Todd Bodine

Todd Bodine is an American racing driver and the youngest of three brothers who left a significant mark in North American stock car racing. Due to his bald head, Todd is also known as The Onion. Todd himself was the only of three brothers who was a champion, taking two NASCAR Truck Series titles in 2006 and 2010. In total, he recorded about 800 starts in all three national series, scoring 37 wins (15 in Busch Series, 22 in Truck Series).

The oldest brother Geoff Bodine (born 1949) scored 18 NASCAR Cup Series wins, including a victory at 1986 Daytona 500. Brett Bodine (born 1959) was less successful, scoring just one Cup Series win and five Busch Series wins.

Bodine brothers: Geoff, Todd and Brett

One and only NASCAR start in 1986

Born in February 1964 in Chemung, New York, Todd Bodine spent a youth at Chemung Speedrome which was built by his father and grandfather in 1950. He made a NASCAR debut in 1986, in a year when his older brother Geoff achieved the greatest success of his career by winning the Daytona 500. Todd's first race was in the Busch Series at Martinsville, in the #59 Pistone Racing Pontiac. He retired after 31 laps with a broken engine.

Restarting a career in 1990, first full season in 1991

After a three-year hiatus, Todd Bodine restarted his career in 1990 when he joined Ted Conder's Highline Racing to drive Pontiac in eight races of the Busch Series. His best result was the third place at Dover.

In 1991, Bodine signed with Frank Cicci's C&W Racing for his first full season in the #34 Buick. In June, he scored a maiden victory at Dover Downs International Speedway. At the end of the season, he was seventh in the points.

NASCAR Cup Series debut in 1992

Bodine stayed with Frank Cicci in 1992 and added three more Busch Series wins on his account, at Nazareth, Michigan and Bristol. He ended a season third in the points, behind Joe Nemechek and Bobby Labonte.

The season 1992 was marked by Todd's debut in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. In August, he was driving the #34 Ford Thunderbird for Frank Cicci at Watkins Glen, crashing out after 16 laps.

Todd Bodine's 1994 car in the Winston Cup Series

1994 – first full season in the Cup Series

After one more full season in the 1993 Busch Series with Frank Cicci, in which he scored three wins and finished ninth in the points, Todd had the first full season in the Winston Cup Series in 1994. He was driving the #75 Ford Thunderbird for Butch Mock Motorsports. Scoring seven top 10 results, he finished 20th in the final standings. In his debut at Daytona 500, Todd started 11th and crashed after 79 laps.

Bodine stayed one more season in the #75 Ford, scoring just three finishes in the top 10 for the 33rd place in the final standings. At Daytona 500, he started 8th and crashed after 105 laps.

In 1995, Todd also made a debut in the NASCAR Truck Series, driving the #61 Ford for Roush Racing in five events and scoring top ten results in all five races.

Vice-champion in a return to the Busch Series

Following his release from Butch Mock Motorsports, Bodine had no full-time seat for the Cup Series so he returned to the Busch Series, spending the 1996 season in the #81 Pro Tech Motorsports Chevrolet. He won one race, at South Boston, finishing third in the points at the end of the season, behind Randy LaJoie and David Green.

Bodine was even better in the 1997 Busch Series, driving the #36 Pontiac for Scott Welliver. He won one race, at Fontana, finishing as a vice-champion at the end of the season, losing a title to Randy LaJoie.

The last Busch Series win in 2003

After a part-time programme in 1998, Todd Bodine moved to the #66 Chevrolet of Cicci-Welliver Racing in the 1999 Busch Series season, finishing fourth in the points but without wins. He was fourth again with the same car in the 2000 Busch Series season, scoring one victory at Michigan.

Bodine spent a half of the 2001 Busch Series season with Buckshot Racing, scoring two wins in the #00 Chevrolet at Rockingham and Las Vegas. In 2002 Busch Series season, he participated in 28 races with #92 Herzog-Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet, winning a race at Kentucky. His 15th and the last Busch Series win came in 2003 in the #92 Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway.

Regular competitor in the Cup Series too

While Busch Series was his primary competition between 1996 and 2003, Bodine was regularly driving in the Cup Series, mostly as a replacement driver or on a part-time schedule but also as a full-time driver for Haas-Carter Motorsports in 2001 and for BelCar Racing in 2003.

In that period, he recorded two DNQs and two starts at Daytona 500, finishing best in 18th place in 2003. In other races, he scored just three results in the top five.

Two wins in a return to the Truck Series in 2004

After his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1995, Bodine didn't return to the series until 2004. He recorded two appearances with Fiddle Back Racing and HT Motorsports and then joined Germain Racing for the last nine races of the season.

He scored a maiden Truck Series win in his fifth race in the #30 Toyota, at California Speedway.  Two weeks later, he won one more time, at Texas Motor Speedway.

Todd Bodine took both his Truck Series titles with Germain Racing

First Truck Series championship title in 2006

In 2005, Bodine started a season in the #66 Fiddle Back Racing's Toyota but after ten races he rejoined Germain Racing in the #30 Toyota. Until the end of the season, he was a race winner five times, finishing third in the points.

A year later, Bodine spent his first full season with Germain Racing and won the 2006 Truck Series title. In 25 races, he was a race winner three times, defeating Johnny Benson Jr in a championship fight.

One more NASCAR Truck Series title in 2010

In the following years, Bodine continued to collect Truck Series wins in the #30 Toyota. With two wins, he was fourth in the points in 2007. In 2008, he won three times to finish third in the points. He was fourth again in 2009 when he was a race winner two times.

In 2010, Todd Bodine was a race winner four times and he captured his second championship title in the Truck Series. This time, he defeated Aric Almirola in a championship fight.

Todd Bodine scored his last NASCAR winin 2012 with Red Horse Racing

Driving for five teams in three seasons

In the 2011 Truck Series season, Bodine struggled with consistency while the team struggles with sponsorship money. After ten races, Germain Racing had no funds for the #30 car and Bodine moved to Randy Moss Motorsports #5 Toyota. He ended a season sixth in the points.

In 2012, Bodine ran full Truck Series schedule with Red Horse Racing in the #11 Toyota, scoring his last victory at Dover International Speedway in June. He ended a season 14th in the points. The season 2013 was the last for Bodine in the Truck Series. He made seven starts with ThorSport Racing and one start with Turner Scott Motorsports.

Todd Bodine

Active in the Xfinity Series until 2017

While being one of leading drivers in the Truck Series between 2004 and 2013, Bodine continued to compete occasionally in other two national series. He made 37 starts in the Cup Series from 2004 to 2011.

In the Busch/Nationwide Series, Bodine recorded 23 starts between 2004 and 2011 but stayed active also after he ended Truck Series career. From 2014 onwards, he made eight more starts in the Nationwide/Xfinity Series.  His last start was in 2017 with SS-Green Light Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Photos: Fox Sports, Mark J. Rebilas,