Wood Brothers Racing
Encyclopedia
Wood Brothers Racing is an American auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. The team was formed in 1950 by the sons of Walter and Ada Wood, thus the Wood Brothers. The Wood Brothers merged with Tad and Jodi Geschickter's JTG Racing in 2006 to increase their competitiveness and bring about sponsorship but separated for the 2008 season. The Wood Brothers Racing Team holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR, having fielded cars since 1950. They are known for their long relationship with Ford Motor Company
, and the long standing use of number 21 on their main car, with gold coloured decals. For the 2011 NASCAR
Sprint Cup season, the Wood Brothers car #21 is the Motorcraft
Ford Fusion part-time entry, driven by Trevor Bayne
. Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500
, bringing the Wood Brothers their first victory since 2001, and becoming the youngest driver ever win the Daytona 500 at the age of 20 years and one day.
of Southwest Virginia. Walter and Ada Wood owned a family farm between Woolwine and Stuart, Virginia
. They had five sons (Glen, Leonard, Delano, Clay, and Ray Lee) and one daughter (Crystal). The sons worked with their father as mechanics, farmers, and lumbermen. Glen Wood cut timber and hauled lumber to local sawmills. The boys had a talent for auto mechanics and spent much time at their father's garage. With each brother serving as a mechanic, they formed a stock car racing team. Curtis Turner
, a local sawmill operator from nearby Floyd, Virginia
, inspired them. Turner became a champion racecar driver with a "win or crash" style and later was co-owner of Charlotte Motor Speedway
. Coincidentally, Turner would later drive for the Wood Brothers.
In the early 1950s, none of the Wood boys wanted to drive, so they had fellow lumberman, Chris Williams, of nearby Stuart, as their driver. In the early days of stock car racing, teams drove their cars to the track, raced them, and drove them home. Williams and the Wood Brothers bought their first car for $50, inspiring them to number their car #50, many years before they adopted their famous #21.
Chris Williams and Glen Wood each drove a few races. The team consisted of Williams, some of his brothers, and the Wood boys. They became successful, winning races at Bowman Gray Stadium
in Winston-Salem, NC, and Martinsville Speedway
in Martinsville, Virginia
.
Shortly after their early success, Chris Williams sold his share of the team to Glen Wood to focus on his lumber business. To fill team slots, the Wood Brothers enlisted help from Stuart area friends and neighbors including Ralph Edwards, a Wood cousin.
Over the early years, the Wood Brothers Racing Team evolved from a weekend hobby into a full-time business. Glen and Leonard worked full-time building and preparing cars, while the other brothers and crew worked nights and weekends apart from their regular jobs. Their first permanent racing shop was at the town limits of Stuart, Va.
The team adopted the #21 permanently, and would become as notorious as any number in NASCAR history (along with the Petty #43 and Earnhardt #3). The Wood Brothers also found themselves lured to the big-ticket cash prizes offered by the growing Superspeedway races in cities such as Daytona, Fla.; Charlotte, NC ; and Darlington, SC. Glen Wood soon stepped out from behind the wheel of the #21 Ford, and they began hiring drivers with reputations as winners at the different tracks.
The team soon began competing on the highest levels of the sport. Victories were won with the mechanical genius of the team of brothers, relatives, and friends. Leonard Wood's talent in the engine department soon brought the team acclaim and was second in the early years only to the fabled Holman-Moody engine juggernaut and the Petty racing dynasty of Lee Petty
and son Richard Petty
.
As other teams noticed that the Wood Brothers were winning races due to their efficient pit stops, these competitors soon copied the Wood method. Not content with being innovators, the Wood team practiced and perfected the pit stop as a form of acrobatic, mechanical, ballet which gave them still further advantage over their competitors.
Other racing organizations noticed the pit stop innovations of the Wood Brothers. In 1965, the Wood Brothers team was hired to act as the Lotus-Ford pit crew at the Indianapolis 500
, a race won by the Lotus-Ford of Jim Clark
.
and many other media of the day. Their rosters of drivers soon became second to none, and their victories were only matched by Richard Petty in the famed #43 STP car.
The Wood Brothers signed a long-term sponsorship agreement with Purolator
to be their primary sponsor on the #21 car. Their drivers prior to and during this era had included a "Who's Who" of the best in stock car racing. Among those driving for the Wood team through the mid-1960s were Curtis Turner
, Marvin Panch
, Fireball Roberts
, Parnelli Jones
, Tiny Lund
, Junior Johnson
, Speedy Thompson
, Fred Lorenzen
, and Cale Yarborough
.
Open-wheel star driver Dan Gurney
, who enjoyed popular victories in Indy and Formula One
racing, was hired by the Wood Brothers to drive in select events. The Gurney-Wood combination proved unbeatable, and they dominated the early road courses on the NASCAR circuit by winning every race in which Gurney drove for the Woods. This streak included the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California, in which Gurney won in the Woods' car 121 in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968. (Gurney also won the inaugural Motor Trend 500 in 1963, driving a Ford prepared by Wood Brothers rivals Holman-Moody.)
By the 1968 season, the Wood Brothers earned over $160,000 in winnings for the single season, a staggering amount of winning for that period in any form of auto racing. In those years, the Wood Brothers also entered a second car in select events (under the number 121); and entered a total of three cars in at least one race.
and open-wheel Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt also took turns piloting the Wood car.
The team personnel in the Wood shop began to shift as the team raced in more events and traveled greater distances. Glen Wood
emerged as the leader and patriarch of the team. Glen's young sons Eddie Wood
and Len Wood also began working at the shop in menial labor jobs. Brother Delano Wood had evolved into one of the greatest pit crew members, and his skill as a jack man is incomparable even today. Other family friends soon joined the team, including Cecil Wilson
from neighboring Lawsonville, North Carolina
.
In 1972, David Pearson was hired to be the full-time driver of the #21. This choice would pave the way for one of the most successful strings of victory in motorsports history. Pearson would continue to drive the car from 1972 through 1979. In only seven years, the team entered 143 races and amassed a staggering 46 victories and 51 pole positions. Their race winnings surpassed $1.3 million during this seven-year period with Pearson driving.
at Daytona International Speedway
; plus the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
; and the Southern 500
at Darlington Raceway
. All of this was accomplished during the 1976 season.
Due to their incredible success and their qualities as role models and Ambassadors of the sport, the Wood Brothers were invited to the White House
in the late 1970s at the request of President Jimmy Carter
. The occasion made history for these brothers and friends from the small town of Stuart, Virginia.
As NASCAR itself gained prominence as an emerging sport, the Wood team was soon hailed as tops in their field. They were frequently toasted by and compared to their peers in other sports of the day, including baseball legend Reggie Jackson
; football stars Terry Bradshaw
and Franco Harris
; and basketball greats such as Julius Erving
and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
.
Due to growth and demand, the #21 team vacated its former shop for a new home located at the junction of Dobyns Road and Mayo Court in Stuart, Virginia. This would be the team's home base shop for many years to come.
from Hueytown, Alabama
. Bonnett was a member of the "Alabama Gang" which included driving stars Donnie Allison
, Bobby Allison
, and would later include Davey Allison
and Hut Stricklin
.
Bonnett and the Wood team had a successful relationship, lasting only three and a half seasons and 83 races. This period would include nine victories and over $700,000 in winnings. During the "Bonnett Years," the Wood Brothers long term sponsorship by Purolator would come to an end, marking one of the most enduring and synonymous sponsorships in the history of NASCAR.
The #21 was then sponsored by a company called National Engineer, a California-based company focused on research and development for multiple industries. National Engineering was owned by the flamboyant Warner Hodgdon, who proudly had his name placed on the #21 as the primary sponsor. The Hodgdon sponsorship was believed to have been one of the richest deals of its time in NASCAR racing, thus confirming the Wood's status as leaders in the sport.
Within the team itself, many of the original members had retired from racing. Original team members and brothers Clay Wood and Ray Lee Wood had stepped down years earlier, and focused more on their families and other jobs in their native Patrick County.
As the number of race events increased and the full-time work of running a team grew each season, the Wood Brothers hired younger team members to fill the gaps. Among these were Jimmy Edwards
, who was the son of original crew member and Wood cousin Ralph Edwards
. Other new faces include Curtis Quesinberry and Hylton Tatum of Stuart; and another young Wood relative named Butch Moricle. Other new personnel were drawn from surrounding cities such as Danville, Virginia
, and Roanoke, Virginia
.
Also gaining an important role during these years was a young Kim Wood
, the only daughter of Glen and Bernece Wood. While still in high school, Kim began handling administrative duties for the team, and would assist her mother in juggling secretarial duties, travel arrangements, and the business side of running the team.
's Wide World of Sports
, to full-time coverage of the Daytona 500 by CBS
and the full-time live broadcast of races by emerging cable networks such as ESPN
and WTBS. NASCAR also obtained permanent corporate sponsorship for the series from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
, and the sport's top-level series was changed from Grand National Division to the Winston Cup Series. The company's founder, R.J. Reynolds, had been born and raised in Patrick County, only a few miles from the Wood Brothers team itself.
This period also marked the first-ever quest for points championships by most teams. Since the 1950s many teams had run only select races. Now, however, in order to compete for the series title and its large cash prize, teams would be required to compete in all events in a scheduled season.
The Wood Brothers decided to make the leap to running a full-time schedule. This added enormous work to the team, and required further commitment of time, money, and manpower. This new commitment also saw the departure of Warner Hodgdon and National Engineering as a sponsor, and the Wood Brothers brought Valvoline on board as their chief patron.
In 1983, legendary driver Buddy Baker was hired to replace a departing Neil Bonnett in the #21 car. Baker and the Woods struggled for the first time in many years, only lasting two seasons together. During this time, they would capture victory at the Firecracker 400 July 4 race at Daytona International Speedway.
Baker and the Woods soon parted company, along with sponsor Valvoline, and international star driver Bobby Rahal from the Indy-car series would briefly fill Baker's vacant seat for one race.
