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A16 SPORTS
Tuesday 27 augusT 2024
It took 7 decades but the Wood Brothers finally have NASCAR win

No. 100

By JENNA FRYER teed a spot in the field each
AP Auto Racing Writer week and its percentage
Speedy Thompson was of the purse payouts was
the first driver to wheel the dramatically smaller than
famed No. 21 Ford to vic- chartered teams.
tory lane for Wood Brothers Jon Wood, Eddie’s son and
Racing way back in 1960 a former driver, is now the
with a win at Charlotte Mo- team president and said
tor Speedway. not landing a charter was
Ninety-eight wins followed nearly rock bottom.
over the next seven de- “When we didn’t get a
cades, all the way through charter, and we were
Ryan Blaney’s victory at talking about it, it was the
Pocono Raceway in 2017. lowest point of lows,” Jon
And then one of NASCAR’s Wood said. “We had to
pioneering teams stalled. come here, face the mu-
Wood Brothers, despite a sic, and say, ‘I think we’ll be
tight alliance with Team OK.’ And we are. That’s the
Penske and strong support part that’s just so surreal in
from Ford Motor Co., sat Harrison Burton (21) crosses the finish line ahead of Kyle Busch (8) to win a NASCAR Cup Series this. You go from the lowest
on 99 wins for more than auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. of lows to just on top of it.”
Associated Press
six years. The drought finally The team did not secure a
ended over the weekend full charter until 2021.
when Harrison Burton gave Wood died in 2019 at the which won five Daytona “But there was a phone What’s next
the organization win No. age of 93. 500s and 11 more times in call from Edsel Ford back in Burton, unfortunately,
100 with a victory the first “There’s nothing better NASCAR’s annual summer 2008. We were really strug- hasn’t worked out for the
of his Cup Series career in than winning at Daytona,” stop at the track. Burton is gling. He said, ‘I’m going to organization the way Pen-
an upset thriller at Daytona said Eddie Wood, who the 19th driver to win a Cup have a gentleman call you ske had hoped and the
International Speedway. called the facility his favor- race for the family. tomorrow that’s going to decision was made earlier
The win earned Burton one ite NASCAR track. “Winning The single-car team was help you.’ this season to release the
of the last remaining spots here is bigger to me than once one of the most dom- “That man’s name was Jim 23-year-old at the end of
in the playoff field and fi- winning somewhere else. inant entries in the Cup ga- Farley, who is now the CEO the year. The Penske driv-
nally gave team co-owners It’s just special. Our dad rage until it hit lean years of Ford Motor Co. That’s ers were among the many
Eddie and Len Wood the raced on the beach, actu- that only worsened with the how far back things go. Our competitors who went to
victory their late father had ally on the sand. God, that 2008 recession. It took help family raced Ford Motor victory lane to congratu-
long eyed. Glen Wood, was almost 75 years ago. from Ford he only manu- Co. products since the be- late Burton on his break-
a NASCAR Hall of Famer, I think he ran the first race facturer the team has ever ginning, 1950. I think that’s through victory.
founded the team in 1950 he ever run on the sand partnered with to keep the one of the most things I’m “Obviously, the way the last
with his brothers Leonard, in 1953. That’s a long time doors open. really, really proud of.” three years have gone has
Ray Lee, Delano and Clay. ago. Winning Daytona is “There’s so many things in a The Ford assistance wasn’t not been the way I wanted
The team to this day oper- just really special for our guy’s life, everybody’s life, really enough to make to represent myself, the way
ates out of Stuart, Virginia, family.” one phone call, one place Wood Brothers a contender I wanted to represent this
and is run by the second Wood Brothers and Ford you happen to be at a cer- again, and the turnaround team,” Burton said. “And
and third generations of Burton’s win was the 16th tain time, timing is every- still didn’t happen after win then to have the walls clos-
the Wood family. Glen at Daytona for the No. 21, thing,” Eddie Wood said. No. 98, the Daytona 500 ing in on, you know, there’s
in 2011 with rookie Trevor a definite end to my time
Bayne. to get to drive this historic
Burton’s victory Saturday car, and then to find a way
night is just the fourth win to win while those walls are
for the No. 21 since 2000. closing in, to me, is really,
Elliott Sadler won Bristol in really special.
2001, Bayne won the Day- “It almost makes the last
tona 500 and Blaney at Po- three years worth it, but I
cono in 2017 in a win that would’ve much rather won
was aided by Roger Pen- before now. It’s just been so
ske’s intervention. hard, and that’s the way it
Penske in 2014 needed a should be. The Cup Series
seat for Blaney and wanted is really, really hard. But to
to align with a team where get the Wood Brothers’
he could develop young 100th win, get my very first
personnel. Wood Brothers, Cup win, it’s just really, re-
like Penske a heavy Ford ally hard to put in words.”
team, was the perfect fit. Burton has 11 races remain-
More challenges ing in the No. 21 and will be
When NASCAR introduced part of the 16-driver play-
its charter system in 2016, off field when it starts two
Wood Brothers didn’t get weeks from now at Atlanta
one despite being one of Motor Speedway. That’s 11
the oldest teams in Cup his- weeks for Burton to make
Harrison Burton celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at tory. Without the charter, more history with a historic
Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Associated Press the No. 21 wasn’t guaran- NASCAR team.q