By the hair of his chinny-chin chin: Todd Bodine keeps an eye out for cockroaches at Darlington. Credit: Contributed photo

10 Questions: Todd Bodine

LOUDON, N.H. -- Todd Bodine will branch back into the Busch Series this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway when he drives the No. 34 Chevrolet for longtime friend and former owner Frank Cicci.

Bodine has concentrated this season on the Craftsman Truck Series, where he's a two-time winner in the No. 30 Toyota pickup.

	Inside the Numbers Todd Bodine's NASCAR career Series Yrs. W T-5 T-10 Cup 13 0 7 21 Busch 17 15 89 156 Truck 3 4 13 20

During a break in preparation for the Sylvania 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway, Bodine sat down to answer 10 questions not necessarily related to his racing career.

1. What's your dream vehicle that you don't already own?

Bodine: I would love to have a GTP-type race car that was street legal (laughing).

Q: Ford GT, maybe?

Bodine: No, not a Ford. I won't say a manufacturer, unless it was a Toyota GTP.

Q: I guess that was a dumb question. Hey, you know Dan Gurney?

Bodine: Yeah.

Q: He might have some in mothballs you could pick up cheap.

Bodine: When I get around to it, I've got some people I'm going to call.

2. If time on the road weren't an issue, what would be your ideal pet?

Bodine: Just a dog, and not a big one. Maybe something like a Cocker Spaniel, or something like that.

Q: Did you have dogs when you were growing up?

Bodine: We always had dogs growing up -- Poodles. And I've had dogs at the farm for a long time.

3. What's your biggest pet peeve while driving on the road?

	Todd Bodine is coming off a win in the most recent Truck race. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Todd Bodine 2005 Truck season Category No. Starts 20 Wins 2 Top-5 8 Top-10 10 DNF 6 Poles 2 Avg. Start 13.2 Avg. Finish 14.0 Laps Led 337 Rank 5 (-284)

Bodine: Slow people in the fast lane.

Q: Have you found a solution for that, because that puts you in pretty good company?

Bodine: You just pull out and pass them on the other side.

Q: But you don't pass them on the median side, right?

Bodine: No.

4. You've had a long career racing a number of different divisions, so what's your worst hotel experience?

Bodine: Oh, man (laughing). I don't know if you even want to print this one.

Q: We're not throwing any chains -- or anyone else -- under the bus, but ...

Bodine: Well, it was at Darlington, and I won't say what motel it was, but I was laying there in the middle of the night, and I had a cockroach right here, on my chin.

And it actually ate some of the skin -- that's what woke me up.

Q: Yeah, that's ...

Bodine: Pretty bad. I don't know if you want to print that one, or not.

Q: You didn't get a break on the room rate, either -- did you?

Bodine: No.

Q: Did you leave?

Bodine: No, it was in the middle of the night. Obviously, I didn't sleep anymore.

5. These segues are bad, so I'm sorry -- but what's your favorite food?

Todd Bodine has wins at Kansas and Las Vegas this year. Credit: Autostock

Bodine: A double-cheese whammy at Shorty Nocchi's Hoagies in Sayre, Pa. (South Waverly).

Q: Isn't that one of your brother's favorites, also?

Bodine: Yup. And to go along with that is the garlic pizza at Mangialardo's Restaurant in Sayre.

Q: Strong garlic or something less?

Bodine: No, it's different. You've got to taste it to understand it.

6. If you had to choose, would it be being honest, or being nice?

Bodine: There's no choice -- it's both. You've got to be both.

Life's too short to not be nice. I mean, we live with everybody every week and there's no sense to (not being nice).

And if you can't be honest, you got nothing. You've got your integrity and your honesty and that's what you've got to live with.

7. What's your favorite childhood memory?

Bodine: I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but it's the one that changed my life. When I was 13, I went to my first race as a crewmember.

It was with (my brother) Brett, when he was racing Street Stocks at Perry, N.Y. It was the first time I had gone to the races as a crewmember, and they had to sneak me in and the whole bit, because I wasn't old enough.

Todd Bodine will be making his third start this year in the No. 34 Chevy Busch car this week at Lowe's. His best finish is a 21st at Bristol. Credit: Autostock

He went out and won the race, and that's when I realized what racing was about. Before that I went every week and it was no big deal, because dad owned the track (Chemung Speedrome).

But that was when it all turned for me.

Q: A lot of people could probably use the tip, but how did you sneak into the track as a 13-year-old?

Bodine: In the back of the hauler, they just snuck me in. It was a Ranchero with a tonneau cover and I just got under the tonneau cover.

8. What would your dream date be? Where would it be and with whom?

Bodine: Oh geez. I'd have to say Italy, and if you want me to pick out a city I'd have to say Venice.

With whom -- geez! How about Sandra Bullock?

Q: You got a particularly favorite movie she's done?

Bodine: Just about any Sandra Bullock movie there is (laughing).

9. Racing and pranks seem to go hand in hand, so what's your worst prank, either perpetrated by you, or done to you?

Bodine: Oh man, my memory is so bad. I can't think of any. I'll have to think about that one.

10. Finally, what would you consider your "Welcome to NASCAR" moment?

Bodine: My "Welcome to NASCAR moment" -- I'll go with the very first one. It was my first race at Richmond, and it was only my second Busch race.

I was running like, eighth, and Dale (Earnhardt) Sr. was running behind me, and I'm just like (clueless) because I'm a rookie, you know?

I was racing him hard, because it was Dale Sr. and you've got to race him hard and he knocked me out of the way and I spun out. So I would say that was my "Welcome to NASCAR" moment.

Q: Did you talk to him about it afterward?

Bodine: Dale Sr. and I had kind of a unique relationship in that, obviously, he didn't like the Bodines all that well, or (brother) Geoff, at least.

And we had -- obviously I had all the respect in the world for him -- but he had a respect for me, in that he knew how I had come up, working on 'em, building 'em and then I came along and drove 'em.

I didn't just get in because of my brother being a superstar. And we got along very well.

We had two or three moments on the track, and at the time we were both mad at each other or whatever, but I'm glad we had those moments because of his legacy, and like I say, I had some Dale Sr. moments.

Q: You must've seen him pull a prank or two?

Bodine: Nope. I'm gonna have to think about that.