"It was an old Wood Brothers," said Mickelson. 47 at Indy, and would leave the Wood Brothers once JTG switched to Toyota, taking sponsor Little Debbie with him. [1] The sons worked with their father as mechanics, farmers, and lumbermen. Gurney, a world-wide motosports legend, won four times for the Woods. The 2004 Series was a success for the Wood Brothers, but times were again changing. 21 Nextel Cup entry driven by Ken Schrader, JTG Racing fielded the Busch Series No. The 1985 season made history to NASCAR as young Kyle Petty, the grandson of legendary Lee Petty and son of series-dominator Richard Petty, was hired to drive the No. 21 truck in 2008 with sponsorship from the United States Air Force. Baker and the Woods soon parted company, along with Valvoline as the sponsor and international star driver Bobby Rahal from the IndyCar series would briefly fill Baker's vacant seat for one race. New technologies and innovations began to dominate the sport too. 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 No. This would be the team's home base shop for many years to come. 21 car, and was soon performing on par with the best in the top NASCAR circuit. The Wood Brothers racing team is known for its 70-year history in American stock car racing, but the multi-generational family team also applied its pit-stop expertise at Indianapolis and Le Mans and has been accorded the FIA Founding Members Club Heritage Cup for 2020. Foyt, who gained the bulk of his racing fame on the open-wheel side, also won five NASCAR races for the Wood Brothers -- including the 1972 Daytona 500. The company's founder, R. J. Reynolds, was born and raised in Patrick County, only a few miles from the Wood Brothers team's headquarters. After only 31 races together in only one full season and the start of a second, Bonnett, unfortunately, suffered serious injuries in a crash at Darlington Raceway. 21 driver in 2015, with an alliance between the Woods and Team Penske. With each brother serving as a mechanic, they formed a stock car racing team. (11-30-2020) Justin Haley had been considered a favorite for one of the Spire … The drivers talk about how they’re preparing for Daytona and the rest of the NASCAR season. In coordination with Penske, the team announced that DiBenedetto would drive the car in 2021 and would then be replaced by Austin Cindric in 2022. This feat was accomplished by winning the legendary Daytona 500, the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The team adopted the No. Kim Wood had married crew member Terry Hall and became Kim Wood-Hall by this time. He finished fifth in 2018 and third last year. Check out the 18 drivers who have won with the Wood Brothers, and how many of the 99 all-time victories they've claimed under their banner. Quick Lane Tire and Auto Centers has also come on board for the 2010 season as a sponsor. The award is presented to an individual, institution, entity or object in recognition of exceptional or outstanding achievement within or contribution to the historic vehicle world. * – Most laps led. FS1 | FOX | FOX News | Fox Corporation | FOX Sports Supports | FOX Deportes, ™ and © 2020 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. The Wood Brothers Racing Team holds the unique distinction of being the oldest active team in NASCAR, having fielded cars since 1950. With their reputation as a prime developer of new talent, many held great things for this combination. The Wood Brothers were inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000. 20 was renumbered to No. The Wood Brothers Racing Team was formed in 1950 by brothers from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Other new members were Curtis Quesinberry and Hylton Tatum of Stuart as well as another young Wood relative Butch Moricle. Roush fielded several top-notch teams including those driven by Jeff Burton and Mark Martin. NASCAR teams were quickly being run like corporations and sports franchises, with names like Hendrick Motorsports, Penske Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, SABCO, Larry Hedrick Motorsports, and Robert Yates Racing taking the dominance from Junior Johnson, the Melling's and the Petty's. The Wood Brothers hold many records and historic achievements. 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 No. 21 car. This reunion was hailed as the possible cure for the Woods' launch back to the top of the sport. Bonnett, another big name in NASCAR, earned nine Wood Brothers-fueled victories. This new commitment also saw the departure of Warner Hodgdon and National Engineering as the sponsor, and the Wood Brothers brought Valvoline on board as their chief patron. As other teams noticed that the Wood Brothers were winning races due to their efficient pit stops, these competitors soon copied the Wood method. With the 1996 season upon them, the Woods sought a younger driver to fill the seat of the No. Also among the recent hires was legendary engine builder Danny Glad. In December 2016, it was announced that Go Fas Racing leased their charter to Wood Brothers Racing, guaranteeing the No. 21 was limited, lasting only for 53 races over two seasons, it produced one victory and over $600,000 in winnings. