Bodines' Travelogue

Last weekend at New Hampshire Todd Bodine hadn't had the best of days -- but as the 19th Truck Series race was coming to a close he was still beating his two closest pursuers in the championship.

But on the green-white-checkered finish, a little contact from Johnny Sauter moved Bodine up the race track and allowed both Sauter and second-place point man Aric Almirola to get past.

• Hillman hurt on pit road
• Crew chief returns at Loudon

But the net result of that was minimal, as Bodine next heads to one of his and wife Janet's favorite race cities, Las Vegas, maintaining a comfortable 257-point margin over Almirola and 310 points over Sauter.

So in week six of the Bodines' Travelogue, we ride along as Todd and Janet discuss the leg injuries suffered by crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. last weekend in a K&N Pro Series East pit road accident, taking part in a historic moment in aviation history at Concord (N.C.) Regional Airport and their anticipation of Las Vegas.

The accident that changed everything

Todd Bodine: We didn't really have any highlights while we were in New Hampshire.

Janet Bodine: [Mike Hillman] Junior getting hurt [Friday] put us in a position of not being able to do anything, really because once he got hurt -- that was it -- we spent a lot of our time at the hospital on what was really going to be our only really free evening.

Todd Bodine: Normally, when we come to New Hampshire, my favorite place to hit at least once is Makris', the lobster restaurant right at the intersection of Rte. 106 and 393.

Janet Bodine: We normally go there for lobster, and that was our plan on Friday. But Todd was working as Zach Germain and Miguel Paludo's driver coach in the K&N East race, and then Junior got hurt when Zach hit one of the tires Junior was carrying on a pit stop.

Todd Bodine: Sometimes, if we're racing at the same place, I'll be on the radio with the guys during the races, but as soon as Junior got hurt, we went to the hospital. I probably should have stayed on the radio with the guys, but I wanted to get over to the hospital to be with Junior and make sure everything was cool with him.

Janet Bodine: When the accident happened it was hard for me, because my background is in emergency medical services -- I was a flight medic and I'm still a licensed medic. So to be in that position, you really feel helpless.

Todd Bodine: It's really interesting to watch how differently people handle things, when they get under stress and pressure -- or like it was over at the emergency room when they took Junior there. It's interesting to see who panics, who gets excited and who stays calm.

Janet Bodine: And how they react, and who steps up to organize, and who's just there.

Todd Bodine: I'm by far the most calm of everybody.

Janet Bodine: That's what he gets from being a race car driver.

Todd Bodine: You don't get upset, you just figure out what's wrong and you fix what you can fix -- you just do what you've got to do.

Janet Bodine: To watch that accident happen and know that, by the rules, I couldn't get involved, even knowing what had to happen to treat Junior was the ultimate helpless feeling.

Todd Bodine: I think -- I'm pretty sure -- that was the first time Junior's ever been hurt on pit road, even with all those years he changed tires other than maybe spraining an ankle running around the car or something. But that was the first time he's ever gotten hit, or anything like that.

Janet Bodine: In the NASCAR industry I'm not how many wives have the medical training that I have, so it makes it more difficult on me, because your first instinct is to help. And that made it even more difficult to get to the ER, and then being told to just wait in the waiting room.

Todd Bodine: But there was no other choice.

Janet Bodine: At the ER, I had to careful not to overstep the boundaries with [Hillman's parents] Sandy and Mike --- because I knew what the doctors were going to say and what they were going to do. I just wanted him to get the best care possible.

Todd Bodine: We were all in that position, believe me. (Continued)