Industry leader Lucas Oil Products has assumed title sponsorship of the popular Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, the charity event that pits NASCAR pros against NHRA drivers to raise money for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project.

The fifth annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering will be staged Jan. 8-10 at the Olympic course on historic Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y. The brainchild of NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine, the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project is a collaborative effort between Bodine and Chassis Dynamics to make the best bobsleds in the world for U.S. athletes.

Industry leader Lucas Oil Products has assumed title sponsorship of the popular Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, the charity event that pits NASCAR pros against NHRA drivers to raise money for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project.

The fifth annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge presented by Whelen Engineering will be staged Jan. 8-10 at the Olympic course on historic Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y. The brainchild of NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine, the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project is a collaborative effort between Bodine and Chassis Dynamics to make the best bobsleds in the world for U.S. athletes.

"We've increased our involvement each year because you can immediately see the positive effect this has for our athletes," said NHRA Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas, the son of Lucas Oil founders Forrest and Charlotte Lucas. "Since Geoff started the Bo-Dyn Project, our bobsled teams have gone from the bottom of the pack to a world powerhouse that has contended and won medals at every world championship and Olympic Games ever since.

"Our commitment to Geoff and the Bo-Dyn project is a real source of pride for all of our employees and that feeling is only magnified because the Vancouver Olympic Games are coming up in February. Anything we can do to help our team win medals, we're there."

Each year, the Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge pits a team of NASCAR drivers against a group of NHRA pros. There are actually two events held over the weekend. The first features all of the participating drivers racing against the clock, regardless of their racing affiliation. The second lines up the best NHRA drivers against the top NASCAR pros.

Last year, Lucas won the NHRA vs. NASCAR race, while teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. had a third-place podium finish in the timed portion of the race. In the past, Lucas was the 2008 runner-up in the NHRA vs. NASCAR tilt and took silver in the 2007 timed race.

This year's event, which is free to attend, will take place in between Team USA training runs as the group prepares for Vancouver.

"We got a little taste of the top-level of the sport last year because they were holding the U.S. Nationals Bobsled Championships there at the same time we were making our runs," Lucas said. "They were going from the top of the course and hitting speeds of 85-90 mph. It was intense.

"The cool part was they were using the sleds from the Bo-Dyn Project and you could see how trick they were. Plus, all the athletes were so appreciative of what we were doing to help them out. It was pretty special to be a part of it all."

Rising NASCAR superstar Joey Logano was one of the first to volunteer for this year's event.

"Driving bobsleds is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done," Logano said. "It makes me feel great to support such a patriotic event, especially with this being an Olympic year. I'm excited to get back to Lake Placid."

On this year's NHRA squad, Coughlin, Shawn Langdon, and a yet-to-be-named driver will join Lucas. Colorful four-time world champion Gary Scelzi has committed to serve as color commentator for SPEED TV's annual coverage of the event.

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