, the grandson of legendary Lee Petty and son of series-dominator Richard Petty, was hired to drive the Wood car full time. This formed a unique union between the two most successful racing families in NASCAR history.
This also marked the first addition of a new sponsor to the Wood Brothers team. A trio of corporate sponsors consisting of 7-Eleven
, Citgo
, and Chief Auto Parts
were brought on board with the Wood Brothers and Petty for the 1985 season. As part of their marketing strategy, the Wood Brothers were required to relinquish their world-famous #21 car number and adopt the #7 in favor of 7-Eleven's brand sponsorship. This caused a major discourse with fans of the Wood team, who knew the #21 as synonymous with the legendary team from Virginia.
This period also marked the emergence of the second generation of Wood Brothers, Eddie and Len, who had increased their responsibilities with the team over the years. They were now effectively calling the shots on race day for the team, and an "anything goes" attitude was welcomed within the team.
Many of the older team members had retired by this period, including original member and brother Delano Wood. Delano retired to focus on his emerging importance in his highly successful lumber business. He also sought more time at home with his family and his church, as most races were run on Sunday and it provided little time for regular worship and church attendance with his family.
With an increasingly young team, a young driver, and a new sponsor, the Wood Brothers were trying to recapture their past glory. As time marched on through the 1970s until the 80s, many of the cutting-edge innovations pioneered by the Wood team had been discovered or outright copied by other teams. Thus, the Woods' competitive edge had been dulled by other teams taking advantage of the Wood innovations. Therefore, the Wood Brothers were enjoying a unique time of rebirth for the fabled NASCAR legends.
With Kyle Petty in the seat, the Wood Brothers Ford would find victory in their second season together, 1986, at Richmond International Raceway
in Richmond, Virginia
. The next year, 1987, the team won the Coca-Cola 600
at Charolotte Motor Speedway. Just as the Petty-Wood relationship was beginning to bear fruit, Kyle Petty found himself lured to a new team, SABCO Racing, owned by the wealthy Felix Sabates
. Unable to refuse the lucrative offer, Petty left the Wood Brothers after three seasons and 87 races together. The Woods' winnings during this two-victory period surpassed $1 million for only three seasons.
, the Wood Brothers hired their former driver Neil Bonnett to pilot the Wood car once again. This reunion was hailed as the possible cure for the Woods' launch back to the top of the sport. Both Bonnett and the Wood team were optimistic about the future, and the chemistry from earlier success still seemed evident.
Unfortunately, after only 31 races together in only one full season and the start of a second, Bonnett suffered serious injuries in a crash at Darlington Raceway
. This left Bonnett questioning the ability to race again, and left the Wood team with an empty seat, to be filled by Dale Jarrett
.
The sponsorship shuffle had become commonplace during this period in all NASCAR teams. As Fortune 500
companies and other top names were taking notice of the massive value of NASCAR sponsorship, names like Pepsi
, Mello Yello
, Ford Motorcraft, and Procter & Gamble
had signed big-dollar sponsorship deals with the top teams in the sport.
The Wood Brothers switched back to the legendary #21 which had been synonymous with the Woods since their early days. This was effected partially due to the loss of 7-Eleven as their primary sponsor, and the elevation of Citgo Petroleum from secondary to primary sponsorship placement with the team.
The face of the sport itself was changing too. Along with the full schedule and championship points races, a new breed of drivers such as Darrell Waltrip
, Dale Earnhardt
, Ricky Rudd
, Terry Labonte
, and Geoff Bodine
had already become powerful stars and champions. This era saw young guns like Davey Allison
, Ward Burton
, Jeff Burton
, Jeff Gordon
, and Bobby Labonte
were emerging as the future of the sport as they worked up through the lower-ranked Busch Grand National Series.
New technologies and innovations began to dominate the sport too. NASCAR teams were quickly being run like corporations and sports franchises, with names like Hendrick Motorsports
, Roush Fenway Racing, SABCO, Larry Hedrick Motorsports
, and Robert Yates Racing taking the dominance from Junior Johnson
and the Petty team.
In efforts to keep up with the growth of NASCAR, the Wood Brothers continued to add more employees, and assigned some personnel as shop employees and others as race-day crew members. The additions of team members like Bennie Belcher, Butch Mitchell, and outside engine builder Tommy Turner were bringing the Wood team online with others in NASCAR.
, the Wood Brothers were back in the #21 Ford with Citgo as a sponsor. The early season loss of Neil Bonnett required a replacement driver. Eddie and Len Wood turned to old-time friend Dale Jarrett to take his rightful shot at the Winston Cup Series. Dale Jarrett was the son of former NASCAR champion and broadcaster Ned Jarrett, and had grown up in the sport with the Wood boys.
The choice of Jarrett would prove brilliant. In their first full season together in 1991
, Dale Jarrett would bring the Wood Brothers #21 to victory at Michigan, narrowly edging out Davey Allison by inches in one of the closest wins in NASCAR history. The Wood team proved it still had what it took to win. More importantly, it would provide Jarrett with his first win and as a launching pad into one of the most successful careers in NASCAR's modern era.
The Michigan victory supported a unique record for the Wood team. Every single rookie driver who had ever driven for them for at least a full season had scored at least one victory in the Wood car. More impressive was the fact that every driver to have driven for the Wood Brothers for a full season from 1953-2002 had won at least one race behind their wheel (although in one case, the win did not come in an official Cup Series race).
The Wood-Jarrett combination was widely considered to be as bright a future as any team in NASCAR's future; however, Jarrett was soon lured away by Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs
who formed a new team with the finances to entice Jarrett to leave the #21. This new ride would earn Jarrett his first Daytona 500 win with Gibbs.
Although Jarrett's time in the #21 was limited, lasting only for 53 races over two seasons, it produced one victory and over $600,000 in winnings. It also cemented the fact that the Wood Brothers team was one of the best in NASCAR for breeding future superstars.
to fill the seat in the 1992
season. Shepherd had been a solid, dependable finisher in the top series for most of his career and was a serious championship contender. With his consistent top finishes, Shepherd would provide strength as the team continued to adapt to the growing sport.
This new decade would seem unfathomable changes in NASCAR. A greater focus on new technology and sciences began to take hold. Engineers were now the norm, and the race-day teams often trained like professional athletes. Many teams even employed pro athletes to service their cars during pit stops.
The cost of racing grew exponentially, and its appeal doubled every year. NASCAR was now televised live internationally, and was as popular as "stick and ball sports" with fans and advertisers.
Within the team itself, crew member turnover became frequent as Eddie and Len sought a perfect combination of chemistry to succeed. New members from nearby Mount Airy, North Carolina
such as Rick Simmons and Mike "Andretti" Smith were added to the team. Paint and Body men Terry Hill
and Chris Martin
were hired, and longtime members Butch Moricle, Butch Mitchell, Hylton Tatum, and Cecil Wilson
had become veterans on the team.
Glen Wood’s daughter Kim Wood had also emerged as a competent leader in her specialty with the team as well. In addition to running the business administrative aspects of the team, she was a "one woman show" that handled all booking, reservations, accommodations, travel, and financial matters for the team. At a time when teams Richard Childress Racing employed a full-time staff of a dozen administrative workers, Kim proved as much a professional in this field as her brothers were in the mechanical and competitive aspects of the team.
Kim Wood had married crew member Terry Hall, and became Kim Wood Hall by this time. Her husband Terry was a vital member of the team who served as general mechanic and truck driver. Terry had replaced the legendary Delano Wood as jack man on the race day crew, after Delano's retirement several years earlier. Terry Hall was from Mount Airy, NC, and provided a gateway to recruiting many new members of the team from his ties to that area.
The #21 team continued many experiments and changes to again innovate the sport they helped build. They had been outsourcing much of their engine work, and during this period had contracted with Robert Yates Racing in an agreement to provide engine parts for the #21. They also began weight training routines for crew members and increasing their application of technology in their race day competition.
Always the innovators in pit stops, the Wood team continued to practice and seek new improvements in their race day pit skills. The team also employed wide use of computers for the set up and timing of each car. Hiring race day specialists such as spotter Chuck Joyce; and part-time scorers/timers, the team was on the cutting edge of competition development.
It was in this period of the early 1990s that Eddie Wood, Len Wood, and Kim Wood Hall each took an ownership position in the team. For several years, the team had been owned by The Glen Wood Company, with patriarch Glen controlling the team's destiny. Longtime co-founder and crew chief Leonard Wood had stepped down as crew chief many years earlier, and Eddie Wood had become official crew chief of the #21 Ford.
Morgan Shepherd would do very well with the #21 Citgo team, and would provide consistent finishes in all four seasons he ran for the Wood Brothers. They enjoyed 52 Top Ten finishes and over $4 million in earnings in their time together. Their one and only victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway
in March 1993, a race that was delayed six days because of a snow storm in the Atlanta area the previous weekend, and provided a much-needed boost for the team who had suffered a drought since Jarrett's victory at Michigan.
season upon them, the Woods sought a younger driver to fill the seat of the #21 Ford. As Shepherd was approaching retirement age, and a youth trend had risen with hot drivers like Jeff Gordon, the team was looking to ride a similar wave. They parted ways with Shepherd and welcomed Michael Waltrip
, the younger brother of three-time series champion and legend Darrell Waltrip.
Although they produced no official regular-season victory, the Wood Brothers and Waltrip pulled off an amazing win at the 1996 Winston Select All-Star race. This contest is arguably one of the most difficult challenges in NASCAR, pitting the best against the best in a true old-style shootout between NASCAR's most elite drivers. In their first season with Waltrip, the Wood team brought home the victory that night in a stunning display of team excellence that secured a $200,000 purse for the race.
In Waltrip's three-season, 95-race tenure with the Woods, they would amass over $3.7 million in winnings.
season, the Wood Brothers brought in Elliott Sadler
to replace a departing Michael Waltrip. Like the Woods, Sadler was a Virginia native whose family had been involved in racing for many years. Sadler represented a young, talented Rookie looking to make a name for himself in the Winston Cup Series. With their reputation as a prime developer of new talent, many held great things for this combination.
