goody's 300 at Daytona; he used a V8 engine at a time when BGN rules handicapped V8s in favor of V6s. Bodine then saw a heartbreak at the Daytona 500; he was leading but ran out of gas with three to go and finished 14th. It was a harbinger for the season, as Hendrick Motorsports had expanded to three teams and later four when illness-stricken Tim Richmond returned that June. Bodine finished second at Richmond, but thereafter only managed two other top fives. At Atlanta in November he was racing Richard Petty when Petty lost air on his car and Bodine spun into the pit wall.

Bodine finally returned to victory lane at Pocono in June 1988, a race that saw near-fatal injuries to Bobby Allison. Bodine came home second at Talladega and finished the season sixth in Winston Cup points. But by now he wanted out of the multicar Hendrick team.

For 1989 he worked with Waddell Wilson. After finishing fourth at Daytona Bodine ran strong at Atlanta but looped the car into Rick Wilson's path and crunched the wall in Four. At Pocono in June he hammered the first turn boilerplate and opened a five foot hole; "The doctor told me, 'Have you ever broken your leg before?' I said no, and he said, 'Well you have now,'" Bodine said a month later. Bodine led over 40 laps at Pocono in July but spun with 15 to go and finally broke on the last lap. At Talladega a week later he spun in Four and collected five others. Then followed an unsually vicious crash at Watkins Glen; at the end of the backstretch Bodine shot full speed into the tire wall. He won the pole at Michigan and finished fifth, but it wasn't until October that he finally got another win; running third at North Wilkesboro, Bodine escaped a last-lap crash involving race leaders Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd.

After wrapping up 1989, Bodine moved to the Junior Johnson team, and in his first 1990 start he used fuel mileage to win a Gatorade 125. In the Daytona 500 Bodine spun in Rick Wilson's oil with ten to go, setting up the infamous Chicken Bone Alley finish that sent Earnhardt from a sure win and Derrike Cope to victory lane. At Atlanta Bodine led 59 laps but spun on a very late restart with Bobby Hillin. "That's just bad racing. There ought to be a new rule. No double file restarts with ten to go, not with guys racing like that," Bodine steamed afterward. Bodine led the most laps from the pole at Darlington but got some damage in the infamous melee that knocked out Neil Bonnett with amnesia. "It was never really right after that," Bodine said. The bad luck continued at Bristol. Bodine led 40 laps but in midrace was sideswiped by Dave Marcis, blew out his right front, and hit the wall. "This track is so bad we shouldn't be out there. The bottom groove is gone (and) all the loose rubber is down there; it's like trying to run on roller bearings," Bodine said in the garage.

Bodine finally returned to victory lane by dominating at Martinsville, this despite having to dodge tires thrown in his path by Rusty Wallace's team during pitstops. The win was bittersweet for Johnson, as Brent Kauthen, a youngster Johnson had cared for like his own son, was killed in a highway crash a few days before. The win was Bodine's 11th in all classes at Martinsville, driving Junior's #11. "I think there were even eleven raisins in my cereal this morning," Bodine cracked. Win number two came in a spirited 500 at Pocono in July. Bodine and Greg Sacks diced hard until Sacks was caught in a huge crash in the Tunnel Turn. Several times Bodine swapped the lead three times a lap with Davey Allison, Rusty Wallace, and Derrike Cope. Bodine stretched his fuel and sweated out a last-lap restart - "On that restart it shut off, then it picked up," he said - after Ken Ragan's crash for the win. Bodine grabbed his third win of the year by dominating at Martinsville again. With a second place finish at Atlanta, Bodine wrapped up 1990 third in points, his best season to date.

But Junior Johnson decided to field a second car, for Sterling Marlin. Bodine objected to the second car, and his performance suffered as a result. At Charlotte in practice for The Winston, Bodine slammed the wall and was injured enough to have to sit out for several races. In the ensuing Winston the Johnson Ford was disqualified for an illegal big engine and banned for four races. The team was "transferred" to Flossie Johnson and Bodine returned at Pocono.

