By Jacob Hord, @HordRaceWatcher photo: Jacob Hord
For 24 years, Ken Bodkins #00 car was a mainstay at the front of the field, winning races all across the region, including the 1994 Brad Doty Classic. Going toe-to-toe with the likes of Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Rick Ferkel, Bob Weikert, and many more, Bodkins knew how to get the most out of his equipment and had a plethora of wheelmen piloting his car. Names like Brad Doty, Bud and Dean Jacobs, Ed Haudenschild, Rusty McClure, and Danny Smith showcased their talents with Bodkins. Doty even got his first career Sprint Car win with Bodkins.
After getting out of the sport in 1996, the now 75 year-old Bodkins has decided it’s time to get back into the Sprint Car game. Ohio Dirt’s Jacob Hord spent the afternoon with Bodkins at his shop to talk about the past, present and future.
Bodkins ownership career didn’t start on dirt, though. He drag raced for ten years before building a motor for a modified sprint car.
“The guy wouldn’t pay me until I went to the races and made sure the motor ran. Within two or three months, I had a sprint car and sold my drag car,” said Bodkins.
“Our first driver was Roger Rush, who was a modified driver and this was his first sprint car ride. He did alright, and didn’t crash a lot.”
Bodkins continued, “Then we got Brad Doty to race for us, and he got his first win with us in 1978. He was the hardest worker I’ve ever met. He just wanted to race and wanted to win. We ended up parting ways, which was a really sad thing to do, because we really liked him. It’s just something that had to be done, we were out of money and had nothing to race on.”
It didn’t take long for ‘Speed’ Bodkins to get more recognizable names in his car.
“Then we started racing with the Jacobs boys, and then Eddie Haudenschild drove for me. He was a very good driver, he didn’t crash a lot, not like Jac at all. Jac was a go-getter and Eddie was conservative. Then we had Rusty McClure and Jim Leaser.
“Dean Jacobs was the best I had, as far as a racer. He didn’t crash a lot, he did really good, and we got along well. We were good with each other, his mom and dad were good to us, and we’d have dinner together. It was very enjoyable with Dean.”
After Dean’s stint, Danny Smith took the helm for Bodkins and the pair found lots of success.
“Experience makes a difference, and Danny forever was racing since he was 16 years-old. To win the Brad Doty Classic with Brad having won his first race in my car was very enjoyable.”
Twenty-four years as a car owner is a long time, especially when you could be racing 130+ times a year. Things start to get neglected and money can be an issue.
“It was just time,” said Bodkins about getting out of car ownership.
That didn’t keep Ken from the track, though. He would often go and visit and talk with old friends. The passion for racing never died out in him, which is why after 25 years, Bodkins is returning as a car owner in the familiar #00 car. Bodkins bought a car off of Rick Ferkel, got some parts off of Kenny Clark, Griff’s Engines, Kear’s, Kistlers, and others. Naturally, he is looking for sponsorship, but at this point, he can do things on his own.
“We won’t get very far,” Bodkins said with a laugh, “Just some local stuff, but that’s all we want to do. It’s a decent car, but it’s the same motor we had when we won the Doty in 1994. So we’re a little short on horsepower, but I’m not afraid of that one bit.”
Bodkins added that although he has plenty of experience, he isn’t sure how far that will go in today’s racing. Bodkins said that Brian Kemenah, crew chief for Cale Conley, offered to help a little bit.
“I like that, and I appreciate that very much. And I know Paul [Kistler] and Gary Griffith will step up if I need it.”
Bodkins plans to keep it local for the 2020 season, once things get rolling. Steady doses of Attica Raceway Park and Wayne County Speedway are in the cards, with an occasional trip to Fremont Speedway and Atomic Speedway possible too.
While Bodkins is searching for a driver, he has an idea of what kind of driver he wants.
“I don’t want to raise a driver, you couldn’t bring enough money for me to do that,” he said with a chuckle. Bodkins would elaborate, “I don’t want someone who hasn’t been in a Sprint Car before. I’ve talked to some guys, but they have families and want to spend time with them, and I understand that. It’s something I wish I had done.”
Returning to the sport after so long will have its challenges, and Bodkins recognizes that, but he is confident that he will be able to compete with Ohio’s best.
“I’m not afraid to race anyone, but we’ve gained 200 horsepower, the cars are better, the tires are better,” said Bodkins. “Most of the time, it isn’t the car that wins, it’s the driver and setup. I’ve won races years ago with a lot less. I pride myself on being able to win with knowledge and not horsepower. We have a car that I’m happy with.”
If things go well, you can expect to see the #00 car make it’s return in about a month. One race that’s circled is the Brad Doty Classic at Attica Raceway Park in July.
“‘One More Time’ is the name of the car, we’re doing this one more time.”