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these TERMS OF USE and UPDATED PRIVACY POLICY. His pairing with Sadler would also allow Eddie and Len more time to manage the overall growth of their ever-expanding business operations. Ryan Blaney was announced as the No. Hiring race day specialists such as spotter Chuck Joyce; and part-time scorers/timers, the team was on the cutting edge of competition development. Glen Wood's wife Bernice, 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. Victories were won with the mechanical genius of the team of brothers, relatives, and friends. [6] It was the first win for Wood Brothers Racing since Sadler at Bristol during the 2001 season. Elliott Sadler, flanked by Eddie Wood (left) and Len Wood (right), won his only race for the Wood Brothers at Bristol in 2001. In the early 1970s, the Wood Brothers continued their success. Elliott competed in eleven races that season. Their first permanent racing shop was at the town limits of Stuart, Virginia. Winston Cup driver Ricky Rudd has landed at Wood Brothers Racing, run by co-owners Eddie and Len Wood. 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. At the end of the 2005 season, Ricky Rudd announced his retirement. 21 Ford at Bristol Motor Speedway This win oddly was the first win for the Wood Brothers in their career at Bristol, and the first for them in eight years. Finish Avg. His talents proved formidable, and his victories were hard won. 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. This was the end of a historic run, as Citgo had been a sponsor on the Wood Brothers car for nearly 20 years. In addition to the No. In 1965, Ford brought the Wood Brothers team to the Indianapolis 500, to pit the Lotus-Ford team. Pearson continued driving the car from 1972 to 1979. The 21-year-old Chase Elliott, who replaced Jeff Gordon in the No. 21 car. This led to a major discourse with fans of the team, who knew the No. 21 Ford Mustang full-time for Matt DiBenedetto and has a technical alliance with Team Penske. 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. Their re-location to Mooresville, North Carolina allowed them more resources and greater access to personnel and technology in the hub of NASCAR racing. Wood Brothers Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. 43 and Earnhardt No. Their drivers prior to and during this era had included a "Who's Who" of the best in stock car racing. Coincidentally, Turner would later drive for the Wood Brothers. During the race, Clark was able to increase his track position and drove into victory lane as the winner of the 500, with the Wood Brothers as his crew. The No. 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. 21 to victory lane at Michigan, narrowly edging out Davey Allison by inches in one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. Glen, who founded Wood Brothers Racing with his brother Leonard, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012. Original team members and brothers Clay and Ray Lee Wood had stepped down years earlier and focused more on their families and other jobs in Patrick County. For several years, the team had been owned by the Glen Wood Company, with patriarch Glen controlling the team's destiny. In only seven years, the team entered 143 races and amassed a staggering 46 wins and 51 poles. This same year, they captured a win at the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. In December 2008, Keven Wood said in an interview that the team had shut down its Truck operation due to lack of sponsors.[16]. Blaney returned to the team in 2016 for a full-time run, the team's first since 2008 and the first with one driver since 2006. 21. Blaney also led two of the three stages in the race, Blaney also came close to winning the spring race in Kansas after winning the pole, Blaney also won Stage 2 that race, but ended up finishing fourth. 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 No. Other racing organizations noticed the pit stop innovations of the Wood Brothers. Eddie and Carol's son Jonathan began following in the family footsteps as a competitive racer. 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. On July 12, 2019, Menard announced he had a contract for the 2020 season, indicating that he plans to stay with Wood Brothers. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. Always the innovators in pit stops, the Wood team continued to practice and seek new improvements in their race day pit skills. Note: Michael "Fatback" McSwain is listed as the owner in that race. He proceeded to win it for his only victory in a Wood Brothers ride. 21 team. Citgo was replaced by Ford Motorcraft and the United States Air Force, which made the Wood Brothers team the de facto "factory team" for Ford Motor Company. His brother Delano Wood had evolved into one of the greatest pit crew members, and his skill as a jack man is incomparable even today. 21 in 2006, with a new primary sponsorship from Little Debbie Snack Cakes supporting the team. NOTEWORTHY: Has one win in 186 Cup starts but he’s at his best in the 500. [3] 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. [12] On September 10, Menard announced he will retire from full-time racing after the 2019 season. Along with the full schedule and championship points races, a new breed of drivers, such as Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, and Geoff Bodine, had already become powerful stars and champions. He would begin running part-time the JTG No. For the band, see, "Crystal's Christmas Ornaments Evoke Precious Wood Family Memories", "Wood's impact on NASCAR felt to this day", "Wood Brothers/JTG Racing press conference", "Bayne gets partial Cup ride with Wood brothers", "Win at Daytona Energizes a Venerated Nascar Brand", "Ryan Blaney to drive the No. [11] Menard scored just four top 10s and repeated a 19th place in points. As NASCAR gained prominence as an emerging sport, the Wood team was soon hailed as tops in their field. On February 20, one day after his 20th birthday, Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500. Kyle Petty would find victory in their second season together at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Bonnett and the Wood Brothers team had a successful relationship, lasting only three and a half seasons and 83 races. Their speed and choreography helped Jim Clark win the 1965 500. 