Bobsledders Get a Hand from NASCAR

Now that the NASCAR season has come to an end (congrats to champ Tony Stewart!), what do the gearheads do in the offseason besides preparing for next year's campaign? How about a little bobsledding (from Jayski):

NASCAR helps USA Bobsled Team to early season success: After the first two stops on the FIBT World Cup bobsled season in Calgary, Canada and Lake Placid, N.Y., the United States bobsled teams have achieved startling results with help from NASCAR. In six total races spanning women's bobsled as well as two and four-man bobsled events, the United States has captured one gold, four silver and two bronze medals. That's seven medals out of 18 that have been distributed to date. Another startling factor is that four different American drivers have won those medals. In addition, never before has the U.S. had two different men on the podium at one time in a World Cup until recently at the Verizon Sports Complex in Lake Placid when the men took silver and bronze medals in the two-man race. The United States has three women's bobsled athletes in the top five of the World Cup standings and three U.S. men's sleds in the top 10 of the World Cup. As a result, the team has moved to the head of the leaderboard in Nations points.

This early success is being impacted by a combination of factors. "We have superior athletes who are peaking for the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy," said Geoff Bodine, a former NASCAR driver who started building Made In America U.S. team sleds in 1992. "And on top of that, my sled design guys, Chassis Dynamics, have built some great sleds. The guys at Chassis Dynamics knew this new design was going to be fast even before it hit the ice during the national team trials in October." To continue America's drive to the podium, Bodine is hosting a fundraiser for his Bodine Bobsled Project. This event will involve 10 NASCAR drivers piloting specially-made bobsleds in Lake Placid January 5-7, 2006 at the Verizon Sports Complex, site of the 2003 and 2009 FIBT World Bobsled Championships. According to Bodine, "The sleds my colleagues will be driving will look exactly like our Bodine-designed sleds on the FIBT World Cup tour. After testing a sled on November 8 in Lake Placid, the guys are going to love the speed and thrill of the bobsled."

Many drivers have lent their name to the event, but it is still to be determined who will compete. Boris Said is one driver who has roots in bobsledding and is confirmed in Lake Placid. His father, Bob Said, was a bobsled driver in the 1968 and 1972 Winter Games. Said describes bobsledding as, "the greatest thrill I have ever had without an engine." Other drivers who have indicated to Bodine their desire to attend if their schedules permit are Cup winner Stewart, Todd Bodine, Ken Schrader, Kyle Petty, Randy LaJoie, Kevin Lepage, Debra Renshaw and Steve Park. For more information on the Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, go to the www.bodinebobsled.com. The next FIBT World Cup event on the circuit takes place Dec. 9-11 in Innsbruck, Austria, site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Games. All events are covered on Speed Channel.(12-3-2005)

I don't think you'll see any beer ads on the sides of the sleds, but I guarantee you they'll be fast.