Riding in the pace car with Bodine

I have grown up following auto racing like a religion. Having lived in Indiana for my entire remembered life, it’s pretty easy to understand why the sport, in all its different forms, has had such an impact on me.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where as of Sunday I have witnessed 12 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races, nine runnings of the Brickyard 400, four editions of Formula One’s United States Grand Prix and several practices and qualifications for the different racing series, has become like a second home to me.

That’s why when I was asked to cover this year’s running of the 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for the IDS, I accepted the offer without hesitation.

Little did I know that my first trip to the yard of bricks as a newspaper reporter would include a meeting with former NASCAR veteran Brett Bodine, who put on a wonderful promotion for members of the media by taking them out onto the famed race track in one of the Sprint Cup’s pace cars.

Bodine, who drives the official pace car during Sprint Cup races, had an impression on me as a youngster because of his longevity in stock car racing’s top series. Throughout his 18-year career it what was formerly known as the Winston Cup series, Bodine only won one race, but he was in the starting field week-in and week-out along with his older, more heralded brother Geoff and his younger brother Todd.

As I rushed down pit lane at about 8:40 a.m. race day morning worried that I had missed the pace laps, a media relations man was nice enough to flag down Bodine before one of his trips onto the track, and he had one seat available. I got in and shook the hand of a driver with and against whom I had played on my old Sierra “NASCAR Racing 2” game. I was too quick to say “thank you very much, Brett, and great to meet you” as I always am when I meet celebrities.

Bodine took three other men and me out of pit lane and into turn one, and I immediately felt the impact of G-force routinely mentioned by drivers. Bodine merged completely onto the back stretch and accelerated to upwards of 80 miles per hour. The G-force hit us harder than ever as we turned onto the front stretch and across the bricks at the start/finish line.

Going back into turn one on our full-speed lap, now traveling faster than ever, Bodine explained how drivers position themselves to pass in turn one as it is a tough corner to turn.

“You never are in an ideal position there,” Bodine explained.

At the end of the lap, he provided an example of how drivers decelerate to the pit lane speed limit of 55 miles per hour. We parked at the start/finish line, and I again thanked the former driver and said it was great to meet him.

It was a huge thrill for me to be able to ride at high speeds around my favorite race track of all, but it was equally thrilling to ride with a guy who has been one of the mainstays of NASCAR for so long. I’ve met drivers ranging from current NASCAR power Tony Stewart to the legendary Darrell Waltrip – five Cup titles between them – but getting to meet a driver as personable as Bodine left me just as gratified.