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. Chris Williams and Glen Wood each drove a few races. From 2006 to 2008, the team was merged with Tad and Jodi Geschickter's JTG Racing. After the 2002 season, Sadler moved to the Robert Yates Racing stable. 62, which all attempted the full schedule. 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 No. The No. [7] The best result for the team was fourth at the Talladega spring race. ), This article is about the racing team. Many were already speculating on his future in NASCAR and with the Wood Brothers team. Every rookie driver who had ever driven for them for at least a full season had at least scored one victory in the No. This also marked the emergence of the second generation of Wood Brothers, Eddie and Len, who had increased their responsibilities with the team over the past years. For a team of brothers, relatives, and friends from the tiny town of Stuart (located in the Blue Ridge Mountains) they had achieved international acclaim as pioneers in motorsport competition. In 1987 the team returned to their traditional No. It's so much fun driving for the Wood Brothers with all the history of the team. 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. While she was still in high school, Kim started handling administrative duties for the team and would assist her mom in juggling secretarial duties, travel arrangements, and the business side of running the team. Glen Wood soon stepped out from behind the wheel of the No. It was later announced that Bayne would compete in Roush Fenway Racing's No. Unfortunately, he declined the offer. Many of the older team members had retired by this time, including the original member and brother Delano Wood, who retired so he could focus on his emerging importance in his highly successful business with lumber. Jon and Keven Wood shared the No. 21 car with sponsor Menards as part of a deal with Penske. 21. 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. That same year, brothers Glen Wood and Leonard Wood were inducted into the prestigious Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Pearson parted ways with the team, and was replaced by an emerging talent named Neil Bonnett from Hueytown, Alabama. 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 Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Sadler and the Woods earned one victory together at Bristol Motor Speedway, and over $9 million in only four seasons together. Their race winnings surpassed $1.3 million during this seven-year period with Pearson as the driver. 2010 returned the Wood Brothers to the racetrack as they celebrated 60 years in NASCAR. They were featured in Sports Illustrated and many other media of the day. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in 2015", "Menard named as Blaney's 2018 replacement at Wood Brothers", "NASCAR Hall of Famer Glen Wood, co-founder of Wood Brothers Racing, dies at 93", "Paul Menard: 'I have a contract for next year, "Paul Menard to retire after 2019 season; Matt DiBenedetto to drive No. For the rest of the season, the car ran a limited schedule with Bayne, carrying the Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane sponsorship. They returned to Daytona in February looking for their fifth Daytona 500 victory with Bill Elliott behind the wheel of the Motorcraft Ford Fusion. 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. 21 Citgo-sponsored car, and would provide consistent finishes in all four seasons he ran for the Wood Brothers. As expected, many shifts in team composition occurred. They also won a pole position, the team's first since 1984 with Buddy Baker in the No. In 1976, with Pearson still driving, the Wood Brothers won the coveted "Triple-Crown" of NASCAR racing. The 2005 season saw another second-place finish for Rudd in the No. He had replaced the legendary Delano Wood as jackman on the race day crew, after Delano's retirement several years earlier. 121 in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1968. The Motorcraft Ford Fusion driven by Bill Elliott also four Top-16 finishes and the team accumulated over $1.3 million in earnings. Walter and Ada Wood owned a family farm between Woolwine and Stuart, Virginia. 21 Ford with Citgo as a sponsor. Their one and only victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 1993, a race that was delayed six days because of a snowstorm 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. In 2009, the Wood Brothers ran a partial schedule, competing in only 13 races due to Air Force and Little Debbie moving to other teams, leaving only Ford sponsoring with their Motorcraft brand. 21 at Sonoma. Also, after Petty Enterprises merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports to form Richard Petty Motorsports, the Wood Brothers became the oldest team in NASCAR. (1-26-2021) Schluter Systems will sponsor the team for 7 races this season. A Chassis dyno, shock dyno, and other new equipment were added. Engineers were now the norm, and the race-day teams often trained like professional athletes. 