When it appeared Johnson would go all of 1991 without a win, Bodine used fuel mileage to take the victory at Charlotte in October. In postrace teardown, however, it was found that the car carried 23 to 24 gallons of fuel as opposed to the legal limit of 22. The win nonetheless stood. But Bodine had had enough of multicar teams and went to Bud Moore's outfit.

In his first start, Bodine won a torrid 1992 Busch Clash. The team struggled a lot, though, until in September Bodine dodged a street brawl of a rain-delayed Martinsville race to take the win. A week later North Wilkesboro was delayed by rain, and Bodine won again, albiet in far more tranquil circumstances. To open 1993, Bodine was the most outspoken opponant of NASCAR airdam changes for Chevrolet and Pontiac. "The GM cars narrowed their noses; we had to widen ours out," he said repeatedly during Speedweeks. Bodine nonetheless drafted in the top five throughout the Daytona 500, barely escaped Rusty Wallace's tumbling car - a piece hit Bodine's nose - and pushed Dale Jarrett past Earnhardt for the win. For the first quarter of the '93 season Bodine was second in points. But then began the most turbulent period of Bodine's life. Following Alan Kulwicki's death in a plane crash, buyers for Kulwicki's championship team began massing. Gerald Kulwicki settled on Geoff and Kathy Bodine as buyers, and Bodine won the next race, Sears Point, in Bud Moore's Ford. Bodine then began working overtime to secure a sponsor for the team while driving Moore's #15; a temporary deal with The Family Channel ultimately went to Roush Racing, in part because Family Channel execs were put off by the tart-tongued Kathy.

Fate then stepped in. Bob Newton of Hoosier Tire had run his tires in Winston Cup in 1988, when it appeared Goodyear might pull out in the wake of Sir James Goldsmith's aborted poaching of the company. Goodyear rebounded and Hoosier left in mid-1989, but it stayed in ARCA and BGN competition as well; in 1993 Hoosier and Ward Burton made names for each other with three BGN wins and extensive testing with a Winston Cup car. When Montgomery Ward started stocking Hoosier Tires, Newton decided to reenter Winston Cup, despite a new rule requiring tire manufacturers to supply enough tires for the whole field, a wasteful rule rather openly designed to price Hoosier out of the sport.

Newton nonetheless went ahead, and helped get Bodine a sponsor in Exide Batteries. Bodine was all too happy for the deal; "It was a well known fact, though not publicized, that Goodyear played favorites. The average fan doesn't know it, so you look like a schmuck. I just got tired of looking like a schmuck," Bodine said in Shaun Assael's book Wide Open: Days and Nights on the NASCAR Tour.

Bodine now had GEB Racing. But GEB Racing and Hoosier Tire's debut at the 1994 Daytona 500 blew up in their face almost upon the opening of Daytona's gates. Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr died and Andy Farr broke his sternum in savage head-on crashes during practice sessions; Farr and Orr flipped roof-first; Orr ripped out one of the track's signal lights while Farr pushed a ten-foot portion of wall back a foot. As all were running Hoosier Tires, Hoosier got blamed for the crashes. Poor efforts in the Gatorade 125s forced Newton to recall his tires for the 500. Bodine won the pole at Rockingham and Hoosier Tires shone on Jeff Burton and Darrell Waltrip's cars at Atlanta, but it wasn't until Bristol that Bodine began to show his stuff, leading over 100 laps and getting far better tire wear than Goodyear-shod cars; an ill-timed yellow trapped Bodine a lap down (ultimately finishing fourth) and gave Earnhardt the lead in the final 200 laps. Bodine led 80 laps at Martinsville and finished second at Sears Point.

In The Winston, Bodine pounced. After an early spin he roared to the front of the event's second segment and fought off a determined last-lap bid by Ernie Irvan, who shot through the trioval grass and slammed the wall. Bodine then ran behind a torrid door to door fight between Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader, then bounded to the win with two to go.