Changes inside the #21 team would become pivotal during this period as well. After decades at their old shop location at Dobyns Road in Stuart, the Wood Brothers constructed a massive, state of the art new facility at the Industrial Park in Stuart, Virginia. This new facility was modern and spacious, and offered room for expansion and development of their ever-growing team.
This new home also offered a museum of Wood Brothers memorabilia and history. Glen Wood's wife Bernece, who had served as de facto archivist for the family and team since the 1950s, presented a treasure trove of history for race fans to enjoy. Bernece and Kim dedicated many long hours to perfecting the museum, and offered guided tours of the entire facility to visitors from around the world. This delighted fans and quickly became known as one of the best and most visitor-friendly locations for any NASCAR fan to visit.
Additional changes emerged in personnel as some left, while others were hired. A full-time secretarial assistant, Annpaige Bowles, had been hired a few years earlier to assist in the demanding office work and take care of the museum. Previous hires such as William Fulp, John Ilowiecki, and Barry Sheppard had been brought in to expand the force to include parts managers, couriers, engineers, and shock specialists. A Chassis dyno, shock dyno, and other new equipment were added.
Also among the recent hires was legendary engine builder Danny Glad. Glad had worked on the 1992 Paul Andrews-led Alan Kulwicki
team several years earlier, and came to the Woods after leaving Geoff Bodine
. Along with notables such as Randy Dorton
and Lou Larosa, Danny Glad was regarded as one of the best engine specialists in the sport.
Young Elliott Sadler cut his teeth in the #21 car, and was soon performing on par with the best in the top NASCAR circuit. Eddie and Len had brought in Crew Chief Mike Beam, marking a historic first time that someone outside the Wood family had served as Crew Chief for the #21 team. Beam had seen success with Junior Johnson, Bud Moore, and others prior to arriving at the Woods. His pairing with Sadler would also allow Eddie and Len more time to manage the overall growth of their ever-expanding business operations.
The year 2000 marked a historic period for Wood Brothers Racing. They celebrated their 50 year anniversary in a special ceremony honoring their milestone achievements. For a team of brothers, relatives, and friends from tiny Stuart, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains, they had achieved international acclaim as pioneers in motorsport competition. Also in 2000, brothers Glen Wood and Leonard Wood were inducted into the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
.
On the track, the Sadler-Wood combination began to bear fruit in the 2001 season, with Sadler capturing his first victory in the #21 Ford at Bristol Motor Speedway
in Bristol, Tennessee
. This win, oddly, was the first win for the Wood Brothers in their career at Bristol. For many years, Bristol was not raced by the team, mostly because their focus was on the superspeedways, and they did not race at short tracks.
This period also saw an increased relationship between Wood Brothers racing and Roush Fenway Racing, headed by engine master Jack Roush
of Michigan. Roush fielded several top-notch teams including those driven by Jeff Burton
and Mark Martin
. This Wood-Roush relationship gave the Wood Brothers the depth of engineering and engine resources that most multi-car teams relied upon to dominate the sport. This limited arrangement allowed the Woods a wide array of specialists and research to aid in their quest for victory.
Eddie Wood and his wife Carol have two children, a daughter Jordan, and son Jonathan. Jordan was quickly gaining success as a rising beauty queen in local and regional pageants and an award-winning competitive dancer with the Patrick County Dancing Arts Center. Jordan also would spend free time at the Wood Brothers racing office, assisting with administrative duties and working to learn the team's business operations. Eddie and Carol's son Jonathan began following in the family footsteps as a competitive racer.
Jon Wood
was finding victory in his grandfather's footsteps as a driver, racing go-kart in the World Karting Series and other forms of racing. Many were already speculating on his future in NASCAR and with the Wood Brothers team.
Elliott Sadler continued to improve with the #21 and his evolution was quickly making him a target for other teams. As proven in the past, the Woods were excellent breeders of talent and had invested massive amounts of time and dedication to bringing Sadler to the forefront. Therefore, it was not a surprise when Sadler was lured away to Robert Yates Racing with another lucrative career move. The Sadler period for the Wood team had lasted 139 races, which was the longest single stretch for a pilot of the #21 since David Pearson drove in the Wood's heyday. Sadler and the Woods earned one victory together, and over $9 million in only four seasons together.
During Sadler's term in the #21, the long-term sponsorship relationship between Wood Brothers Racing and Citgo Petroleum came to an end. This was the end of a historic run, as Citgo had been a sponsor on the Wood Brothers car for nearly 20 years. Citgo was replaced by Ford Motorcraft and the U.S. Air Force, which made the Wood Brothers team the de facto "factory team" for Ford Motor Company.
Sadler's departure would signal the end of the "win streak" which saw every full-season driver of the Wood car win at least one victory since 1953. This astonishing record remains unbroken today.
Eddie and Len Wood continued to seek the right mix of crew members and chemistry, shuffling through personnel and crew chiefs to finally hire Michael "Fatback" McSwain as Crew Chief of the #21 Motorcraft Ford. McSwain and Rudd had worked together while at Robert Yates Racing several years prior.
Meanwhile, the young Jon Wood continued blistering short tracks across the South and Mid-Atlantic in the Late Model Stock Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Wood raced for owner Jack Roush
and was quickly earning a reputation as a "racer" and not just a "driver" with his hard-charging style and mature evolution into a competitive force.
Another young Wood, Keven Wood, also began his racing career in this period. The son of Len and Nancy Wood, Keven had begun his academic studies in Motorsports Technology at Patrick Henry Community College
while also working at the family's race shop. Keven absorbed everything about racing, from car chassis set up to engine tuning, in order to add to his knowledge of racing. He began his tenure as a Driver in 2002 the Legends Series and quickly burned up every track he drove upon. His talents proved formidable, and his victories were hard won. In 2004 Keven began running in the Late Model Stock Series, a tough proving ground for emerging champions.
The 2004 Series was a success for the Wood Brothers, but times were again changing. R.J. Reynolds had been forced to withdraw sponsorship from NASCAR several years earlier due to tobacco company lawsuits, and the top series was now known as the NEXTEL Cup Series. The expense of operating a team had reached all-time highs, requiring as much as $10 million per year from corporate sponsors just to field a car for a season.
In 2004, the Wood Brothers Racing Team left their roots in Stuart, Virginia to locate their main base of operations near Charlotte, North Carolina
. As every competitive team is base in the area, the Woods knew it was a difficult yet necessary move if they hoped to achieve their quest for the Sprint Cup. Their re-location to Mooresville, NC allowed them more resources and greater access to personnel and technology in the hub of NASCAR racing. As expected, many shifts in team composition occurred.
The Woods maintained their shop in Stuart, Virginia
although it is used primarily as a museum and as a secondary facility to their main operations in North Carolina.
Ricky Rudd and the Wood Brothers enjoyed a successful run in 2004, again nearly winning and taking home a second place slot. They also won a pole position, the team's first since 1984 with Buddy Baker in the #21.
would drive the #21 in 2006, with a new primary sponsorship from Little Debbie Snack Cakes supporting the team. The U.S. Air Force will remain as associate sponsor along with Motorcraft, and all three will rotate primary sponsorship duties through the season.
A tremendous shift towards the future in the Wood Brothers Racing Team was announced in 2005. The team had entered into a partnership agreement with ST Motorsports based in NC to begin with the 2006 season.
JTG Motorsports was spawned from ST Racing, which fields entries in the Craftsman Truck Series and Grand National Series. It is owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter.
Among the changes to the #21 team was the elevation of Michael “Fatback” McSwain from crew chief to manager of racing operations for the team. The crew chief hired for the 2006 campaign was David Hyder, who worked with Schrader at BAM Racing
.
In addition to the #21 Nextel Cup entry driven by Ken Schrader, ST Motorsports fielded the Busch Grand National #47 Clorox Ford Taurus driven by Jon Wood
and the #59 Kingsford/Bush's Baked Beans Ford Taurus driven by Stacy Compton
.
In 2007 Ken Schrader & Bill Elliott split driving the #21 car with Jon Wood attempting to qualify for 2 races, succeeding in 1. The sponsors stayed the same from 2006, and the Wood Brothers entered a second car into 2 events, at Las Vegas
with Schrader and Kansas
with Jon Wood
. Both drivers failed to qualify for their respective events.
In 2008, Bill Elliott
, Marcos Ambrose
, and Jon Wood
shared driving responsibilities of the #21. Ambrose had a best finish of 3rd at Watkins Glen, but left the team half way through the season. Wood competed two races, with Elliott doing 24, with a best finish of 12th.
In 2009, the Wood Brothers ran a partial schedule, competing in only 13 races. The season included four Top-10 qualifying efforts, including a season best fourth at Indianapolis. The Motorcraft Ford Fusion driven by Bill Elliott also four Top-16 finishes and the team accumulated over $1.3 million in earnings.
2010 returned the Wood Brothers to the racetrack as they celebrated 60 years in NASCAR. They returned to Daytona in February looking for their fifth Daytona 500 victory with Bill Elliott behind the wheel of the Motorcraft Ford Fusion. Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers has also come on board for the 2010 season as a sponsor. Bill Elliot competed in eleven races that season.
February 6 - Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
March 7 - Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 18 - Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
June 13 - Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway
July 10 - Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
July 25 - Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 15 - Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway
September 5 - Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
October 3 - Price Chopper 400
October 16 - Bank of America 500
November 21 - Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway
Trevor Bayne drove for Wood Brothers that year in the AAA Texas 500 on November 27.
became the youngest driver in Wood Brothers history, taking over duties of piloting the #21 in at least 17 races including the first 5 races of the season. Trevor had a very strong debut in the Cup Series in 2010, with the #21 team finishing on the lead lap in 17th position at Texas Motor Speedway
. Motorcraft/Quick Lane will continue to sponsor the teamthrough the 2011 season. On February 20, one day after his 20th birthday, Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500
. It was the first win for Wood Brothers Racing since Elliott Sadler
at Bristol
during the 2001 season.
