MEDIA.FORD.COM

As one of three active owner/drivers of single car teams in NASCAR Winston Cup, Brett Bodine is well aware of what it takes to survive at this level. Even though he hasn't won a race since capturing the 1990 First Union 400 at North Wilkesboro, Bodine continues to make his mark as one of the sport's hardest-working competitors.

Along with Ricky Rudd and Dave Marcis, Bodine has continued to look for way to remain competitive against the number of multi-car teams which have dominated the sport in recent years. Bodine managed to finish 25th in the final NASCAR Winston Cup standings last season, an improvement of four spots over his '97 effort. In fact, while 1998 may not have produced a single top-10 finish, Bodine still had his best year from an earnings standpoint as he went over the million dollar mark for the first time ($1,245,173).

Bodine had a pair of 11th-place finishes in '98 (Bristol and Talladega spring races) and was a model of consistency as he failed to finish only two events on the 33-race schedule (Darlington fall race and Phoenix).

Since beginning his NASCAR Winston Cup career with a one-race deal for Rick Hendrick in 1986, Bodine has made more than 300 starts. He has driven at least 29 races or more each season since 1988 when he landed a ride for the legendary Bud Moore. He posted 11 top-10 finishes in his two years with that team before deciding to spend the next five years driving for Kenny Bernstein. From there, Bodine hooked up with another NASCAR legend as he got behind the wheel for Junior Johnson in 1995. After running 31 races that season and finishing 20th in the final point standings, Bodine bought the team from Johnson and has had a personal stake in it ever since.

The middle of three Bodine racing brothers, Brett began his career in the northeast when he was 18 years old. That's when he began racing hobby cars, but after a few years of that he graduated to modifieds in the early 1980's and eventually the Busch Grand National Series. Bodine took the Busch Series by storm in his rookie season of 1985 as he won three times and posted 10 top-10 finishes and seven top-fives. He registered eight poles the next year and won twice more, but finished second in the final '86 point standings by a mere 20 points to champion Larry Pearson.

Since then he has been a fixture on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. In addition to his lone series victory, other Bodine highlights include a second-place finish in the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, five poles, and a career-best 12th-place finish in the 1990 point standings.