Nitro Funny Car driver Bobby Bode revealed to CompetitionPlus.com that he is bringing a slew of sponsors to support him at the Lucas Oil Nationals Aug. 14-17 in Brainerd, Minn.
Koch’s Hardware, based in Milaca, Minn., is going to be the primary sponsor on his family-owned Funny Car.
“It was really cool because (Koch’s) reached out to us,” Bode said. “They wanted to find out about doing something with us and we started talking for a while and then everything came together,” Bode said.
On Koch’s website – https://kochshardware.com/ – they dub themselves as ‘Your Home, Our Solutions.’ Your local hardware store since 1947.
Associate sponsors for Bode in Brainerd will be Zorbaz, Pros, Inc., Mielke Oil, and Mark’s Greenhouse and Floral.
“We will have a different body with a special scheme for all of the sponsors,” Bobby said. “It will still be a Mustang (body), but it will be our first race running it.”
Zorbaz on Gull Lake dubs itself a great Mexican and pizza joint with the lakes area’s best beer selection. Bode will have a meet and greet at 7 p.m. (CT), Aug. 14 at Zorbaz, which is located at 8105 Lost Lake Rd, Lake Shore, Minn.
“This is definitely a step up from last year with these sponsors coming onboard with us,” Bode said. “This (these sponsors) was really unexpected and then it all came all together. It came together through friends of friends and connections, and it came together for this. We have never had this many sponsors/partners on our car, which is really cool.
“The cool part is all these sponsors are all Minnesota and North Dakota based companies. They also are all just drag racing fans and it’s cool that I get to represent them, especially at a race like Brainerd.”
Brainerd has fond memories for the Bode family. Back on Aug. 15, 2010, Bob Bode, Bobby’s father, a part-time Funny Car driver on a limited budget, stunned the racing community by capturing an improbable victory at the Lucas Oil Nationals by defeating Jack Beckham out of the Don Schumacher Racing stable in the finals.
Bobby Bode’s best finish in nitro Funny Car was a runner-up finish in Houston in 2022, losing to Matt Hagan in the finals.
“Yeah, that would be really cool,” said Bobby about the possibility of winning a Wally in Brainerd like his father. “Every year we go there we always get the reminders when my dad won there which is really cool and I think we do have a chance to do pretty good. Brainerd is always one of those races that you know I feel like something magical always happens like last year when I had my first 330 mph (run).
“It seems like something unexpected happens there so it’s definitely my favorite race.”
Bobby, who is 23, also knows Brainerd is more than just another stop on the NHRA circuit.
What makes Brainerd International Raceway unique among other tracks on the NHRA circuit is its on-site camping, specifically, The Zoo campground, which has a reputation among drivers, teams and fans alike for being THE place to be at the end of race day.
With Live Music Thursday through Saturday, a spectacular fireworks display Saturday night, 24-hour food, a constant parade of Party-wagons, bonfires and shenanigans of all kinds, The Zoo is the only place to stay to really experience NHRA Nationals at BIR. It’s all good clean fun.
“Well, the atmosphere and the crowd, they’re all one of a kind,” Bobby said. “They are diehard racing fans, and you know they all like to have fun and yeah, definitely a crowd I like hanging out with. The Zoo will suck you in. You go there and plan to be there for an hour and you’ll be there for five. The goal is to go there Sunday after the race with the trophy.”
This season has been busier than ever for Bobby behind the wheel. He began the season by driving five races for NHRA nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel world champion Del Worsham’s team.
Bode drove Worsham’s Funny Car at the PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton (Fla.) Motorsports Park, Feb. 6-8. Then, he drove for Worsham at the NHRA national events in Gainesville, Fla., Phoenix, Pomona, Calif., and Las Vegas.
Then, Bobby got in the seat of his family’s Funny Car in Charlotte, Chicago and Norwalk, Ohio.
“It’s been a great year. I mean, just you know one of those cool surprises,” Bobby said about getting the call to drive for Worsham. “You know we were going to do our normal nine races with our car and then the whole deal with Del came together and it was really awesome. The thing it makes me feel like now though is that I’m only racing once a month. Now it feels way longer between races because I was so used to going earlier this year. We just kept going so now it’s a little slower pace, but you know it’s still fun.”
The opportunity to get behind the wheel for Worsham has helped Bobby on multiple levels.
“It was so much fun with someone like that, you know he has a great running car, and he recruited me to drive,” Bobby said. “The coolest part was just kind of picking his brain on some stuff that we could do better with our car that we didn’t even think about.
“So, we learned that certain stuff matters more than other stuff, so you know, focusing more of our attention on our car on certain areas, specifically in the clutch area. We learned a lot of stuff from him on how to make our car work consistently. It was just a really great experience, and I hope I get to race with him again at some point.”
Bobby acknowledged he still leans on Worsham for advice.
“We still talk every other week just to stay in touch, and that is really cool,” Bobby said. “We have a good relationship outside of the racetrack, which is awesome.”