- Banjo Matthews
- Bob Welborn
- Junior Johnson
- Fred Harb - Fred Lorenzen
- Earl Balmer - Bobby Rahal
- Jim Massey
- Dave MacDonald
- Tommy Ellis
- Speedy Thompson
- Parnelli Jones
- Curtis Turner
- Tiny Lund
- Dan Gurney
- Donnie Allison
- Marvin Panch
- A. J. Foyt
- Buddy Baker
- Cale Yarborough
- Dale Jarrett
- Neil Bonnett
- David Pearson - Kyle Petty
- Morgan Shepherd
- Michael Waltrip
- Elliott Sadler
- Ricky Rudd
- Ken Schrader
- Jon Wood
- Boris Said
- Marcos Ambrose
- David Gilliland
- Bill Elliott
- Trevor Bayne
- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
In 1965, the IndyCar
teams took heed. Lotus
owner Colin Chapman
hired the Wood Brothers to service his car, driven by his Scottish
Formula One
ace Jim Clark
, during pit stops in the 1965 Indianapolis 500
. This marked the first time a NASCAR stock car crew had ever provided such service for an Indy car team. During the race, Clark was able to increase his track position and drove into victory lane as the winner of the 1965 Indianapolis 500
, with the Wood Brothers as his crew.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. The team was formed in 1950 by the sons of Walter and Ada Wood, thus the Wood Brothers. The Wood Brothers merged with Tad and Jodi Geschickter's JTG Racing in 2006 to increase their competitiveness and bring about sponsorship but separated for the 2008 season. The Wood Brothers Racing Team holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR, having fielded cars since 1950. They are known for their long relationship with Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, and the long standing use of number 21 on their main car, with gold coloured decals. For the 2011 NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup season, the Wood Brothers car #21 is the Motorcraft
Motorcraft
Motorcraft is an auto parts brand of Ford Motor Company.-History:The Ford Motor Company launched this auto parts division in 1972 to provide replacement parts and original equipment parts. This brand replaced Autolite as Ford's official parts brand. Autolite is still a brand name in use today, but...
Ford Fusion part-time entry, driven by Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, and the No. 16 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series.Bayne began his racing...
. Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500
2011 Daytona 500
The 2011 Daytona 500, the 53rd running of the event, was held on February 20, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over 200 laps on the 2.5 mile asphalt tri-oval. First race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, it was won by the Wood Brothers...
, bringing the Wood Brothers their first victory since 2001, and becoming the youngest driver ever win the Daytona 500 at the age of 20 years and one day.
Car #21 history
The Wood Brothers Racing Team was formed in 1950 by brothers from the Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
of Southwest Virginia. Walter and Ada Wood owned a family farm between Woolwine and Stuart, Virginia
Stuart, Virginia
Stuart is a town in Patrick County, Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 961 at the 2000 census. Due to recent boundary expansion, the town of Stuart has an estimated population of nearly 1,700 residents. The town of Stuart was named after Confederate Gen. J.E.B...
. They had five sons (Glen, Leonard, Delano, Clay, and Ray Lee) and one daughter (Crystal). The sons worked with their father as mechanics, farmers, and lumbermen. Glen Wood cut timber and hauled lumber to local sawmills. The boys had a talent for auto mechanics and spent much time at their father's garage. With each brother serving as a mechanic, they formed a stock car racing team. Curtis Turner
Curtis Turner
Curtis Turner was an early NASCAR driver. In addition to his success in racing, he made a fortune, lost it, and remade it buying and selling timberlands. Throughout his life he developed a reputation for drinking and partying...
, a local sawmill operator from nearby Floyd, Virginia
Floyd, Virginia
Floyd is a town in Floyd County, Virginia, United States. The population was 432 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Floyd County. The Town of Floyd was originally named Jacksonville as the surrounding county was formed during the tenure of President Andrew Jackson...
, inspired them. Turner became a champion racecar driver with a "win or crash" style and later was co-owner of Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
. Coincidentally, Turner would later drive for the Wood Brothers.
In the early 1950s, none of the Wood boys wanted to drive, so they had fellow lumberman, Chris Williams, of nearby Stuart, as their driver. In the early days of stock car racing, teams drove their cars to the track, raced them, and drove them home. Williams and the Wood Brothers bought their first car for $50, inspiring them to number their car #50, many years before they adopted their famous #21.
Chris Williams and Glen Wood each drove a few races. The team consisted of Williams, some of his brothers, and the Wood boys. They became successful, winning races at Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned 1/4-mile asphalt flat oval short track and football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track"...
in Winston-Salem, NC, and Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
in Martinsville, Virginia
Martinsville, Virginia
Martinsville is an independent city which is surrounded by Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,821 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes...
.
Shortly after their early success, Chris Williams sold his share of the team to Glen Wood to focus on his lumber business. To fill team slots, the Wood Brothers enlisted help from Stuart area friends and neighbors including Ralph Edwards, a Wood cousin.
Over the early years, the Wood Brothers Racing Team evolved from a weekend hobby into a full-time business. Glen and Leonard worked full-time building and preparing cars, while the other brothers and crew worked nights and weekends apart from their regular jobs. Their first permanent racing shop was at the town limits of Stuart, Va.
The team adopted the #21 permanently, and would become as notorious as any number in NASCAR history (along with the Petty #43 and Earnhardt #3). The Wood Brothers also found themselves lured to the big-ticket cash prizes offered by the growing Superspeedway races in cities such as Daytona, Fla.; Charlotte, NC ; and Darlington, SC. Glen Wood soon stepped out from behind the wheel of the #21 Ford, and they began hiring drivers with reputations as winners at the different tracks.
The team soon began competing on the highest levels of the sport. Victories were won with the mechanical genius of the team of brothers, relatives, and friends. Leonard Wood's talent in the engine department soon brought the team acclaim and was second in the early years only to the fabled Holman-Moody engine juggernaut and the Petty racing dynasty of Lee Petty
Lee Petty
Lee Arnold Petty was an American stock car driver in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR, and one of its first superstars. He was born near Randleman, North Carolina.-Career:...
and son Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
.
Innovation
The Wood Brothers invented the modern pit stop. In the early days of all types of motorracing, when service was needed during the race it was common for drivers to pull into the pits, turn off the car, get out and even smoke a cigarette as the crew took their time changing tires and servicing the cars. The Wood Brothers recognized that by limiting the time off the track, it could increase their position on the track. Thus, they created and perfected what is now known as the pit stop. It is as common to all types of racing as the checkered flag itself.As other teams noticed that the Wood Brothers were winning races due to their efficient pit stops, these competitors soon copied the Wood method. Not content with being innovators, the Wood team practiced and perfected the pit stop as a form of acrobatic, mechanical, ballet which gave them still further advantage over their competitors.
Other racing organizations noticed the pit stop innovations of the Wood Brothers. In 1965, the Wood Brothers team was hired to act as the Lotus-Ford pit crew at the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, a race won by the Lotus-Ford of Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
.
International Success 1960s
With the Indy 500 win, the Wood Brothers Racing Team began to enjoy international acclaim as pioneers and leaders in motorsports. They were featured in Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and many other media of the day. Their rosters of drivers soon became second to none, and their victories were only matched by Richard Petty in the famed #43 STP car.
Purolator
Purolator may refer to:* Purolator Courier, a Canadian courier company* Purolator Filters, a joint venture of Bosch and Mann-Hummel, which distributes the Purolator brand of automotive filtration products...
to be their primary sponsor on the #21 car. Their drivers prior to and during this era had included a "Who's Who" of the best in stock car racing. Among those driving for the Wood team through the mid-1960s were Curtis Turner
Curtis Turner
Curtis Turner was an early NASCAR driver. In addition to his success in racing, he made a fortune, lost it, and remade it buying and selling timberlands. Throughout his life he developed a reputation for drinking and partying...
, Marvin Panch
Marvin Panch
Marvin Panch Marvin Panch Marvin Panch (born May 28, 1926, in Menomonie, Wisconsin, is a former NASCAR driver.-Early career:He started his racing career as a car owner in Oakland, California. One week, his driver did not show up, and he raced the car to a third place finish...
, Fireball Roberts
Fireball Roberts
Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr. , nicknamed "Fireball", was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR.-Background:...
, Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in a turbine car...
, Tiny Lund
Tiny Lund
DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund was a NASCAR driver. He was ironically nicknamed "Tiny" due to his rather large and imposing size.-Background:...
, Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
, Speedy Thompson
Speedy Thompson
Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson was a NASCAR pioneer and driver in the Grand National series from 1950 to 1971; capturing 20 wins along the way.-Racing career:...
, Fred Lorenzen
Fred Lorenzen
Fred Lorenzen , nicknamed The Golden Boy, Fast Freddie, The Elmhurst Express and Flyin Freddy, is a former NASCAR driver active between 1958 and 1972. He won the 1965 Daytona 500. Lorenzen was born in Elmurst, Illinois.-Early career:Lorenzen first caught the car bug young, and had built his first...
, and Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
.
Open-wheel star driver Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
, who enjoyed popular victories in Indy and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing, was hired by the Wood Brothers to drive in select events. The Gurney-Wood combination proved unbeatable, and they dominated the early road courses on the NASCAR circuit by winning every race in which Gurney drove for the Woods. This streak included the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California, in which Gurney won in the Woods' car 121 in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968. (Gurney also won the inaugural Motor Trend 500 in 1963, driving a Ford prepared by Wood Brothers rivals Holman-Moody.)
By the 1968 season, the Wood Brothers earned over $160,000 in winnings for the single season, a staggering amount of winning for that period in any form of auto racing. In those years, the Wood Brothers also entered a second car in select events (under the number 121); and entered a total of three cars in at least one race.
Dominance
In the early 1970s, the Wood Brothers continued their success. The lightning-quick pit stops and high-powered engines of the #21 car proved a formidable challenge to all on the NASCAR circuit. Legendary drivers such as Donnie AllisonDonnie Allison
Dunkiny "Donnie" Allison is a former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. He was part of the "Alabama Gang," and is the brother of 1983 champion Bobby Allison and uncle of Davey Allison...
and open-wheel Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt also took turns piloting the Wood car.
