From Eighth in Points, Bodine Likes His Germain.com Tundra Team’s Chances at Climbing Higher in the Standings at Nashville on Friday Night 

- Bodine is the Reigning Truck Series Champion after earning his 2nd title in 201-
- Bodine is Third Driver in Truck Series History to Win Multiple Titles & Clinch Early
- Bodine Owns 21 Truck Series wins with Germain Racing and 36 NASCAR career wins
- He earned his first Nashville victory last year

April 19, 2011 (Mooresville, N.C.) - Nashville Superspeedway is a track where Todd Bodine and Germain Racing have always managed to be contenders. Until last year, they’d remained shut out of victory lane. With their guitar trophy on display at the team headquarters, the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra has nothing more to do this weekend...than try to win again at the concrete oval in Tennessee.

“Nashville is a fun track and, yes, mile and a half tracks are definitely our forte even though we still like short tracks. We know we can go to a mile and a half and win the race.  We need to get going and get caught up in points, so Nashville should be a great place for us to do that with the Germain.com Tundra,” explained Bodine.

The two-time Truck Series champion said that after the years of waiting for a Nashville victory, the return to the track after earning the coveted guitar trophy is still all about the business of winning again.

“I’ve always run well at Nashville and always loved going there, so it’s no different. I still want to win, that’s the reason we go to any race track,” said Bodine.

Winning might also be the reason he signs autographs at hockey games? During the off-weeks between Martinsville and Nashville, Bodine signed autographs at a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey game. At half time, he raced NASCAR driver Eddie MacDonald on beer coolers, and he won!

“I didn’t cheat! I just bump-drafted him and passed him,” smiled Bodine, who also installed a vinyl fence for his nephew in Florida during his downtime.

Bodine has competed in seven Truck Series events at Nashville and has scored six top-ten finishes, five top-five’s, two pole awards and one win. This Friday he’ll compete in his 170th Truck Series race when he fires up the Germain.com Tundra for the fourth race of the 2011 season. Bodine has 733 NASCAR career starts to date. After four races, Bodine ranks 8th in Truck Series standings, 28 points out of first place.

Watch Bodine in the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra on Friday, April 22nd, at Nashville Superspeedway. The action starts on SPEED with qualifying airing at 5:00 PM ET followed by racing at 8:00 PM—all on SPEED. Can’t get to a television? Tune your radio to your local MRN affiliate.

Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.

When shopping for your new or used car or truck, head directly to Germain.com to find the perfect vehicle or visit your local Germain dealer in Ohio, Florida, or Arkansas. Germain.com is part of Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with 21 dealerships and more than 60 years of experience.

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Jessica Germain and Matt Guth of Germain Motor Company Join AutoSmarts This Week

April 7, 2011 - NASCAR may not be racing on Sunday, but Auto Smarts as presented by Germain Cadillac is not taking the day off! Join hosts Dan "Boots" Longenette, Randy Rhinehart, Lex McAllister and Germain Honda GM Jessica Germain this and every Sunday from 10a-12n on 95.5 The Hawk and Wink 107.1! This week, the crew welcomes Germain Cadillac of Easton Service Advisor Matt Guth to the program. Matt will tell us why so many people choose Germain Cadillac to service their vehicles and how his co-workers go above and beyond to make sure they keep coming back! Get your dialing fingers ready! The Auto Smarts crew will be standing by to take your calls! Call 614-389-4044 or toll free at 855-786-0556! You can also email them by going to www.autosmartsradio.com. While you're there, check out the site and see all of the ways Auto Smarts as presented by Germain Cadillac can help you out when it comes to anything automotive! 

The Auto Smarts as presented by Germain Cadillac crew is very excited for Hour Two. The gang will welcome Michael Sacks of Kimmel and Silverman to the show this Sunday! Michael will take your calls and deliver his 1-800 Lemon Law Lemon Aid Minute live and in person from the Auto Smarts studio, high atop Germain Cadillac of Dublin! Jack Moser's weekly bustedfordrunkdriving.com feature will be one you don't want to miss and National Trail Racewayhoncho Mike Fornataro will check in with Bits from the Pits!

