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Basketball had Magic and Bird, now racing has Cody and Andy.

Cody Bauer, 15 of Farwell, and Andy Galgoci, 16, of Mt. Pleasant, are two friends who met on the track at the Mt. Pleasant Speedway and now are making a big jump together for the 2009 racing season.

Bauer began racing in the Stock Mini class at the Mt. Pleasant Speedway in the latter half of the 2005 season, while Galgoci made his debut in the same class in 2006. It was during practice for the 2006 season that the two teenagers met and became friends.

(Above) No. 19 UMP Modified Cody Bauer        (Above) No. 13 UMP Modified Andy Galgoci

Now with the 2009 season a mere days away from opening at Mt. Pleasant, the two friends are preparing to make the jump from the four cyclinders to the Chuck's Discount Foods UMP Modified class.

"I think it's cool and I can't wait," Galgoci said of the transition to the open-wheel class.

Both modified rookies enter the 2009 racing season with cars that have seen championships. Bauer is getting behind the wheel of the Tommie Bauer Excavating No. 19 Xtreme RaceCar that his father, Chad Bauer took to the 2008 Mt. Pleasant Speedway Michigan Modified track title, while Galgoci gets in the seat of the Galgoci Oil No. 13 Xtreme RaceCar, with which Rich Robinson Jr. won the 2008 Merritt Speedway track championship.

"It's going to be fun and we've both got really good cars this year," Bauer added.

In their short racing careers Bauer and Galgoci are used to the four cylinder cars, but both said they are ready for the challenge of a modified.

"It's actually easier handling wise," Galgoci said of the modified. "The modified is actually a racecar and is built to turn left, which makes it easier."

For Bauer the difference is in making decisions.

"You have to know what you're doing ahead of time with the modified," Bauer said. "You need good throttle control in these modifieds, you can't just put it to the floor coming out of the turn like in the four cylinders."

As their first night in a top-level racing class draws closer, Bauer and Galgoci are not setting their sights low for their rookie season.

"First I want to finish a race," Galgoci said with a laugh. "Then once we figure out what the cars can do, we'll go at it and try to win some races."

Bauer also expects to be competitive and by the end of the season he hopes to be a front-running car.

"I think we might struggle at the beginning of the season, but by mid-season I think we'll be doing pretty good," Bauer said. "I think a really good year this season would be a top 10 in a feature and in the points, that would be a really good season."

The one thing both Bauer and Galgoci said may hurt them as modified rookies is starting deep in the field.

"Starting in the back of the field and having to go through all that traffic and avoid wrecks might hurt us this season as rookies," Bauer said. "You have to react very fast and make the decisions on where to go."

Making those split second decisions should also get easier because the two drivers will also be driving at other race tracks such as I-96 and possibly even at the UMP Nationals in October at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

"We're going to get better," Galgoci said.

Both teenagers said the decision to move up to the modified class was made last season, when Bauer was in his only year racing in the Modified Mini Stock class, while Galgoci completed another year in the Stock Mini division.

"We talked to each other a lot about it last year," Bauer said. "It's definitley fun racing against each other."

"Last year when we split up (into different classes), it wasn't as fun because it wasn't Cody and I racing against each other," Galgoci said. "So then we got in the Modifieds and now it's exciting again."

While they are good friends off the track and often give each other advice about what they each think might work racing-wise, once the green flag drops the friendship stops.

"Even though Cody and I are good friends, it feels good to beat him because then I have one up on him until the next week and I'm sure Cody would say the same thing," Galgoci said. "Off the track we're always friends, but on the track he's just another car to beat."

In 2009 Bauer and Galgoci will not only be competing in the same class, but also figure to be two of the leading candidates in what is shaping up to be one of the best Modified rookie classes in Mt. Pleasant Speedway history. Along with Bauer and Galgoci, other Rookie of the Year candidates are 2006 Street Stock Champion No. 39 Chad Spencer, former Limited Late Model driver No. 9 Dale Kaake Jr. and 2008 Street Stock Rookie of the Year No. 25H Ray Hutson Jr.

"I think it would be an honor to win Rookie of the Year this season," Galgoci said. "It seems like just another award, but it's a great class of rookies this year. However, even if I did win the award I wouldn't say I was the best because bad luck can happen to anybody and it wouldn't take much to mix up the points. Also just having an award doesn't prove that you're the best, it's just a small step to being the best."

Bauer also would like to add the rookie award to his list of accomplishments.

"Winning Rookie of the Year would be a huge thing for me because there are a lot of new good drivers coming up to the Modified class this year," Bauer said.

In their short careers the two friends have already accomplished a great deal. For Bauer that list includes a 2006 Mt. Pleasant Speedway Stock Mini Championship, a second place finish by four points in the 2007 Stock Mini class, and a third place finish in the 2008 Modified Mini Stock class. For Galgoci the accomplishments are fourth place in the 2006 Stock Mini division, and third place finishes in both the 2007 and 2008 Stock Mini class seasons.

Now the two young guns are days away from adding another milestone - starting a UMP Modified race.

"There will be butterflies like crazy," Galgoci said of his feelings before the first race. "We'll probably have ulcers after the race, but I'm ready to get this feeling out of my system and get the racing started," Bauer said.

Those feelings of anxiousness are more apparent before the race than during.

"Waiting in line (to go onto the track) you have butterflies like crazy," Galgoci said. "But once you get onto the track it's all busines and you forget about everything but the driving."