Bodine enjoying Busch relief.

Todd Bodine may have been handed a Winston Cup lifeline by Travis Carter and Discover Card for the rest of 2002, but while Carter attempts to piece his #26 Cup team back together, the youngest Bodine brother has been enjoying a fruitful year in Busch Series competition.

When his initial 2002 Winston Cup deal with Carter's #66 team went sour and the team boss had to close the doors of the secondary operation in order to keep his #26 team alive, Bodine was not out of work or long as he was picked up by NASCAR Busch team Herzog-Jackson Motorsports to replace Andy Houston in the #92 Excedrin Chevrolet.

Despite missing the opening three races of the 2002 NASCAR Busch Series, seven top ten finished in 16 races, including a win at the Kentucky Speedway, has elevated the 1997 Busch Series runner-up to 15th in the points standings after 19 of 34 races. Team co-owner Stanley Herzog has also moved up to eleventh place in the current owners standings.

Last weekend's Tropicana Twister 300 at Chicagoland was a good example of the level of competitiveness Bodine is currently enjoying in NASCAR's second division. After capturing the pole position and posting the fastest time in 'Happy Hour,' Bodine and the Excedrin Racing team knew they had a car to beat.

Fuel mileage wound up being the name of the game during the event and the team brought home a strong second-place finish, behind rookie Johnny Sauter who captured the first win of his NASCAR Busch series career.

Bodine was the 15th of 48 competitors to make his qualifying run on Friday afternoon and ran a speed of 177.293 miles per hour around the 1.5-mile oval. Bodine topped the charts during his two-lap run and the Excedrin Racing team waited for over an hour for the remainder of the competitors to complete their qualifying laps, though none of them was able to better Bodine's speed. Bodine's pole position was the seventh of his Busch Series career and the first in the history of Herzog Jackson Motorsports.

"It was a pretty good run, but I didn't think it would hold up," said Bodine. "I thought Joe Nemechek and Jeff Green had a shot at us, but we were able to hold them off. I messed up a little bit in [turns] one and two, but I nailed it in three and four to save the lap. Our Team Amick Engine was incredible and I am really proud of this team."

Bodine led the field to the green flag for the start of the event and immediately encountered a tight handling condition. The team made plans to make track bar adjustments and insert spring rubbers to the right side of the No. 92 Excedrin Chevrolet, and were able to do so on lap 65 during a caution period.

Bodine was in ninth place upon the restart. Another caution flag on lap 97 enabled Bodine to make a pit stop for additional changes. Crew chief Tony (Rambo) Liberati made the decision to change only two tires and Bodine moved from 10th place to third following the stop.

Bodine moved into the second spot on lap 108 and remained there until a yellow flag on lap 125. Bodine drove down pit lane for four tires and fuel with one lap to go in the caution period after Liberati determined that the car could go the remainder of the event without again having to stop for fuel. Bodine restarted in 18th place on lap 131 and slowly but steadily worked his way through traffic. Eventually, the lead cars began to make their last stops of the day and by lap 180 the three cars, including the Excedrin Chevrolet, which made pit stops during the previous caution period led the field.

NASCAR officials threw the red flag following an accident with four laps to go and Bodine was in third place. The green flag flew with three laps to go and Bodine got past Joe Nemechek to take second. Johnny Sauter, in his first year in the NASCAR Busch Series, took home the victory.

"It was a pretty good day," continued Bodine. "Rambo made the right calls and made all the right adjustments and at the end the car was the best it had been all day. As usual, our Team Amick engine was great and to start first and finish second, I really can't complain."

The NASCAR Busch Series travels to Gateway International Raceway located near St. Louis, Mo. for the running of the Charter Pipeline 250 to be held on Saturday, July 20th.