21 car. The team lost the extra sponsorship for 2012, except for the All-Star Race in which Camping World/Good Sam returned to the car. This formed a unique union between the two most successful racing families in NASCAR history. His first season with the team in 2003 saw five impressive top-ten finishes and over $3 million in winnings. The sponsorship shuffle had become commonplace during this period in all NASCAR teams. 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. 21 team finishing on the lead lap in 17th position at Texas Motor Speedway. During what was known as the "Bonnett Years", Purolator's longtime president Paul Cameron retired and the Wood Brothers long term sponsorship with Purolator came to an end, marking one of the most enduring and synonymous sponsorships in the history of NASCAR. 20 truck debuted in 2006 with sponsorship United States Air Force, in a partnership with JTG Racing, Jon Wood started driving at Daytona and Fontana, finishing 16th and ninth. Among these are the fact that they have fielded only Ford Motor Company products since 1950, which makes the second longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer, behind Scuderia Ferrari. 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. 21 synonymous with the legendary team from Virginia. This 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. With his consistent top finishes, Shepherd would provide strength as the team continued to adapt to the growing sport. Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest active NASCAR team and one of the winningest teams in series history, has enjoyed considerable success over the last couple of years. No driver has ever won more for Wood Brothers Racing than David Pearson (above), but the NASCAR Hall of Famer is far from the only big name in motorsports to have visited Victory Lane with the organization. Do Not Sell my Personal Info, 85001-85046+85048+85050-85051+85053-85055+85060-85076+85078-85080+85082+85083+85085-85086+85097-85098, © Scott R LePage / LAT Photo USA, All Rights Reserved. Glen's young sons, Eddie and Len, also began working at the shop in menial labor jobs. It proved to be the final win of Baker's career. This era saw young drivers, including Davey Allison, Ward and 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. Motorcraft/Quick Lane continued to sponsor the team through the 2011 season. 50, many years before they adopted their famous No. Open-wheel star Dan Gurney, who enjoyed popular victories in Indy and Formula One racing, was hired by the Wood Brothers to drive in the No. They celebrated their 50th anniversary in a special ceremony honoring their milestone achievements. This new ride earned Jarrett his first Daytona 500 win. Since the 1950s many teams only ran select races. 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. The Wood Brothers also have won at least one race in every decade for the last six decades, an unmatched feat. With 14 top 10s, Blaney reached the Round of 8 in the playoffs, and finished 9th in points. Bayne continued to run a limited schedule in both 2013 and 2014, however the team failed to return to victory lane. 21 since David Pearson drove in the Wood's heyday. The face of the sport itself was also changing. JTG Motorsports was spawned from ST Racing, which fields entries in the Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series. They also enjoyed over $4 million in winnings. He started 29th and finished 19th. In 1972, David Pearson was hired to be the full-time driver of the No. Wood made one of the two races he attempted before he was pulled from both the No. 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. CURRENT DRIVERS Jarrett claimed the first win of his Hall of Fame career while driving for the Wood Brothers at Michigan in 1991. He finished fifth in 2018 and third last year. 121 at road course events. Although they produced no official regular-season victory, Waltrip and the Wood Brothers pulled off an amazing win at the 1996 The Winston Select All-Star race. 21 car number and adopt the No. 21 car. The early season loss of Neil Bonnett required a replacement driver. The win brought additional sponsorship for several races from Camping World/Good Sam, including the All-Star Race. 21 Wood Brothers Racing machine, including his victory in the 1976 Daytona 500 that is considered one of the greatest in NASCAR history. Just 30 minutes from Martinsville Speedway, in Patrick County, there is a museum dedicated to this legacy. Although Jarrett's time in the No. The team currently fields the No. 09 with Joey Clanton and Stacy Compton sharing the ride. Within the team itself, crew member turnover became frequent as Eddie and Len sought a perfect combination of chemistry to succeed. Glen Wood's daughter Kim had also emerged as a competent leader in her specialty with the team as well. As Shepherd was approaching retirement age, and a youth trend had risen with drivers like Jeff Gordon, the team was looking to ride a similar wave. They also began weight training routines for crew members and increasing their application of technology in their race day competition. Legendary drivers such as Donnie Allison and open-wheel Indy 500 winner A. J. Foyt also took turns piloting the Wood car.
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