Contact Mike Austin/Randy Rhinehart at 614-389-4044  or randy@autosmarts4u.com

Mears’ Top-20 Run Plagued by Tire and Transmission Issues at Martinsville

Date: April 3, 2011

Event: Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (Round 6 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)

Start/Finish: 30th/ 36th (Running, completed 457 of 500 laps)

Drivers love and love to hate short tracks. Early in his career, Casey Mears enjoyed racing on the intermediate circuits more than the short ones but as the years progressed, those less than a mile in length have provided numerous highlights for the veteran driver. Entering Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Mears looked to insert another positive run in the history books.

For the first 296 laps, all went as planned for the GEICO Racing team as Mears successfully competed inside the top-25. Then, one short lap later, the bad luck struck the No. 13 Toyota Camry as Mears’ right-front tire blew forcing the team to pit under green and lose four laps to the leader. Misfortune plagued Mears once again with less than 150 laps until the checkered flag, when the transmission blew. Once changed in the garage area, the Gecko returned to the track and brought home a 36th-place finish at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval.

“It was a frustrating day,” said Mears. “Every time myself, (crew chief) Bootie (Barker), and the guys get the No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry handling well and in position to have a solid finish, something happens. First, we had the bead melt on the tire and then fourth gear blew out of the transmission. Bad luck seems to be following us but we will just keep moving forward, try to fix the issues, and head to Texas.”

Mears qualified his GEICO Racing Toyota Camry in the 30th position on Saturday afternoon, as the Germain Racing team was locked in the top-35 in owner point standings for the first time this season. As soon as the green flag waved on Sunday, Mears didn’t waste any time before making moves through the field. In the first 50 laps of green flag competition, Mears picked up 12 positions to 18th-place.

Solid pit stops by the GEICO crew, paired with Mears’ patience behind the wheel, set the stage for a top-20 finish as the race passed the halfway mark. On lap 297, Mears radioed to his team that his right-front tire had blew. The field stayed under green flag conditions while Mears brought his car to pit road, putting the team four laps down and running in 28th-place.

As Mears was clocking laps to complete the race and gain as many points as possible, the transmission blew on lap 359, causing the GEICO Toyota to come to the garage for repairs. In a short 37 laps, the team rapidly changed the transmission and had Mears back on the track for the final 100 circuits. Despite the Camry handling decent in final stretch, Mears crossed the finish line in the 36th position, completing 457 of 500 laps.

With the sixth of 36 races complete, Mears dropped two positions to 37th-place in the owner championship standings. He currently sits two points behind the locked-in top-35 marker.

Next Saturday, April 9, the Sprint Cup Series will head to Texas Motor Speedway for the Samsung Mobile 500 in Fort Worth. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on FOX.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com <http://www.geicogarage.com/>

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing <http://www.twitter.com/geicoracing>

Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing <http://www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing>

-PMI-

Contact: Samantha Jones, Player Management International

Email: sjones@pmifirm.com     Web Site:  www.pmifirm.com

Gaughan Survived Martinsville with Ninth-Place Finish

Mooresville, NC (04-03-2011) Brendan Gaughan steered the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra to a ninth-place finish after starting deep in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series field in Saturday afternoon’s Kroger 250. Gaughan qualified 31st, led seven laps and earned his third top-ten finish at the low-banked but high-action Martinsville Speedway. 

“The only time I ever have a good finish is if I start behind 30th-place. All my top-10s at Martinsville have come from 30th or worse in qualifying and it really drives me nuts because Germain Racing is giving me great Toyotas and this Tundra was very good,” said Gaughan, who correctly stated his results – both of his previous top-ten’s at Martinsville came from starting spots in the back of the field.

Gaughan loves to hate the Virginia track because the style of racing is frustrating for a driver who cut his teeth off-road – not on short, tight ovals. He admits that Martinsville got the better of him after qualifying on Saturday morning.

“I was mad in qualifying because I kept saying that the South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra was a good race truck and I just feel or I get all flustered here at Martinsville. I don’t feel like I’m good at it, but when the race comes, I’m fine,” explained the Las Vegas native.

After the completion of the 250 lap event, Gaughan and his crew wondered if he passed more vehicles than any one else out there on route to his ninth-place finish. According to NASCAR’s Loop Data, Gaughan ranked seventh. He passed 63 trucks under green flag conditions. The racer that passed the most actually overtook 80 race trucks under the green flag.

