Geoffrey in for Todd at Homestead UPDATE 3 Todd has surgery, will not be back in the #26…BUT: Geoffrey Bodine is in the #26 Discover Card Ford, subbing for his brother Todd, whose back was bothing him too much to race. Geoffrey will have to go to the rear of the field before the green flag(NBC Sports). More on the story at NASCAR.com(11-17-2002) UPDATE: Todd Bodine will have back surgery Friday to repair a disc he ruptured in his lower back last Thursday when he crashed his car during BGN race at Homestead. “I haven’t slept more than three hours a night since Friday,” Bodine said Wednesday from his Concord, N.C., home. “It’s been pretty painful.” He was able to compete in the Ford 300 on Saturday while wearing a corset-type back support. He finished 39th after his engine failed. Afterward, the pain became progressively worse and Bodine was forced to sit out Sunday’s Ford 400 Winston Cup race. His older brother Geoffrey, who failed to qualify the #09 Ford on Friday, substituted for Todd in the #26 Discover Card Ford. He finished 32nd. Todd Bodine, who has suffered from back problems since 1997, said he aggravated his back in an accident during the Rockingham Cup race. Bodine, who said the pain extends down into his right thigh, saw a specialist on Tuesday who made the diagnosis of a ruptured disc. He’ll be operated on at the Charlotte (N.C.) Medical Center at 12:30pm. Bodine said Cox Marketing will release a statement after the surgery. Bodine said his recovery from surgery is expected to take six to eight weeks. “That’s why we are doing it now, so we will be ready for testing at Daytona in January,” he said. Bodine is still trying to finalize his Winston Cup plans for 2003. He will not return to the #26 Haas Carter Motorsports team, which lost primary sponsor Discover Card. “I’ve got a few options,” Bodine said. “One of the deals could happen this week.” Bodine said a Winston Cup start-up team is one of the teams interested in him as a driver.(Star Gazette)(11-21-2002) UPDATE 2: been told that Todd Bodine is still could drive the #26 Ford if sponsorship is found. No word on who the start-up team is.(11-22-2002) UPDATE 3: Todd Bodine has successfully undergone endothscopic back surgery to repair a ruptured (L5S1) disc that kept him from competing in the Cup season finale at Homestead. Dr. Tim Adamson performed the 45-minute outpatient procedure today at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. Bodine is expected to recover in six to eight weeks. Bodine has dealt with infrequent disc discomfort throughout the 2002 season and was prepared to seek treatment at the end of this year’s NASCAR calendar. However, recent on-track incidences, such as a crash at the Cup race at North Carolina Speedway, and an accident during BGN practice at Homestead are believed to have caused the disc to rupture requiring today’s surgery. “I am glad to be on the mend,” said Bodine at his home in Davidson, NC. “I visited Dr. Jerry Petty and Dr. Tim Adamson of Carolina NeuroSurgery and Spine the Monday after returning from Homestead. It was discovered at that time my bulged disc had ruptured. We decided right there to schedule surgery as soon as possible.” At the end of the 2001 NASCAR season, Dr. Adamson performed a similar surgery on Ricky Rudd. Bodine is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2003 season-opening races in Daytona. “I am real pleased at how well the surgery went,” said Dr. Adamson. “If all goes as anticipated, we are looking for Todd will be able to get behind the wheel of a stock car by the middle of January and be 100% for Speedweeks in February 2003.” In the meantime, the 38-year-old driver has been told to relax and is only being allowed to stand up or lay down. When cleared, a physical therapy regimen is planned at the supervision of Dr. Adamson. “The best case scenario is to start Todd on a physical therapy program in two weeks after the surgery site has scarred over that will include stretching and strengthening exercises,” added Dr. Adamson. Todd and his wife, Lynn credit Denise Meeks, the BGN Medical Liaison for her help in coordinating Monday’s medical examination after their return from Miami. “Throughout the entire season, in both the NASCAR Busch and Winston Cup Series, we have had the pleasure of dealing with the NASCAR medical liaisons in the at-track care centers. They have made medical situations so much less trying and stressful for the competitors and our families. We cannot thank them enough for being there for us as well as NASCAR for putting them in place. It is a program that is greatly appreciated,” added Bodine.(Cox Marketing Group PR). NOTE: It is my understanding that if Haas-Carter Motorsports can find sponsorship and Todd Bodine is available to drive, he will be back in the #26 Ford.(11-22-2002)