Bodine's deal with Hoosier allowed him to test far more than anyone else, even more than the combined 21 tests allowed a three-car team. He led some 60 laps in the World 600 but had to settle for a top five finish. He struggled for several races and then showed muscle at New Hampshire, but on a very slick racetrack Bodine lost control late in the race. He'd have to wait another week; the win came at Pocono as he overpowered the field from the pole and led a 1-2-3-4 Hoosier sweep.

Then came the first Brickyard 400. Bodine looked ready to pick up where he left off at Pocono. In midrace his brother Brett had the lead on a yellow. After the restart Geoff punted Brett sideways in Three for the lead, but in Four Brett hit back, and Geoff spun into the path of Dale Jarrett. "He just spun me out," Geoff said on ABC Television. "We've been having some personal problems, family problems, as he took it out on the racetrack. I love him, he's my brother, but he spun me out." Geoff's reference to personal problems was far more accurate than most knew. Kathy Bodine wanted out of racing, and likely the near-fatal crash of Ernie Irvan at Michigan steeled her desire to quit the sport. The other final straw was the presence of Nashville singer and noted man-chaser Tanya Tucker in Geoff's pit at Indy. Geoff and Tanya were now being seen together, and when asked Bodine wrote it off as "we're just good friends." Bodine slaughtered the field at Michigan and looked ready to do so again at Bristol, but was stopped in the final 50 laps by a blown engine. Upon returning from Bristol, Geoff found that Kathy had moved out. As he later told Shaun Assael, "I was destroyed. I was ready to end it." Said Cal Lawson, "In Darlington he was crying before he got in the car, got in, won the pole, and kept crying when he got out. We were seriously thinking about getting him psychiatric help. He was a mess."

Bodine dominated Dover two weeks later, but a yellow caught him a lap down and he fought hard to unlap himself and salvage fifth place. He then put the entire field a lap down under green at North Wilkesboro, his third win of '94, and cleaned house at Charlotte before the engine blew. Geoff ended 1994 in a very hard crash at Atlanta, and after that Hoosier, which had lost some $6 million that year due to NASCAR's tire supply rule, announced it was leaving Winston Cup. In all, Bodine had three wins and had led some 1,500 laps; realistically he should have won nine or more races that year.

With Hoosier gone, Bodine's advantage disappeared, and 1995 saw his team collapse. Exide left after the 1995 season, and Bodine had to scramble to get sponsorship from the QVC home shopping TV network. In addition to the Winston Cup car, QVC also backed Bodine's new Craftsman Truck raceteam with driver Dave Rezendez.

The 1996 Winston Cup season was an endless struggle, but at Pocono in June Bodine raced into the lead and finished a stellar third. Far better was GEB's Truck team. At Homestead Bodine and Mike Skinner raced door to door to the event's halfway point, and both slammed the wall in Three. Dave Rezendez fought off a furious last lap challenge from both Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague for a three-foot victory. Bodine then topped that at Watkins Glen. After a late yellow, Bodine lined up behind Ken Schrader. In the closing laps Bodine stormed past Schrader and grabbed the win, number eighteen in his career. It was one of the 1996 season's upside down episodes; Bodine figured in another at Phoenix, staying out on a late yellow and holding off Bobby Hamilton until 30 to go. Hamilton stormed to his first win while Bodine held on for sixth.

In the Trucks, Rezendez pounced again at Nashville in a wild scramble with Skinner, Butch Miller, Harry Gant, and Hornaday. When the checkered waved Rezendez had the win.

1997, though, appeared to be the end as far as Bodine as an owner-driver. The Truck team eventually folded. Bodine hired drag racer Bob Glidden as his engine builder, and at Richmond lost on the last lap when Rusty Wallace jumped the final restart; Bodine still finished second. It appeared Bodine was on his way again, but after a strong run at Bristol Bodine was hit by Jimmy Spencer; Geoff hit back and collected Steve Grissom as well, then launched the sport's most memorable tirade of the 1990s on MRN and ESPN. Bodine struggled afterward and failed to qualify at Daytona. He did manage a second-place at Watkins Glen, losing in much the same fashion as at Richmond; leader Jeff Gordon jumped two late restarts and Bodine's team loudly pointed this out to no avail.