“Germain Racing gave me good stuff. I think we definitely got the deal for passing the most vehicles today because I know I went back to 25th at least three times,” exclaimed Gaughan, who had no complaints about the tires that many others were questioning. “I like the Goodyear tires. This reminded me of the old school tire where the tires wear out and that’s where I won my race is when you had tires that were old and worn out and sliding.”

All in all, Gaughan enjoyed his 250-lap Martinsville adventure. The ninth-place effort boosted him eight places to 13th in the Truck Series standings.

“Had a great time, had a great Martinsville race and came out of here with a top-10. This is what we needed to get ourselves back on track and I can’t believe I did it at Martinsville,” smiled Gaughan.

The next race for the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra is Nashville on April 22nd.

Gaughan holds eight Truck Series victories to go along with his two K&N Pro Series West championship titles. Follow Gaughan at www.BrendanGaughan.com or on Twitter @Brendan62.

Germain Racing has earned two championship titles in the Truck Series. The Toyota team owns 22 victories and 9 pole awards in the series that continues to grow ratings on SPEED. For more information on Germain Racing, visit www.GermainRacing.com or follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing.

About South Point…The South Point (http://www.SouthPointCasino.com) is a 2,200-room resort in Las Vegas, Nevada providing affordable luxury while catering to visitors and locals alike. This casino destination features a world-class spa, bowling center, eight restaurants, showroom, equestrian arena, convention center, exhibit hall, bingo and all of the casino games that made Las Vegas famous. The South Point opened in December 2005.

Bodine and Germain.com Crew Made Most of Martinsville Weekend

Mooresville, NC (04-04-2011) – Short track victories remain elusive for Germain Racing after another NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race weekend was completed at Martinsville Speedway. Todd Bodine qualified 15th in the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra and finished 14th, on the lead lap, with a Toyota that bore plenty of battle scars to tell the story of a rough and rugged day of half-mile racing.

“We had a good truck for Saturday’s race, but we got into the back of the 5 at the beginning of the race. That contact put the splitter up in the air, messed up cambers and killed the downforce on our Germain.com Tundra. If things had gone the right way, we were a top-five truck,” said Bodine, who finished 14th, on the lead lap, in the Kroger 250.

Bodine credits his team’s work for his respectable result, despite the significant damage to his Toyota Tundra.

“Pit strategy. Pit stops. Hard work by everyone and at times we got lucky. Some times we had better tires than some of the guys. A little of everything went into our finish, but mostly team work from this number 30 Germain Racing team,” said Bodine.

Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. says the weekend wasn’t a win, but, the team and driver efforts were second to none.

“The guys did a great job on pit road repairing the damage to make the truck the best it could be after being part of three cautions. Todd and the crew did the best they could do with the damage we had to work with. We can’t be too proud of the finish, but, I’m proud of the hard work and never-give-up attitude of this team. We’re ready to go to Nashville,” said Hillman.

The highlight of the day for Hillman was watching Germain Racing’s team performance.

“We had three of our four trucks in the top ten on Saturday. With the way Justin (Lofton) ran in practice and in qualifying, he was going to be good, too. It was awesome to watch our teammates race for the lead, lead laps and to see the strength of Germain Racing,” said Hillman Jr.

Bodine enjoyed watching the youth of the Truck Series competing in the top positions.

“The kids we have in the Truck Series this year are good and they’re going to be good all year. They grew up on short tracks, so I expected them to be tough on Saturday,” said Bodine.

After three of 25 races, Bodine ranks eighth in the Truck Series points standings. Germain Racing and Todd Bodine fire up the No. 30 Tundra next at Nashville Superspeedway on April 22nd.

Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.

When shopping for your new or used car or truck, head directly to Germain.com to find the perfect vehicle or visit your local Germain dealer in Ohio, Florida, or Arkansas. Germain.com is part of Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with 21 dealerships and more than 60 years of experience.

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Lofton's Competitive Run Ends Early in Martinsville

Justin Lofton and the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra team knew that they had an extremely competitive truck entering the Kroger 250 event weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Unfortunately, the tight racing quarters on the half-mile short track won out, after contact from a lapped truck ended their charge less than 20 laps into the race.

"It is disappointing for me and all of the guys on this No. 77 Germain Racing team. They built a strong truck. We knew after testing we were going to be a contender this weekend, and we proved that every time we got on track. I can only control how I race people, and it's unfortunate that some lapped trucks don't show a little more respect with the guys that are racing for the top-10," Lofton said.