The team personnel in the Wood shop began to shift as the team raced in more events and traveled greater distances. Glen Wood
Glen Wood
Glen Wood is a former NASCAR driver from Stuart, Virginia. He founded the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team in 1953, and won four races over an eleven year racing career. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. On June 14, 2011, it was announced that Wood will be inducted in...
emerged as the leader and patriarch of the team. Glen's young sons Eddie Wood
Eddie Wood
Edward Wood was an early professional football player for the Latrobe Athletic Association, the Franklin Athletic Club and finally for the Canton Bulldogs of the "Ohio League"...
and Len Wood also began working at the shop in menial labor jobs. Brother Delano Wood had evolved into one of the greatest pit crew members, and his skill as a jack man is incomparable even today. Other family friends soon joined the team, including Cecil Wilson
Cecil Wilson
Cecil Wilson was the third missionary Anglican Bishop of Melanesia from 1894 to 1911 and, subsequently, the second Bishop of Bunbury from 1918 to 1937. Educated at Tonbridge School, Wilson became an 1882 graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, Wilson served parishes in England before his consecration...
from neighboring Lawsonville, North Carolina
Lawsonville, North Carolina
Lawsonville is an unincorporated community in Stokes County, North Carolina, United States, approximately ten miles north-northwest of the county seat of Danbury, on North Carolina State Highway 8....
.
In 1972, David Pearson was hired to be the full-time driver of the #21. This choice would pave the way for one of the most successful strings of victory in motorsports history. Pearson would continue to drive the car from 1972 through 1979. In only seven years, the team entered 143 races and amassed a staggering 46 victories and 51 pole positions. Their race winnings surpassed $1.3 million during this seven-year period with Pearson driving.
Triple Crown
In 1976, with Pearson behind the wheel, the Wood Brothers won the coveted "Triple-Crown" of NASCAR racing. This feat was accomplished by winning the legendary Daytona 500Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
; plus the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
; and the Southern 500
Southern 500
The Showtime Southern 500 is the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA, and is the second such event at Darlington to bear the name. It began in 1957 as a race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was...
at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
. All of this was accomplished during the 1976 season.
Due to their incredible success and their qualities as role models and Ambassadors of the sport, the Wood Brothers were invited to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in the late 1970s at the request of President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. The occasion made history for these brothers and friends from the small town of Stuart, Virginia.
As NASCAR itself gained prominence as an emerging sport, the Wood team was soon hailed as tops in their field. They were frequently toasted by and compared to their peers in other sports of the day, including baseball legend Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
; football stars Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
and Franco Harris
Franco Harris
Franco Harris is a former American football player. He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall...
; and basketball greats such as Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
.
Due to growth and demand, the #21 team vacated its former shop for a new home located at the junction of Dobyns Road and Mayo Court in Stuart, Virginia. This would be the team's home base shop for many years to come.
The 1980s
The decade of the 1980s saw changes in NASCAR and within the #21 team. David Pearson parted ways with the team, and was replaced by an emerging talent named Neil BonnettNeil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
from Hueytown, Alabama
Hueytown, Alabama
Hueytown is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 16,105.It was the home of the legendary NASCAR Alabama Gang...
. Bonnett was a member of the "Alabama Gang" which included driving stars Donnie Allison
Donnie Allison
Dunkiny "Donnie" Allison is a former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. He was part of the "Alabama Gang," and is the brother of 1983 champion Bobby Allison and uncle of Davey Allison...
, Bobby Allison
Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
, and would later include Davey Allison
Davey Allison
David Carl "Davey" Allison was a NASCAR driver. He was best known for driving the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing in the Winston Cup Series. Born in Hollywood, Florida, he was the eldest of four children born to Bobby Allison and wife Judy...
and Hut Stricklin
Hut Stricklin
Waymond Lane "Hut" Stricklin is a former NASCAR race car driver. He was born on June 24, 1961, in Calera, Alabama. He married Pam Allison, the daughter of NASCAR legend Donnie Allison after they were introduced by her cousin Davey. Hut was the last member of the Alabama Gang.In 1986, Stricklin won...
.
Bonnett and the Wood team had a successful relationship, lasting only three and a half seasons and 83 races. This period would include nine victories and over $700,000 in winnings. During the "Bonnett Years," the Wood Brothers long term sponsorship by Purolator would come to an end, marking one of the most enduring and synonymous sponsorships in the history of NASCAR.
The #21 was then sponsored by a company called National Engineer, a California-based company focused on research and development for multiple industries. National Engineering was owned by the flamboyant Warner Hodgdon, who proudly had his name placed on the #21 as the primary sponsor. The Hodgdon sponsorship was believed to have been one of the richest deals of its time in NASCAR racing, thus confirming the Wood's status as leaders in the sport.
Within the team itself, many of the original members had retired from racing. Original team members and brothers Clay Wood and Ray Lee Wood had stepped down years earlier, and focused more on their families and other jobs in their native Patrick County.
As the number of race events increased and the full-time work of running a team grew each season, the Wood Brothers hired younger team members to fill the gaps. Among these were Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
, who was the son of original crew member and Wood cousin Ralph Edwards
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:Born in Merino, Colorado , Edwards worked for KROW-AM in Oakland, California while he was still in high school...
. Other new faces include Curtis Quesinberry and Hylton Tatum of Stuart; and another young Wood relative named Butch Moricle. Other new personnel were drawn from surrounding cities such as Danville, Virginia
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
, and Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
.
Also gaining an important role during these years was a young Kim Wood
Kim Wood
Kim Wood is an American writer and filmmaker.-Works:Her work, based upon the histories of relatively unknown adventurers and eccentrics, includes the Sundance Film Festival premiered Advice to Adventurous Girls, and On My Knees, based on the diaries of Hannah Cullwick.-Awards:Wood has received the...
, the only daughter of Glen and Bernece Wood. While still in high school, Kim began handling administrative duties for the team, and would assist her mother in juggling secretarial duties, travel arrangements, and the business side of running the team.
The Modern Era
In the mid-1980s NASCAR entered what is now called the modern era of the sport. Growth in television coverage of the races had evolved from sporadic showings on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Wide World of Sports
Wide World of Sports (US TV series)
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
, to full-time coverage of the Daytona 500 by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and the full-time live broadcast of races by emerging cable networks such as ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and WTBS. NASCAR also obtained permanent corporate sponsorship for the series from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company , based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, is the second-largest tobacco company in the U.S. . RJR is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc...
, and the sport's top-level series was changed from Grand National Division to the Winston Cup Series. The company's founder, R.J. Reynolds, had been born and raised in Patrick County, only a few miles from the Wood Brothers team itself.
This period also marked the first-ever quest for points championships by most teams. Since the 1950s many teams had run only select races. Now, however, in order to compete for the series title and its large cash prize, teams would be required to compete in all events in a scheduled season.
The Wood Brothers decided to make the leap to running a full-time schedule. This added enormous work to the team, and required further commitment of time, money, and manpower. This new commitment also saw the departure of Warner Hodgdon and National Engineering as a sponsor, and the Wood Brothers brought Valvoline on board as their chief patron.
In 1983, legendary driver Buddy Baker was hired to replace a departing Neil Bonnett in the #21 car. Baker and the Woods struggled for the first time in many years, only lasting two seasons together. During this time, they would capture victory at the Firecracker 400 July 4 race at Daytona International Speedway.
Baker and the Woods soon parted company, along with sponsor Valvoline, and international star driver Bobby Rahal from the Indy-car series would briefly fill Baker's vacant seat for one race.
Legends together
In 1985 history was made in NASCAR as a young Kyle PettyKyle Petty
Kyle Eugene Petty is a former American NASCAR driver and is currently a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and panel member for NASCAR Smarts which are both on SPEED. He also commentates for TNT in the summer. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of the late Adam...
, the grandson of legendary Lee Petty and son of series-dominator Richard Petty, was hired to drive the Wood car full time. This formed a unique union between the two most successful racing families in NASCAR history.
This also marked the first addition of a new sponsor to the Wood Brothers team. A trio of corporate sponsors consisting of 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
, Citgo
Citgo
CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a United States-incorporated, Venezuela-owned refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de...
, and Chief Auto Parts
Chief Auto Parts
Chief Auto Parts was a United States-based auto parts store chain and had stores located in the states of Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Arkansas and California. Chief was founded in 1955 in Norwalk, California. It was purchased by Southland Corporation in 1979, along with Citgo and Movie...
were brought on board with the Wood Brothers and Petty for the 1985 season. As part of their marketing strategy, the Wood Brothers were required to relinquish their world-famous #21 car number and adopt the #7 in favor of 7-Eleven's brand sponsorship. This caused a major discourse with fans of the Wood team, who knew the #21 as synonymous with the legendary team from Virginia.
This period also marked the emergence of the second generation of Wood Brothers, Eddie and Len, who had increased their responsibilities with the team over the years. They were now effectively calling the shots on race day for the team, and an "anything goes" attitude was welcomed within the team.
Many of the older team members had retired by this period, including original member and brother Delano Wood. Delano retired to focus on his emerging importance in his highly successful lumber business. He also sought more time at home with his family and his church, as most races were run on Sunday and it provided little time for regular worship and church attendance with his family.
With an increasingly young team, a young driver, and a new sponsor, the Wood Brothers were trying to recapture their past glory. As time marched on through the 1970s until the 80s, many of the cutting-edge innovations pioneered by the Wood team had been discovered or outright copied by other teams. Thus, the Woods' competitive edge had been dulled by other teams taking advantage of the Wood innovations. Therefore, the Wood Brothers were enjoying a unique time of rebirth for the fabled NASCAR legends.
With Kyle Petty in the seat, the Wood Brothers Ford would find victory in their second season together, 1986, at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. The next year, 1987, the team won the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
at Charolotte Motor Speedway. Just as the Petty-Wood relationship was beginning to bear fruit, Kyle Petty found himself lured to a new team, SABCO Racing, owned by the wealthy Felix Sabates
Felix Sabates
Felix Sabates is an entrepreneur and philanthropist living in the United States. He is currently a minority shareholder in Chip Ganassi Racing, which fields teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series , GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series...
