Geoff Bodine's Bo-Dyn rocket is now golden...Olympic golden

  Olympic gold in Vancouver for Geoff Bodine (Photo: Geoff Bodine)
  

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   ATLANTA
   Geoff Bodine has won a lot of things in his career, including the Daytona 500.
   But Sunday's Olympic victory by the Americans in the four-man bobsled – a bobsled of Bodine's own design – was one of the best.
   "I'm humbled by it, I'm in awe of the experience," Bodine says, just returned from Vancouver.
     "I really haven't had time to sit down and think about what this means," the Greensboro, N.C., racer said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he is to run in this weekend's Truck race.
   "It is so cool to hang out with people from all around the world. A lot of head nodding; a lot of different languages. In the Olympics nobody boos, everybody cheers. It's incredible to be around that kind of environment."
  Sunday in Vancouver? "I was pretty calm watching the last run. I went down to the finish area, because I was pretty sure we'd win.  
   "Getting nervous never helps. Whatever happens happens.
   "I'm just very happy to give our American athletes an American-built bobsled.
     "Just to be part of the Olympics, knowing the whole country is cheering...and the whole world is watching," Bodine said.
  
  

  Geoff Bodine celebrates (Photo: Geoff Bodine)
  

   Bodine began his bobsled design project in 1992, under the Bo-Dyn logo. In this video short
http://bit.ly/cuFBO6 he talks about safety and bobsledding...and that death-defying crash at Daytona.
     "All the wind tunnel work has paid off," Bodine says. "So our bobsleds look different from the others. We have influenced bobsled design around the world. And bobsled people around the world like me; we've made it better for all the athletes."
   Bodine, remember, was a rather volatile character during his days on the NASCAR tour. He and the late Dale Earnhardt had a heck of a feud at one point, to where NASCAR boss Bill France Jr. had to call them both in to calm things down.
   Now though Bodine is semi-retired. It's been six years since he last raced here. But he still remembers setting the track qualifying record of 197.478 mph, 13 years ago: "That was a once in a life-time day. Oooh, you could feel that car want to break loose. It was way on the edge...but it felt so good."
    And now? "'I'm not retired....But I'm 60 years old, and it's hard for someone like me to get a (Cup) ride, because everyone thinks they need a young driver.
    "But I am not retired."

      

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   Geoff Bodine's Daytona 500 win, over Dale Earnhardt back when, was quite a thriller (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)