|
“It was absolutely the toughest,” Hillman said of the gravity of his move. “We are really good friends and we had built something that was really good, but from the financial side I had to make the move. Definitely, the uncertainty Brett was facing -- it didn’t seem there was much light at the end of the tunnel.”
In their last race together the pair collaborated for a 16th-place finish, worth $161,451 that came despite a mid-race spin by Bodine’s No. 11 Wells Fargo Financial/Timberland Ford.
In the first weekend of Speedweeks, Bodine had told interviewers that he might not be able to continue beyond the first few races of the season without additional sponsorship. A garage area meeting between Hillman and Foyt led to an instant connection.
Donnie Brown, who had been serving as Compton’s crew chief after filling that role on an interim basis since the mid-point of the 2001 season, remains with Foyt’s team. On Sunday he engineered a gutsy 27th-place finish worth $146,760 despite replacing a rear end gear and bent driveshaft in separate incidents.
“I think we have a lot of the same ideas and goals,” Hillman said of his immediate bond with Foyt. “We’re both a little hardheaded. It’s not going to be easy. I know where he wants to go and he’s in a big hurry to get there.
“It takes some time to achieve some of these things but in the first two or three days I’ve been here he’s got an awful lot of talent and some good possibilities of getting it all in line.”
Bodine’s team continues to search for sponsorship, but a team spokesperson said they were not planning to miss any races. Dura Lube, a longtime supporter of the sport through team and race sponsorships, joined BBR for Daytona, this weekend’s Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway and the following week’s race at Las Vegas.
For this weekend’s Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway, Bodine will rely on personnel within his own team -- which includes Hillman’s son Mike Jr., Bodine’s rear tire changer and car chief -- and an outside consultant to engineer his program.
“We were in meetings this morning and we are continuing to do so,” BBR spokesperson Carolyn Carrier said. “This is a family business and we plan on being here a long time. Naturally the ultimate goal is for a primary sponsor for the season, but in the meantime we will do multi-race or single race deals.”
Bodine has not missed a race attempt since he bought Junior Johnson’s operation prior to the 1996 season. He said during Speedweeks, however, he would not dip into his personal finances to continue operating his team.
|