. Unable to refuse the lucrative offer, Petty left the Wood Brothers after three seasons and 87 races together. The Woods' winnings during this two-victory period surpassed $1 million for only three seasons.
Reunion
After Petty's departure, and a brief three-race stint with substitute driver Tommy EllisTommy Ellis
Tommy Ellis was a NASCAR short track ace of the 1970s and 1980s. Often referred to as "Terrible" Tommy Ellis for his rough tactics, he won the National Late Model Sportsman championship in 1981 and was one of six drivers enrolled in the Winner's Circle plan at the formation of the Busch Series in...
, the Wood Brothers hired their former driver Neil Bonnett to pilot the Wood car once again. This reunion was hailed as the possible cure for the Woods' launch back to the top of the sport. Both Bonnett and the Wood team were optimistic about the future, and the chemistry from earlier success still seemed evident.
Unfortunately, after only 31 races together in only one full season and the start of a second, Bonnett suffered serious injuries in a crash at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
. This left Bonnett questioning the ability to race again, and left the Wood team with an empty seat, to be filled by Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
.
The sponsorship shuffle had become commonplace during this period in all NASCAR teams. As Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies and other top names were taking notice of the massive value of NASCAR sponsorship, names like Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, Mello Yello
Mello Yello
Mello Yello is a caffeinated, citrus-flavored soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced on March 1, 1979 to compete with PepsiCo's Mountain Dew. There have been three flavored variants of Mello Yello. Mello Yello Cherry was released in response to Mountain Dew...
, Ford Motorcraft, and Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
had signed big-dollar sponsorship deals with the top teams in the sport.
The Wood Brothers switched back to the legendary #21 which had been synonymous with the Woods since their early days. This was effected partially due to the loss of 7-Eleven as their primary sponsor, and the elevation of Citgo Petroleum from secondary to primary sponsorship placement with the team.
The face of the sport itself was changing too. Along with the full schedule and championship points races, a new breed of drivers such as Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
, Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
, Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd is a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788...
, Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
, and Geoff Bodine
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers . Bodine currently lives in Cornelius, North Carolina....
had already become powerful stars and champions. This era saw young guns like Davey Allison
Davey Allison
David Carl "Davey" Allison was a NASCAR driver. He was best known for driving the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing in the Winston Cup Series. Born in Hollywood, Florida, he was the eldest of four children born to Bobby Allison and wife Judy...
, Ward Burton
Ward Burton
John Edward Burton III is an American NASCAR auto racer, who has a total of five career Sprint Cup wins. He last drove the #4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Impala SS for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in 2007. He is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, against whom he first...
, Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver...
, Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
, and Bobby Labonte
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
were emerging as the future of the sport as they worked up through the lower-ranked Busch Grand National Series.
New technologies and innovations began to dominate the sport too. NASCAR teams were quickly being run like corporations and sports franchises, with names like Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
, Roush Fenway Racing, SABCO, Larry Hedrick Motorsports
Larry Hedrick Motorsports
Larry Hedrick Motorsports is a former NASCAR team. It was owned by businessman Larry Hedrick and always fielded the #41 Chevrolet in both the Winston Cup and the Busch Series. The team ran from 1990 until its closure in 2001.- Beginnings :...
, and Robert Yates Racing taking the dominance from Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
and the Petty team.
In efforts to keep up with the growth of NASCAR, the Wood Brothers continued to add more employees, and assigned some personnel as shop employees and others as race-day crew members. The additions of team members like Bennie Belcher, Butch Mitchell, and outside engine builder Tommy Turner were bringing the Wood team online with others in NASCAR.
The Launching Pad
By 19901990 in NASCAR
The 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup began on Sunday February 11 and ended on Sunday November 18. Because of a highly controversial penalty to Mark Martin early in the season, Dale Earnhardt with Richard Childress Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion for the fourth time, edging out Martin by 21...
, the Wood Brothers were back in the #21 Ford with Citgo as a sponsor. The early season loss of Neil Bonnett required a replacement driver. Eddie and Len Wood turned to old-time friend Dale Jarrett to take his rightful shot at the Winston Cup Series. Dale Jarrett was the son of former NASCAR champion and broadcaster Ned Jarrett, and had grown up in the sport with the Wood boys.
The choice of Jarrett would prove brilliant. In their first full season together in 1991
1991 in NASCAR
The 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began February 10 and ended November 17. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at the end of the season. It was his fifth championship.-1991 Team Chart:-Busch Clash:...
, Dale Jarrett would bring the Wood Brothers #21 to victory at Michigan, narrowly edging out Davey Allison by inches in one of the closest wins in NASCAR history. The Wood team proved it still had what it took to win. More importantly, it would provide Jarrett with his first win and as a launching pad into one of the most successful careers in NASCAR's modern era.
The Michigan victory supported a unique record for the Wood team. Every single rookie driver who had ever driven for them for at least a full season had scored at least one victory in the Wood car. More impressive was the fact that every driver to have driven for the Wood Brothers for a full season from 1953-2002 had won at least one race behind their wheel (although in one case, the win did not come in an official Cup Series race).
The Wood-Jarrett combination was widely considered to be as bright a future as any team in NASCAR's future; however, Jarrett was soon lured away by Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
who formed a new team with the finances to entice Jarrett to leave the #21. This new ride would earn Jarrett his first Daytona 500 win with Gibbs.
Although Jarrett's time in the #21 was limited, lasting only for 53 races over two seasons, it produced one victory and over $600,000 in winnings. It also cemented the fact that the Wood Brothers team was one of the best in NASCAR for breeding future superstars.
The 1990s
With Jarrett's departure, the Woods sought out the veteran Morgan ShepherdMorgan Shepherd
Clay Morgan Shepherd has been a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver since 1977. He has also raced in the Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community...
to fill the seat in the 1992
1992 in NASCAR
The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season began on February 9, 1992 and ended on November 15, 1992. Independent owner/driver Alan Kulwicki of AK Racing won the Winston Cup championship in the closest championship battle in NASCAR history to-date....
season. Shepherd had been a solid, dependable finisher in the top series for most of his career and was a serious championship contender. With his consistent top finishes, Shepherd would provide strength as the team continued to adapt to the growing sport.
This new decade would seem unfathomable changes in NASCAR. A greater focus on new technology and sciences began to take hold. Engineers were now the norm, and the race-day teams often trained like professional athletes. Many teams even employed pro athletes to service their cars during pit stops.
The cost of racing grew exponentially, and its appeal doubled every year. NASCAR was now televised live internationally, and was as popular as "stick and ball sports" with fans and advertisers.
Within the team itself, crew member turnover became frequent as Eddie and Len sought a perfect combination of chemistry to succeed. New members from nearby Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388.-History:Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation...
such as Rick Simmons and Mike "Andretti" Smith were added to the team. Paint and Body men Terry Hill
Terry Hill
Terry Hill is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played in the National Rugby League competition primarily in the centres...
and Chris Martin
Chris Martin (motorcycle racer)
Chris Martin born in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. Martin is a superbike rider who is currently competing in the British Superbike Championship for the Gearlink Kawasaki team. Martin is a previous British Superbike Privateers Cup Champion in 2006....
were hired, and longtime members Butch Moricle, Butch Mitchell, Hylton Tatum, and Cecil Wilson
Cecil Wilson
Cecil Wilson was the third missionary Anglican Bishop of Melanesia from 1894 to 1911 and, subsequently, the second Bishop of Bunbury from 1918 to 1937. Educated at Tonbridge School, Wilson became an 1882 graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, Wilson served parishes in England before his consecration...
had become veterans on the team.
Glen Wood’s daughter Kim Wood had also emerged as a competent leader in her specialty with the team as well. In addition to running the business administrative aspects of the team, she was a "one woman show" that handled all booking, reservations, accommodations, travel, and financial matters for the team. At a time when teams Richard Childress Racing employed a full-time staff of a dozen administrative workers, Kim proved as much a professional in this field as her brothers were in the mechanical and competitive aspects of the team.
Kim Wood had married crew member Terry Hall, and became Kim Wood Hall by this time. Her husband Terry was a vital member of the team who served as general mechanic and truck driver. Terry had replaced the legendary Delano Wood as jack man on the race day crew, after Delano's retirement several years earlier. Terry Hall was from Mount Airy, NC, and provided a gateway to recruiting many new members of the team from his ties to that area.
The #21 team continued many experiments and changes to again innovate the sport they helped build. They had been outsourcing much of their engine work, and during this period had contracted with Robert Yates Racing in an agreement to provide engine parts for the #21. They also began weight training routines for crew members and increasing their application of technology in their race day competition.
Always the innovators in pit stops, the Wood team continued to practice and seek new improvements in their race day pit skills. The team also employed wide use of computers for the set up and timing of each car. Hiring race day specialists such as spotter Chuck Joyce; and part-time scorers/timers, the team was on the cutting edge of competition development.
It was in this period of the early 1990s that Eddie Wood, Len Wood, and Kim Wood Hall each took an ownership position in the team. For several years, the team had been owned by The Glen Wood Company, with patriarch Glen controlling the team's destiny. Longtime co-founder and crew chief Leonard Wood had stepped down as crew chief many years earlier, and Eddie Wood had become official crew chief of the #21 Ford.
Morgan Shepherd would do very well with the #21 Citgo team, and would provide consistent finishes in all four seasons he ran for the Wood Brothers. They enjoyed 52 Top Ten finishes and over $4 million in earnings in their time together. Their one and only victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
in March 1993, a race that was delayed six days because of a snow storm in the Atlanta area the previous weekend, and provided a much-needed boost for the team who had suffered a drought since Jarrett's victory at Michigan.
The Waltrip years
With the 19961996 in NASCAR
The 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series started on February 18, 1996 and ended on November 10, 1996 with Terry Labonte pulling off a massive upset and winning his second championship.-1996 Team Chart:-Busch Clash:...
season upon them, the Woods sought a younger driver to fill the seat of the #21 Ford. As Shepherd was approaching retirement age, and a youth trend had risen with hot drivers like Jeff Gordon, the team was looking to ride a similar wave. They parted ways with Shepherd and welcomed Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
, the younger brother of three-time series champion and legend Darrell Waltrip.