There were two practice sessions at Martinsville on Friday and at the conclusion of each run, crew chief Ryan "Rudy" Fugle and Lofton proved their pairing was a fast one, with the No. 77 showing in the fourth position both times. The trend continued with qualifying on Saturday after Lofton wheeled his Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra into the eighth starting spot.

Once under the green flag for the 250-lap race, Lofton maintained the fast pace, racing near the front of the field. On lap 18 however, contact from a lapped truck sent Lofton hard into the turn 3 wall, causing heavy damage to his race truck. The team was forced to make prolonged repairs to the rear end of the No. 77 in the garage area, before sending Lofton back on track on lap 103, over 80 laps down.

Seven laps later, the yellow flag waved with Lofton reporting that the speed was still in the truck, and it was handling okay, despite the damage. At that time, Fugle informed the team that when it was time, they would have to take the truck to the garage area in order to change tires and add fuel, because of the damage to the fuel cell area on the truck.

On lap 137, the yellow, followed by a red flag, waved after a multi-truck wreck. Once the red was lifted, Lofton pulled into the garage for the inevitable fresh tires and fuel.

The second half of the race was uneventful for Lofton. Through the final stretch of the race, his only complaint was that a slight vibration had developed in the front end due to the rubber build-up from the tires. The checkered flag waved on lap 250 with the 25-year-old crossing the stripe in the 32nd position.

"The last half of that race was tough because we still had an extremely fast and competitive truck. I wanted to race with the leaders but the most important thing was to show them respect and finish out the race," Lofton added.

Lofton and the No. 77 team will next hit the track on April 22nd at the Nashville Superspeedway.

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________________________________

Amanda Brahler

Justin Lofton Media Relations

Email: mandy@justinloftoninc.com

LoftonRacing.com - twitter.com/jlracing

Climbing in the Truck Series Standings, Bodine and Crew Look Forward to Martinsville with Germain.com Tundra

• Bodine is Third Driver in Truck Series History to Win Multiple Titles, and Clinch Early
• Bodine Owns 21 Truck Series wins with Germain Racing and 36 NASCAR career wins
• His career-best finish at Martinsville is 2nd (2007, 2009)

March 30, 2011 (Mooresville, N.C.) - As Martinsville Speedway gets its turn on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule this weekend, Todd Bodine and the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team are looking forward to continuing to build on what they had at the Virginia short-track last fall when the Chemung, NY, native led 83 laps en route to a third-place finish.

“We finished third but we had a really good truck. I got out run on tires at the end—we had like 50 laps more on our tires than anybody. We understood that. It’s what we did to get track position and take a chance. We ran really well. It definitely helps this Germain.com Tundra team going back to Martinsville,” said Bodine.

The team seems to have the pieces put together. Bodine hopes this weekend could signal the end of Germain Racing’s nil in the win column in the short-track category.

“We’ve run well at Martinsville, just never got it done. The guys have done a great job putting a truck together that’s specific for Martinsville. Hopefully we can use it the best we can and finally get it done,” explained Bodine.

Bodine will race chassis GR-016. The truck is new to Germain Racing this year. It debuted in race number three as a No. 62 Tundra for teammate Gaughan.

“This week the guys have prepared GR-016 as the chassis for the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra. It will be our first time using the truck as a 30, but, we are confident it’s the best choice for the Martinsville race weekend. We learned a lot about Martinsville last fall, and certainly we hope to build on that this weekend,” said Hillman Jr.

Bodine has competed in 14 Truck Series events at Martinsville—he is one of many NASCAR drivers to have made their first career start at the track. This Saturday he’ll compete in his 169th Truck Series race when he fires up the Germain.com Tundra for the fourth race of the 2011 season. Bodine has 732 NASCAR career starts to date.

Watch Bodine in the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra on on Saturday, April 2nd, at Martinsville Speedway. The action starts on SPEED with practice airing at 2:00 PM ET on Friday. Qualifying is on air at 10:30 AM Saturday followed by racing at 2:00 PM—all on SPEED. Can’t get to a television? Tune your radio to your local MRN affiliate.

Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.