Geoff began blowing engines every week; he wound up losing seventeen engines and ran out of money. He sold the team in September and won the pole at Charlotte. None of it helped, and by 1998 after securing new sponsorship from Phillips communications, Bodine had had his fill of the team he'd originally purchased from Alan Kulwicki's estate. Jim Mattei bought the team and merged it with SABCO Racing, while Bodine looked out of a ride for 1999.

Salvation then came in the form of Busch North veteran Joe Bessey. His wife Nancy owned the Power Team company and had seen impressive exposure when they sponsored A.J. Foyt's IRL car and Kenny Brack promptly bagged three wins with it. Joe had a Winston Cup team and he hired Bodine as his driver. Geoff then asked the media to refer to him by the rather childish name Geoffrey.

Regardless of monikers, Bodine managed to qualify for every race; he finished in the top ten at Rockingham in February, and at Martinsville in September he hung tough all day and came home a spectacular third. The total season was not much to brag about, but it was a start, and one that showed the team's potential.

Bodine also returned to the Craftsman Truck Series for their debut at Daytona. It is here that his story "ends." Bodine vows to return to the cockpit of Joe and Nancy Bessey's Chevrolets. After his Daytona crash, though, one wishes he wouldn't. Eli may have been right in that "It's not time, Geoff," but one hesitates to want to see him return. He escaped death this time; he's accomplished a lot in the sport; he really should not cheat fate again.


***And a Rebuttal***


Stay or Go? Only Bodine Should Decide


By Marty Tyler - Staff Writer
http://www. catchfence.com-02/29/2000


martyt7806@aol.com




Geoffrey Bodine is still popping up all over the racing news. Some race fans may be tiring of the reports of his medical progress following that terrible truck wreck at Daytona, now some 11 days ago, but, here's one racefan who is still interested in how he is doing and when he will return to his way of life.

I read an article on an internet site this morning about Geoff (sorry old habits die hard), excuse me, Geoffrey. It contained alot of racing history, stats and some family history, as well. The article also mentioned Geoffrey's now famous "near death experience". All this was definitely great reading...interesting and fact filled, then, I read the final paragraph suggesting Bodine not return to this sport, that he may not be able to cheat fate again.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Lord knows I have my own, admittedly different from many racefans. I just had trouble swallowing that horse pill. Instead of suggesting Geoffery do what we think is best for him (and all drivers who are injured in such horrendous accidents or who are ill enough to keep them from racing for some period of time), why not spend our efforts wishing them well and encouraging them to make career decisions that will ultimately make them happy. Go after what they feel is their "fate".

I have to admit, there was much in that article I did not know about this driver, but, one thing was evident from the get go... this guy is as much a part of racing as any driver on that circuit today! We may not have seen him with great finishes on a regular basis, but, I am sure he wants that as much or more than the ones we do see consistently up front.

I feel like everytime a "grass roots" driver retires, a little light disappears from this sport we have so come to love. Sure, there is always a new, many times, younger star on the horizon with spit on his lips and fire in his eyes, ready to take his place at the wheel. But the simple truth is... they have their chance because of those who have gone before them, both current and past.

In the last few years, we have said goodbye to some true legends, some tragically to death and others to a chosen time of retirement. But each and every one lived their life the way they wanted..racing! Racing has been all the better because of them, and all the more at a loss without them.

If Geoffery Bodine choses to retire following his recuperation, then more power to him. If he, however, choses to continue doing what he says he loves to do , then I say (and no pun intended) "God speed". He ultimately has to make this decision. We as race fans should support that decision, whatever it is and for whatever his reasons.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Geoff (there I go again). I sure hope to see you back in the race soon. And should you decide otherwise, this sport will miss you.




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