Although they produced no official regular-season victory, the Wood Brothers and Waltrip pulled off an amazing win at the 1996 Winston Select All-Star race. This contest is arguably one of the most difficult challenges in NASCAR, pitting the best against the best in a true old-style shootout between NASCAR's most elite drivers. In their first season with Waltrip, the Wood team brought home the victory that night in a stunning display of team excellence that secured a $200,000 purse for the race.
In Waltrip's three-season, 95-race tenure with the Woods, they would amass over $3.7 million in winnings.
Young again
With the dawn of the 19991999 in NASCAR
The 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began on Sunday February 7 and ended on Sunday November 21. Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett was crowned the champion...
season, the Wood Brothers brought in Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
to replace a departing Michael Waltrip. Like the Woods, Sadler was a Virginia native whose family had been involved in racing for many years. Sadler represented a young, talented Rookie looking to make a name for himself in the Winston Cup Series. With their reputation as a prime developer of new talent, many held great things for this combination.
Changes inside the #21 team would become pivotal during this period as well. After decades at their old shop location at Dobyns Road in Stuart, the Wood Brothers constructed a massive, state of the art new facility at the Industrial Park in Stuart, Virginia. This new facility was modern and spacious, and offered room for expansion and development of their ever-growing team.
This new home also offered a museum of Wood Brothers memorabilia and history. Glen Wood's wife Bernece, who had served as de facto archivist for the family and team since the 1950s, presented a treasure trove of history for race fans to enjoy. Bernece and Kim dedicated many long hours to perfecting the museum, and offered guided tours of the entire facility to visitors from around the world. This delighted fans and quickly became known as one of the best and most visitor-friendly locations for any NASCAR fan to visit.
Additional changes emerged in personnel as some left, while others were hired. A full-time secretarial assistant, Annpaige Bowles, had been hired a few years earlier to assist in the demanding office work and take care of the museum. Previous hires such as William Fulp, John Ilowiecki, and Barry Sheppard had been brought in to expand the force to include parts managers, couriers, engineers, and shock specialists. A Chassis dyno, shock dyno, and other new equipment were added.
Also among the recent hires was legendary engine builder Danny Glad. Glad had worked on the 1992 Paul Andrews-led Alan Kulwicki
Alan Kulwicki
Alan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...
team several years earlier, and came to the Woods after leaving Geoff Bodine
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers . Bodine currently lives in Cornelius, North Carolina....
. Along with notables such as Randy Dorton
Randy Dorton
Randy Dorton was chief engine builder for Hendrick Motorsports until his death in a plane crash near Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia in which he along with 7 other passengers and the 2 pilots were killed. He is survived by his two sons Christopher and Jonathan....
and Lou Larosa, Danny Glad was regarded as one of the best engine specialists in the sport.
Young Elliott Sadler cut his teeth in the #21 car, and was soon performing on par with the best in the top NASCAR circuit. Eddie and Len had brought in Crew Chief Mike Beam, marking a historic first time that someone outside the Wood family had served as Crew Chief for the #21 team. Beam had seen success with Junior Johnson, Bud Moore, and others prior to arriving at the Woods. His pairing with Sadler would also allow Eddie and Len more time to manage the overall growth of their ever-expanding business operations.
The year 2000 marked a historic period for Wood Brothers Racing. They celebrated their 50 year anniversary in a special ceremony honoring their milestone achievements. For a team of brothers, relatives, and friends from tiny Stuart, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains, they had achieved international acclaim as pioneers in motorsport competition. Also in 2000, brothers Glen Wood and Leonard Wood were inducted into the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
.
On the track, the Sadler-Wood combination began to bear fruit in the 2001 season, with Sadler capturing his first victory in the #21 Ford at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
in Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State...
. This win, oddly, was the first win for the Wood Brothers in their career at Bristol. For many years, Bristol was not raced by the team, mostly because their focus was on the superspeedways, and they did not race at short tracks.
This period also saw an increased relationship between Wood Brothers racing and Roush Fenway Racing, headed by engine master Jack Roush
Jack Roush
Jack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
of Michigan. Roush fielded several top-notch teams including those driven by Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver...
and Mark Martin
Mark Martin (NASCAR)
Mark Anthony Martin is an American stock car driver currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. As of 2012, Martin will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing, moving on from successful organizations such as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing. He has the second most wins in the NASCAR...
. This Wood-Roush relationship gave the Wood Brothers the depth of engineering and engine resources that most multi-car teams relied upon to dominate the sport. This limited arrangement allowed the Woods a wide array of specialists and research to aid in their quest for victory.
The next generation emerges
Jon Wood
Jon Wood
Jon Wood is a NASCAR driver. He is the grandson of Glen Wood, one of the famous Wood Brothers who founded what has become Sprint Cup's longest continuously active team. Wood is currently a free agent....
was finding victory in his grandfather's footsteps as a driver, racing go-kart in the World Karting Series and other forms of racing. Many were already speculating on his future in NASCAR and with the Wood Brothers team.
Elliott Sadler continued to improve with the #21 and his evolution was quickly making him a target for other teams. As proven in the past, the Woods were excellent breeders of talent and had invested massive amounts of time and dedication to bringing Sadler to the forefront. Therefore, it was not a surprise when Sadler was lured away to Robert Yates Racing with another lucrative career move. The Sadler period for the Wood team had lasted 139 races, which was the longest single stretch for a pilot of the #21 since David Pearson drove in the Wood's heyday. Sadler and the Woods earned one victory together, and over $9 million in only four seasons together.
During Sadler's term in the #21, the long-term sponsorship relationship between Wood Brothers Racing and Citgo Petroleum came to an end. This was the end of a historic run, as Citgo had been a sponsor on the Wood Brothers car for nearly 20 years. Citgo was replaced by Ford Motorcraft and the U.S. Air Force, which made the Wood Brothers team the de facto "factory team" for Ford Motor Company.
Sadler's departure would signal the end of the "win streak" which saw every full-season driver of the Wood car win at least one victory since 1953. This astonishing record remains unbroken today.
The Rudd Era
Elliott Sadler was replaced by veteran winner Ricky Rudd, another Virginia native with a career full of wins and consistent finishes. His first season with the Wood team in 2003 saw an impressive five Top Ten finishes and over $3 million in winnings. Rudd pulled off a second-place finish nearly winning in his first year behind the wheel of the #21.Eddie and Len Wood continued to seek the right mix of crew members and chemistry, shuffling through personnel and crew chiefs to finally hire Michael "Fatback" McSwain as Crew Chief of the #21 Motorcraft Ford. McSwain and Rudd had worked together while at Robert Yates Racing several years prior.
Meanwhile, the young Jon Wood continued blistering short tracks across the South and Mid-Atlantic in the Late Model Stock Series and Craftsman Truck Series. Wood raced for owner Jack Roush
Jack Roush
Jack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
and was quickly earning a reputation as a "racer" and not just a "driver" with his hard-charging style and mature evolution into a competitive force.
Another young Wood, Keven Wood, also began his racing career in this period. The son of Len and Nancy Wood, Keven had begun his academic studies in Motorsports Technology at Patrick Henry Community College
Patrick Henry Community College
Patrick Henry Community College is a community college located at 645 Patriot Avenue in unincorporated Henry County, Virginia, United States, north of the City of Martinsville....
while also working at the family's race shop. Keven absorbed everything about racing, from car chassis set up to engine tuning, in order to add to his knowledge of racing. He began his tenure as a Driver in 2002 the Legends Series and quickly burned up every track he drove upon. His talents proved formidable, and his victories were hard won. In 2004 Keven began running in the Late Model Stock Series, a tough proving ground for emerging champions.
The 2004 Series was a success for the Wood Brothers, but times were again changing. R.J. Reynolds had been forced to withdraw sponsorship from NASCAR several years earlier due to tobacco company lawsuits, and the top series was now known as the NEXTEL Cup Series. The expense of operating a team had reached all-time highs, requiring as much as $10 million per year from corporate sponsors just to field a car for a season.
In 2004, the Wood Brothers Racing Team left their roots in Stuart, Virginia to locate their main base of operations near Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. As every competitive team is base in the area, the Woods knew it was a difficult yet necessary move if they hoped to achieve their quest for the Sprint Cup. Their re-location to Mooresville, NC allowed them more resources and greater access to personnel and technology in the hub of NASCAR racing. As expected, many shifts in team composition occurred.
The Woods maintained their shop in Stuart, Virginia
Stuart, Virginia
Stuart is a town in Patrick County, Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 961 at the 2000 census. Due to recent boundary expansion, the town of Stuart has an estimated population of nearly 1,700 residents. The town of Stuart was named after Confederate Gen. J.E.B...
although it is used primarily as a museum and as a secondary facility to their main operations in North Carolina.
Ricky Rudd and the Wood Brothers enjoyed a successful run in 2004, again nearly winning and taking home a second place slot. They also won a pole position, the team's first since 1984 with Buddy Baker in the #21.
A Plethora of Drivers
The 2005 season saw another second place finish for Rudd in the #21 at California. They also enjoyed over $4 million in winnings. At the end of the 2005 season, Ricky Rudd announced his retirement. He stepped down after only three seasons with the Wood Brothers during a period of tremendous change for the team. The Woods announced that veteran driver Ken SchraderKen Schrader
Kenneth Schrader is a second-generation race car driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while driving part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series for his own Ken Schrader Racing. He also runs part time in the NASCAR Camping...
would drive the #21 in 2006, with a new primary sponsorship from Little Debbie Snack Cakes supporting the team. The U.S. Air Force will remain as associate sponsor along with Motorcraft, and all three will rotate primary sponsorship duties through the season.
A tremendous shift towards the future in the Wood Brothers Racing Team was announced in 2005. The team had entered into a partnership agreement with ST Motorsports based in NC to begin with the 2006 season.
JTG Motorsports was spawned from ST Racing, which fields entries in the Craftsman Truck Series and Grand National Series. It is owned by Tad and Jodi Geschickter.
