Team BelCar Racing (2003) Car/Make No. 54 Ford (2003) Sponsor National Guard (2003) Crew Chief Gary Cogswell (2003)
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	35	20*
Wins	0	0
Top 5	0	7
Top 10	1	21
DNFs	9	62
Top Finish	8	3
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: Bodine bounced back from a disjointed season in 2002 -- when he ran only 24 races after Kmart filed for bankruptcy and pulled its sponsorship at the beginning of the season -- to race in all but one event in 2003. He qualified for 35 events this past season, failing only to make the field for the fall Talladega race. While he had only one top-10 finish, he did have 12 other top-20 showings, which was encouraging.

The bad: Statistically, it was a struggle in 2003 for Bodine, who had seven finishes of 40th or worse, a full one-fifth of his season, including two last-place showings, all part of his nine DNFs. And then, after the National Guard pulled its sponsorship in favor of moving to Greg Biffle's No. 16 Ford for the upcoming season, BelCar Racing announced last week it was becoming a dormant team, leaving Bodine free to pursue another deal. However, at this late stage in the offseason, his options are few. Rumor has Travis Carter working on forming another Cup team with Bodine as the driver.

Key stat: Despite his on-track struggles, Bodine earned more money in 2003 than he ever has in his career, taking home $2,521,720, which far surpassed his previous high of $1.8 million earned in 2002.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Because his season and job prospects are in limbo, it's uncertain how or where Bodine will end up. Given how late it is in the offseason, odds are he'll probably race for Travis Carter again if a deal and funding can be worked out. He'll also likely continue racing in the Busch Series, where he finished 17th, racing in just 22 of 34 events, this past season.

Key change: With so many unanswered questions, plus the fact that he'll need a new crew chief even if Carter is able to put together a team for 2004, it's hard to pick out any one area where Bodine needs to have special emphasis. Given the circumstances and uncertainty he currently is facing, if Bodine even HAS a full-time Cup ride this coming season, it'll be a major accomplishment. If he pulls that off, everything after that will be gravy.

Guarantee: With the uncertainty he's facing when it comes to Cup racing, about the only thing close to a guarantee for Bodine in 2004 is he'll likely try to run close to a full-time schedule in the Busch Series if he's shut out of the Cup side of things.

Prediction: If Carter can put together a Cup team for 2004 and Bodine drives for it, and if adequate funding is found, Bodine should likely finish in the top-30. But if funding is a struggle, his performance might be as slight as his lack of sponsorship.

Did you know: Bodine is not one to be superstitious. He considers Friday the 13th his lucky day. In fact, he married wife Linda on Friday, Nov. 13, 1987.

Your take
Will Bodine be able to find a ride for 2004, or will Travis Carter once again come to his rescue with another newly-formed team? Or will Bodine spend the first season of the new Nextel Cup Series on the outside looking in? Here are your thoughts on Bodine's prospects for 2004.