Geoff Bodine

Competitor
CLASS OF 2010

Geoff Bodine was born into a racing family. His father and grandfather, Eli Bodine and Eli Jr, built Chemung Speedrome in New York State just a year after he was born. He began honing his racing skills at that track in the micro-midget division at age-five. As a teen, his desire to race was such that he disguised himself as a lady and entered a Powderpuff Division Race when he was only fifteen years-old.

He was the 1974 Modified champion at Shangri-La Speedway and the 1977 champion at Utica-Rome Speedway. Bodine was also a 3-time Modified Champion at Stafford Speedway (1975, 1977, 1978) driving for Dick Armstrong.

Among the the major modified events Bodine won during his career include the Race of Champions (1972 at Trenton, 1978 at Pocono), the Budweiser 200 at Oswego, the Thompson 300 (1976, 1979) and a sweep of the six-race Yankee All-Star League in 1978. At the Martinsville Classic events, he was a Dogwood 250 modified winner in 1980, and late model winner in 1981. He also won the Cardinal 250 four times (1975, 1976. 1978, 1981).

His 1978 season was incredible, winning more races in a single season than any other Modified driver in recorded history. Driving the Armstrong #1 with Billy Taylor & Hop Harrington on the crew, Bodine started 84 feature events and won 55 of them for an amazing 66% win rate. For those 55 victories, Bodine is credited in the Guinness Book of World Records with “Most wins in one season”.

During his modified career, Geoff also won at Trenton Speedway, Fulton Speedway, Thompson Speedway, Monadnock Speedway, Kingsport Speedway, Riverside Park Speedway, Dover Downs Speedway (DE), Hickory Motor Speedway, Seekonk Speedway, Oswego Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl and Star Speedway.

By the late 1970’s, he was also running major late model events and won NASCAR Late Model Sportsman races at South Boston, Kingsport, Martinsville, Darlington. He was also a 2-time winner of the Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway.

After moving South in the early 1980’s, he competed on the NASCAR Cup Series full-time from 1982-1999, winning 18 races including the 1986 Daytona 500. He also won 6 races competing part time on the Busch Grand National (now Xfinity Series) from 1982-2005. His handful of starts on the NASCAR Truck Series is most remembered for a horrific crash he survived at Daytona in 2000. He made his last Cup Series start in 2011 at the age of 62.