Geoffrey Bodine leaves his own team to run for Joe Bessey (1999-2000)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
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| Courtesy The Tennessean |
Why? Sponsorship issues forced Geoff Bodine to sell controlling interest in his race team for 1998. Following that season, Bodine sold the rest of his shares in order to run for Busch North owner/driver Joe Bessey, who was moving up to Cup with sponsorship from PECO Powerteam.
How successful were they? A third-place finish at the second Martinsville race was the lone highlight of 1999. 2000 was over before it began, as Bodine nearly perished in his horrifying Daytona Truck Series crash, causing him to miss the next nine races. Disappointing results when he returned would see Bodine released in the fall.
What was the aftermath? Bodine (now going by Geoffrey) would only run a handful of Cup races for the rest of his career, while Bessey’s team would leave Cup following the 2000 season.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 4 typo-filled books out of 10—this was just part of the long, drawn-out end of Bodine’s career.
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