Chaffin, not Bodine, will drive No. 30 Toyota

CONCORD, N.C. -- Germain/Arnold Racing announced Monday that veteran driver Chad Chaffin has signed to pilot the team's No. 30 Toyota Tundra in the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Chad Chaffin

In effect, the announcement, which indicated Todd Bodine would not return to the seat he held in 2004, involves one two-race winner for another.

Chaffin, who drove for Bobby Hamilton Racing in 2004, won at Dover and Indianapolis Raceway Park; while Bodine won Germain / Arnold's first two races, at California and Texas.

Chaffin finished 10th in the 2004 Truck Series championship. He began his career in 1981 at the age of 13 and, with 57 Truck Series starts including 11 top-five and 22 top-10 career finishes under his belt, Chaffin brings a wealth of experience to the Germain / Arnold Racing team.

"We're very fortunate to have Chad join the team," said co-owner Bob Germain. "He's an experienced driver who knows how to win. We feel that Chad's a perfect fit for this team and will provide us with a race winning operation in 2005."

Todd Bodine

"I am pleased to have Chad Chaffin and his wonderful family as part of the Germain / Arnold family," co-owner Don Arnold said. "I am certain Chad will make Germain / Arnold Racing and Toyota very proud."

"I'm extremely excited about being a part of the Germain / Arnold Racing team and tickled pink to be part of the Toyota family," Chaffin said. "Toyota proved to have one of the highest performance levels in 2004 and I feel that we have the strongest package in the series.

"I'm looking forward to winning a lot of races this year. I'm also really excited to be teamed with a veteran crew chief like Mike Hillman. I know he can put a race winning truck underneath me."

Hillman, who oversaw the operation of the back-to-back race winning entry in 2004, will remain as crew chief for Germain/Arnold Racing.

"I'm very happy about having Chad on board and looking forward to our first test in January," Hillman said. "Chad's performance in 2004 speaks for itself and I feel that he's a great fit for our team."

The team' announcement simply said Bodine -- who split time last season in conjunction with Hillman in Arnold's Nextel Cup Series car -- would not return to the team in 2005. It had no news about Arnold's Cup operation.

"Obviously, Todd did a great job for us last year," Germain said. "We wish him well in his future career."