When shopping for your new or used car or truck, head directly to Germain.com to find the perfect vehicle or visit your local Germain dealer in Ohio, Florida, or Arkansas. Germain.com is part of Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with 21 dealerships and more than 60 years of experience.

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Germain Prepared for NKNPSE Season Opener at Greenville

NASCAR Night with Charlotte Bobcats and

Shriners Hospital Visit are Highlights Leading into Race Weekend

Mooresville, N.C. (03-23-2011) – This time last year, Zach Germain was looking forward to the start of his NASCAR racing career. The Columbus, OH, native, saw the Greenville-Pickens Speedway season debut as a test on so many levels. Now he looks forward to the kick off of his sophomore season with a sense of preparation and confidence. But, he still knows he and the No. 24 Germain Racing Camry team will be tested when the green flag waves on Saturday night.

“I was able to learn a ton in the ten K&N Pro Series races last year. There certainly is a difference between going into Greenville-Pickens Speedway last year and this year. Last year, I’d never raced this car or raced the track. That said, I think Greenville is going to be an all new experience for this No. 24 Germain Racing Camry team,” said Germain.

The goals have changed for the sophomore driver, who began last season focused on finishing races. This year, he and crew chief Jamie Jones expect top-ten performances.

“Our biggest goal this year it is to become a top-ten team. If we can do that, we’ve become successful. We need to practice in the top-ten, qualify and run in the top-ten. We saw in the off-season that we can run with the best teams, and, our goal is to do that every week this year,” said crew chief Jamie Jones.

Germain tested his new No. 24 Germain Racing Camry at Greenville last week. He realized then how the work he and his team did in the off-season, and the addition of NASCAR champion David Green to the spotter’s stand, have changed his vantage point leading into Saturday’s South Carolina race.

“Before we got to Greenville for the test, I had my ideas of what I expected. I had to laugh because it was still a new experience. I didn’t remember the track surface as being that rugged and, because my laps were much more aggressive than last season, our car was pretty loose off of turns two and four,” smiled the Miami University graduate. “There was some peer pressure there with so many other K&N Pro Series teams at the track for the test session, but, over the hundreds of laps we logged, I really got to see how I’ve changed as a driver.”

Green first worked with Germain in Phoenix last year.

“David has been great at helping me become more confident and aggressive. Last year, it was all about ‘defense.’ This year, we have our cautiously aggressive team motto, and, David helps me understand the different points when I should be thinking of passes and when I should not” said Germain.

Before Germain gets to see the Greenville fans again, he’ll make a couple other appearances. Wednesday night he will sign autographs at NASCAR Night at the Charlotte Bobcats game. On Friday morning, Germain will visit Shriners Hospital for Children—aside from the waving of the green flag on Saturday night, Germain considers this stop possibly the favorite part of his race weekend.

Zach Germain is on Twitter @ZachGermain and Facebook (facebook.com/pages/Zach-Germain-Racing/117537741607395). Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.

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Media Contact: Lori Smith, Germain Racing 704-651-0606 (M) or Lsmith@germain.com

Mooresville, N.C. (03-15-2011) – Saturday night, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took on the track Too Tough to Tame – Darlington Raceway. The South Carolina track is home to high speed racing and a fair share of run-in’s with the retaining walls. Brendan Gaughan hadn’t raced at the track in seven years, but, he says the return was all he expected – just not the result he wanted for the Germain Racing No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra.

“Darlington was everything I wanted. We were fast. We were a top-5 Tundra. I got spun early and drove back from 30^th place all the way up to eighth. The South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra passed everyone to do it. We had a great truck. The 62 team made great pit stop decisions,” said Gaughan, explaining everything that went right before the team’s Darlington luck came to a halt, resulting in a 25^th-place finish. “In the end, on a restart, someone brake-checked the field and me and two other trucks got the damage. It took us out of position with 20 to go and made me a spectator.”

Heading into the Darlington weekend, Gaughan and crew chief Bryan Berry decided to take a different approach to their practice strategy. The new strategy worked and Gaughan looks forward to seeing more improvements as the team fully adjusts to the new strategy.

“In first practice, we were 11^th quick. Our goal was to unload off the trailer and post a qualifying speed in our first run out. It’s a work in progress, but we went faster. We still improved our times as the practice session went on and the tires got older, but, we laid down some stronger lap times earlier in practice,” explained Gaughan.