Among the changes to the #21 team was the elevation of Michael “Fatback” McSwain from crew chief to manager of racing operations for the team. The crew chief hired for the 2006 campaign was David Hyder, who worked with Schrader at BAM Racing
BAM Racing
BAM Racing is a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2000, moving to NASCAR in 2001 to 2008 before sitting out 2009 due to the economy...
.
In addition to the #21 Nextel Cup entry driven by Ken Schrader, ST Motorsports fielded the Busch Grand National #47 Clorox Ford Taurus driven by Jon Wood
Jon Wood
Jon Wood is a NASCAR driver. He is the grandson of Glen Wood, one of the famous Wood Brothers who founded what has become Sprint Cup's longest continuously active team. Wood is currently a free agent....
and the #59 Kingsford/Bush's Baked Beans Ford Taurus driven by Stacy Compton
Stacy Compton
Stacy Compton is a NASCAR team owner and former driver. He currently owns Turn One Racing. He is a former co-owner of Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia in the Craftsman Truck Series, and is a former racing analyst for ESPN full-time...
.
Bill Elliott comes back to Ford
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
with Schrader and Kansas
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
with Jon Wood
Jon Wood
Jon Wood is a NASCAR driver. He is the grandson of Glen Wood, one of the famous Wood Brothers who founded what has become Sprint Cup's longest continuously active team. Wood is currently a free agent....
. Both drivers failed to qualify for their respective events.
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
, Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
, and Jon Wood
Jon Wood
Jon Wood is a NASCAR driver. He is the grandson of Glen Wood, one of the famous Wood Brothers who founded what has become Sprint Cup's longest continuously active team. Wood is currently a free agent....
shared driving responsibilities of the #21. Ambrose had a best finish of 3rd at Watkins Glen, but left the team half way through the season. Wood competed two races, with Elliott doing 24, with a best finish of 12th.
In 2009, the Wood Brothers ran a partial schedule, competing in only 13 races. The season included four Top-10 qualifying efforts, including a season best fourth at Indianapolis. The Motorcraft Ford Fusion driven by Bill Elliott also four Top-16 finishes and the team accumulated over $1.3 million in earnings.
2010 returned the Wood Brothers to the racetrack as they celebrated 60 years in NASCAR. They returned to Daytona in February looking for their fifth Daytona 500 victory with Bill Elliott behind the wheel of the Motorcraft Ford Fusion. Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers has also come on board for the 2010 season as a sponsor. Bill Elliot competed in eleven races that season.
February 6 - Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
March 7 - Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 18 - Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
June 13 - Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway
July 10 - Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
July 25 - Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 15 - Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway
September 5 - Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
October 3 - Price Chopper 400
October 16 - Bank of America 500
November 21 - Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway
Trevor Bayne drove for Wood Brothers that year in the AAA Texas 500 on November 27.
Trevor Bayne
In 2011, Trevor BayneTrevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, and the No. 16 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series.Bayne began his racing...
became the youngest driver in Wood Brothers history, taking over duties of piloting the #21 in at least 17 races including the first 5 races of the season. Trevor had a very strong debut in the Cup Series in 2010, with the #21 team finishing on the lead lap in 17th position at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
. Motorcraft/Quick Lane will continue to sponsor the teamthrough the 2011 season. On February 20, one day after his 20th birthday, Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500
2011 Daytona 500
The 2011 Daytona 500, the 53rd running of the event, was held on February 20, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over 200 laps on the 2.5 mile asphalt tri-oval. First race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, it was won by the Wood Brothers...
. It was the first win for Wood Brothers Racing since Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
at Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
during the 2001 season.
The Wood Brothers Legacy
The Wood Brothers hold many records and historic achievements. Among these are the fact that they have fielded only Ford Motor Company products since 1950, which makes the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer, ever. The Wood Brothers also have won at least one race in every decade for the last six decades, an unmatched feat. They have 98 total victories (including the Winston Select All-Star race); and have won 117 Pole Positions in 1,186 starts. They have earned over $30 million in career winnings, and remain among the winningest racing teams in the history of NASCAR racing for 60 years. Also, now that Petty Enterprises has merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, the Wood Brothers are the oldest team in NASCAR.Wood Brothers drivers (1953-2011)
Glen WoodGlen Wood
Glen Wood is a former NASCAR driver from Stuart, Virginia. He founded the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team in 1953, and won four races over an eleven year racing career. In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. On June 14, 2011, it was announced that Wood will be inducted in...
- Banjo Matthews
Banjo Matthews
Edwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews was a NASCAR driver, car owner and builder.-Driver:...
- Bob Welborn
Bob Welborn
Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn of Denton, North Carolina, USA is a former NASCAR Grand National driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998...
- Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
- Fred Harb - Fred Lorenzen
Fred Lorenzen
Fred Lorenzen , nicknamed The Golden Boy, Fast Freddie, The Elmhurst Express and Flyin Freddy, is a former NASCAR driver active between 1958 and 1972. He won the 1965 Daytona 500. Lorenzen was born in Elmurst, Illinois.-Early career:Lorenzen first caught the car bug young, and had built his first...
- Earl Balmer - Bobby Rahal
Bobby Rahal
Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500...
- Jim Massey
Jim Massey
Jim Massey is an American humorist and comic book writer. He is most famous for his work on Death Takes a Holiday, Maintenance and Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen.-External links:*** on MySpace...
- Dave MacDonald
Dave MacDonald
David George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led...
- Tommy Ellis
Tommy Ellis
Tommy Ellis was a NASCAR short track ace of the 1970s and 1980s. Often referred to as "Terrible" Tommy Ellis for his rough tactics, he won the National Late Model Sportsman championship in 1981 and was one of six drivers enrolled in the Winner's Circle plan at the formation of the Busch Series in...
- Speedy Thompson
Speedy Thompson
Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson was a NASCAR pioneer and driver in the Grand National series from 1950 to 1971; capturing 20 wins along the way.-Racing career:...
- Parnelli Jones
Parnelli Jones
Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in a turbine car...
- Curtis Turner
Curtis Turner
Curtis Turner was an early NASCAR driver. In addition to his success in racing, he made a fortune, lost it, and remade it buying and selling timberlands. Throughout his life he developed a reputation for drinking and partying...
- Tiny Lund
Tiny Lund
DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund was a NASCAR driver. He was ironically nicknamed "Tiny" due to his rather large and imposing size.-Background:...
- Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
- Donnie Allison
Donnie Allison
Dunkiny "Donnie" Allison is a former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. He was part of the "Alabama Gang," and is the brother of 1983 champion Bobby Allison and uncle of Davey Allison...
- Marvin Panch
Marvin Panch
Marvin Panch Marvin Panch Marvin Panch (born May 28, 1926, in Menomonie, Wisconsin, is a former NASCAR driver.-Early career:He started his racing career as a car owner in Oakland, California. One week, his driver did not show up, and he raced the car to a third place finish...
- A. J. Foyt
A. J. Foyt
Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...
- Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
- Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
- Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
- Neil Bonnett
Neil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
- David Pearson - Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty
Kyle Eugene Petty is a former American NASCAR driver and is currently a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and panel member for NASCAR Smarts which are both on SPEED. He also commentates for TNT in the summer. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of the late Adam...
- Morgan Shepherd
Morgan Shepherd
Clay Morgan Shepherd has been a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver since 1977. He has also raced in the Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community...
- Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
- Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
- Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd is a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788...
- Ken Schrader
Ken Schrader
Kenneth Schrader is a second-generation race car driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while driving part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series for his own Ken Schrader Racing. He also runs part time in the NASCAR Camping...
- Jon Wood
Jon Wood
Jon Wood is a NASCAR driver. He is the grandson of Glen Wood, one of the famous Wood Brothers who founded what has become Sprint Cup's longest continuously active team. Wood is currently a free agent....
- Boris Said
Boris Said
Boris Said is an American race car driver from Carlsbad, California but considers his hometown to be Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Bob Said, was a Formula One race driver and US Olympic bobsled driver in 1968 and 1972. He drove the #26 Ford Fusion for Latitude 43 Motorsports in the NASCAR...
- Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
- David Gilliland
David Gilliland
David Gilliland is a NASCAR driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California....
- Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
- Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne
Trevor Bayne is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series race car driver. He drives the No. 21 Motorcraft/QuickLane Ford Fusion for Wood Brothers Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, and the No. 16 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series.Bayne began his racing...
- Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #6 Blackwell Angus Beef Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series. Stenhouse was the 2010 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year and the 2011 Nationwide Series champion.-Career:Stenhouse began racing stock...
Truck #21 history
The #21 truck debuted with sponsorship from Edy's Ice Cream and State Fair Corn Dogs at Daytona in 2006 with Stacy Compton behind the wheel for the first two races. After Jon Wood handled driving duties at Atlanta, Bobby East drove the truck for the remainder of the season, posting a best finish of eleventh. East was not retained for the 2007 season, and the team planned to run development driver Kelly Bires in nineteen races, with Mark Martin driving the remaining six races. Late in the season, Bires moved up to the Busch Series, replacing Jon Wood, who took his spot in the 21 truck. Jon and Keven Wood shared the 21 truck in 2008. In December 2008, Keven Wood said in an interview that the team had shut down its Truck operation due to lack of sponsors.Indy 500
As the Wood Brothers Racing Team gained notoriety throughout NASCAR racing for their work in the pits, other racers in varying forms of motorsports took notice. Soon, the efficient pit stop was all the rage in other forms of auto racing contests.In 1965, the IndyCar
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
teams took heed. Lotus
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
owner Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
hired the Wood Brothers to service his car, driven by his Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
ace Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
, during pit stops in the 1965 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. This marked the first time a NASCAR stock car crew had ever provided such service for an Indy car team. During the race, Clark was able to increase his track position and drove into victory lane as the winner of the 1965 Indianapolis 500
1965 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1965 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1965.-Trivia:* It was the first time that the Indianapolis 500 was nationally televised on ABC Sports, this race was shown as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports, anchored by Charlie Brockman....
, with the Wood Brothers as his crew.