Olympic Spotlight: NASCAR Driver Builds Bobsled

Bruce Rosselli was involved with bobsledding for nearly 20 years. He participated in the Decathalon. He also had a love of racing. He combined the two when he discovered bobsledding. When he began in the mid-1980s, he was not behind the wheel. "As a brakeman, and after about five or six crashes with someone else at the helm, I decided to control my own destiny," he said. As Rosselli gained more experience and won medals on the international scene, he crossed paths with NASCAR driver Jeff Bodine. Bodine became fascinated with the actual sled itself and built an early model. "That sled has evolved to be the fastest in the world, and they proved that last February at Lake Placid at the World Championships where we won the World Championship gold medal," Rosselli said. Both Bodine and Bruce share a love of speed. And when you are traveling on a sheet of ice at about ninety miles per hour, the rush is there. But as an alternate member of the Olympic team in Salt Lake City in 2002, Rosselli felt the rush of national pride. "To represent the united states post nine-eleven had a feel we will never experience again." This years bobsled group is led by Steve Holcomb, who Rosselli helped mentor in the past. He thinks the combination of the top driver and a Bodine sled, the chances for gold in Vancouver are better than ever.