The change in philosophy is one that Gaughan looks forward to continuing to embrace.

“I need to lay down faster laps early in practice. At Darlington, I didn’t stripe it on lap 2 and we went into practice and did what we needed to do. We had good practices. We aren’t sure why we weren’t better in qualifying, but that’s all part of the learning process in changing our practice strategy,” said Gaughan, who had wanted a much better qualifying position than the 23^rd spot that he earned. “I really thought we were better, but that isn’t what hurt us. We still had a great race in the South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra and we have a lot to build on for racing at Martinsville.”

The next race for Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Tundra is April 2^nd at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. Gaughan will participate in the track’s Grub-N-Rub ticket and hospitality package offered by SPEED. Saturday morning, Gaughan will be part of a breakfast with fans who have purchased the Grub-n-Rub package for the Martinsville race weekend.

Gaughan holds eight Truck Series victories to go along with his two K&N Pro Series West championship titles. Follow Gaughan at www.BrendanGaughan.com or on Twitter @Brendan62.

Germain Racing has earned two championship titles in the Truck Series. The Toyota team owns 22 victories and 9 pole awards in the series that continues to grow ratings on SPEED. For more information on Germain Racing, visit www.GermainRacing.com or follow the team on Twitter @GermainRacing.

About South Point…The South Point (http://www.SouthPointCasino.com) is a 2,200-room resort in Las Vegas, Nevada providing affordable luxury while catering to visitors and locals alike. This casino destination features a world-class spa, bowling center, eight restaurants, showroom, equestrian arena, convention center, exhibit hall, bingo and all of the casino games that made Las Vegas famous. The South Point opened in December 2005.

Mooresville, N.C. (03-15-2011) – Returning to the winner’s circle at Darlington Raceway was clearly the priority of the No. 30 Germain.com Tundra team and Germain Racing driver Todd Bodine. The team unloaded a chassis that ranked eighth in first practice and fourth after final practice. From a qualifying position of 12^th, Bodine set his sights on the front of the field and enjoyed the147-laps of Darlington’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race – with just a quick detour first.

“The truck was good. Unfortunately right there at the start, don’t really know what happened at the start of the race with the left front tire, but it was vibrating really bad so we elected to come in and change it. We had to start in the rear basically,” said Bodine of the unplanned pit stop too early in the night. “We had a great truck. The Germain.com Tundra did everything I needed it to do. That was a lot of fun racing like that. It was Darlington and she’s back --she’s tough underneath.”

Bodine says Darlington’s four year-old racing surface is slowly revealing some of the grit of years past, and the surface played into what was a very fun competition for the Truck Series drivers in Saturday’s race. Bodine faced a restart just three laps before the race was set to conclude. He was up against eventual race winner, Kasey Kahne, and veteran Truck Series racer and fellow champion, Ron Hornaday Jr.

“When you have a situation like that and the position I was in, running second, you want to win and you want to pass him. That’s what we’re all here for, but the way our season has been going, we had to get to the checkered flag. I gave it a shot and got sucked around, got loose and all that so we finished third. The main thing was just don’t wreck -- just don’t cause a wreck, don’t do something dumb. We’re all here being professionals trying to race and put on a show. We did and it was another great show in the Truck Series as usual. If you remember what I said earlier in the race day about the veterans and what’s going to happen at the end -- we were right there, the guys I said. Kasey (Kahne), Elliott (Sadler), Ron (Hornaday) and me. That’s typical Darlington,” said Bodine.

As excited as he was about the racing action and his team’s performance, Bodine was also beaming about Truck Series fans at Darlington.

“It was a great race. I am so happy for Darlington Raceway -- look at the crowd we got. This tells you what the Truck Series is about. These fans are hardcore, they came out here on a Saturday night just to watch trucks race,” smiled Bodine, who didn’t forget the folks watching SPEED at home, either. “Everybody at home -- we appreciate you watching. Trucks are the greatest race and I’m loving it.”

After three of 25 races, Bodine ranks seventh in the Truck Series points standings. Bodine races the No. 30 Tundra next at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA, on April 2^nd.

Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.

When shopping for your new or used car or truck, head directly to Germain.com to find the perfect vehicle or visit your local Germain dealer in Ohio, Florida, or Arkansas. Germain.com is part of Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with 21 dealerships and more than 60 years of experience.

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