Brett Bodine

[4] Bodine attended Alfred State College and received an associate's degree in mechanical engineering before he became a professional race car driver.

[5] In 1979 Brett started racing a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Modified Nation Championship series, placing 35th in the final standings.

[6] In the 1980 Brett moved up to 24th in the final standings with a best finish of third at Stafford Motor speedway, still driving a part time schedule.

[11] At the conclusion of the 1984 season Brett moved south to go to work for Rick Hendrick, whom his brother Geoff was driving for at the time.

[12] While working for Rick, Brett found time to make a handful of modified starts in 1985 and won the most prestigious event of the season, the Race of Champions at Pocono.

[17] Bodine's success in the part-time Busch series ride in 1985 lead to a full time opportunity in 1986, driving the No.

[18] After Jack Ingram was suspended for two races for driving backwards on track, the championship came down to a battle between Brett and Larry Pearson.

[24]  In May for the 7th Cup Series race of the season at North Wilksboro Bodine was chosen to replace the injured Terry Labonte on the pace lap in Junior Johnson's #11 Budweiser Chevy.

[35]  Brett was not eligible for the Rookie of the Year award in 1988 (which was won by Ken Bouchard who finished 25th in points with 1 top 10) as he had run too many races as a part-time driver in 1987.

26 Quaker State Buick Regal for champion drag racer Kenny Bernstein and crew chief Larry McReynolds.

During the ensuing confusion of a 17 lap caution flag (NASCAR did not have electronic scoring at the time) Bodine was able to make a pit stop for fresh tires without losing any positions.

From Dover in 1989 through Talladega in 1990, Brett was running at the finish of 16 consecutive races, the longest streak in the Cup Series at the time.

Brett made his first appearance in the All-Star race in 1990 and won his first pole position at the fall event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

However, the 26 team struggled with reliability issues for the remainder of 1991, falling out of 10 of the season's final 20 races due to engine failures.

[53]  From Sonoma through Phoenix in 1992, Brett was running at the finish of 17 consecutive races, tied for the longest streak in the Cup Series at the time.

[56]  Brett crashed in qualifying for Dover and was forced to miss the race due to a broken wrist and a small brain bruise.

The team had been dominate on the restrictor plate tracks in past years and the #11 car was again fast in Daytona 500 practice.

Things took a bad turn when the team was found with an illegal engine manifold during pre-qualifying inspection at Daytona, resulting in a then-record $45,100 fine.

Amid rumors of Johnson selling his team, Mike Beam left following the 10th race of the season and took all but two crew members with him.

Bodine easily bested the performance of his Junior Johnson Racing teammate, the 27 car driven primarily by Elton Sawyer, which placed 37th in points with 5 DNQs and no top 10s in 1995.

[69] For 1998 Bodine found reliable sponsorship from Paychex and his Ford Taurus, although the $3 million per year deal was significantly less than that of top teams.

Paychex returned in 1999 but Bodine was unable to carry the momentum of the previous year and slipped to 35th in the standings with just three Top 20 finishes, including a season's best 12th at Bristol, while failing to qualify for two races.

[72] Brett Bodine signed Ralphs Supermarkets to sponsor his car for 2000, and sold half the team to businessman Richard Hilton.

Previously common, single-car owner/driver teams had become uncompetitive as NASCAR grew more reliant on engineering, data, and sponsorship.

With no major sponsors, Bodine received support from minor backers like Wells Fargo, Timberland Pro, and Dura Lube.

With no major sponsors, Brett Bodine planned a limited schedule, attempting nine races and qualifying for six in his #11 Ford.

His best finish was 24th at Bristol, with a special paint scheme marking 10 years since Alan Kulwicki's plane crash.

Early in the season, Bodine faced a challenging divorce from his wife, team co-owner Diane, which led him to file a restraining order against her.

That weekend, Brett Bodine was seriously injured in a practice accident after hitting debris that cut a front tire, causing a crash that left him with a broken collarbone and damaged teeth.

With no major sponsors and most of his team laid off, Bodine tried to qualify at Indy with a fan-funded "Brick Car" and additional support from US Micro Corporation.

Bodine's 1989 Winston Cup car
1997 car
Hooters car