Jon Wood believes stability will help, expects to win in 2007
Posted on Wed, Feb. 14, 2007
JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Jon Wood and Carl Edwards have never been far apart in their respective racing careers, with Wood generally following Edwards' path.
This season, both will compete in the Busch Series.
Edwards, a Cup regular, is the clear favorite to win the Busch title. He is by far the most experienced in a small group of Cup drivers planning to run both series.
Cup driver Kevin Harvick won last season's championship, his second in the series, but he is not running a full 2007 schedule.
Edwards, 27, and Wood, 25, started their NASCAR careers with Roush Racing in the Truck Series, Wood in 2001 and Edwards in 2002. They were teammates for 2003 and 2004.
When Edwards moved to the Busch Series with Roush, Wood moved to ST Motorsports. Last year ST merged with the Wood Brothers, owned in part by Jon's father, Eddie Wood.
Wood, a career-best 14th in Busch points last season, is expected to be among the best of the series regulars.
Asked if Edwards was the driver to beat this year, Wood offered a typical witty response: "He's the guy to beat in gymnastics. He's the guy to beat in racing, flying airplanes, whatever.
"He's the best, and you've got to respect a guy that has that type of determination and dedication for what he likes to do."
With a year to work out the kinks in the teams' merger and the addition of crew chief Scott Zipadelli, car chief for the No. 18 Cup team at Joe Gibbs Racing last season, Wood believes he is ready to earn his first series win and contend for the title.
"It's been a struggle, but our cars are getting better and better. I'm quite certain that it's going to be a better year than a year ago," he said.
"I have a new crew chief, who has a huge wealth of knowledge. For the most part, I've got the same team and the same over-the-wall guys on the pit crew.
"I can't wait."
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LAS VEGAS - For Jon Wood, who will make his Nextel Cup Series debut in his family's celebrated No. 21 Ford, there was really never any question of what his life's path would be.
A career outside of racing simply wasn't an option. After all, when you're born into the Wood Family of Stuart, Va., racing isn't a hobby — it's a lifestyle.
"People that are born to farmers, they grow up with a passion to farm — and that's respectable," Wood said. "That's something you have a drive to do and you're good at it because you grew up around it. I grew up around racing — not so much the driving side but just being around the cars. Being around the cars made me want to be in the cars, so I got a go-kart."
And now for the rest of the story...
His great-granddad was a mechanic. His grandfather, Glen Wood, the patriarch of the legendary racing clan, struck the driving dye in 1950 when, at 25, he felt the need for speed and tested his skill at Morris Speedway in the community of Horsepasture outside of Martinsville, Va., in a Sportsman car. Nicknamed the "Woodchopper" because he worked in a sawmill, Wood debuted the No. 21 in its first NASCAR-sanctioned race at the family's hometown track, Martinsville Speedway in 1953. And Wood Brothers Racing was born.
But the emotions surrounding Jon's Cup coming-out party this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is almost indescribable. If there's a single thread currently tying three generations of Wood Brothers together going into this weekend's race, it's a sense of "nervousness."
"I'm a little nervous, of course," said Jon's father Eddie, who co-owns the team with his brother Len and sister Kim. "Not so much for me, but for Jon. I think I'm gonna have to get something to calm me down a little bit, but I'm looking forward to it."
Eddie said the same feeling hit him throughout Jon's progression through the racing ranks.
"It's really no different than every other first race we experienced together, whether it was Jon's first go-kart race, his first Allison Legacy race, his first late-model race, his first Hooter's Cup race, his first truck race or his first Busch race," Eddie said. "There's just more nervousness surrounding this race 'cause there's so much more going on around it.
"It's something that's kind of been in the back of our minds since he was in go-karting, like, 'What if, what if, what if?' and now it's here and that makes it even more special. No one with the last name Wood has actually driven the 21 since my dad did, so it's pretty special."
Glen Wood's last race in the No. 21 was in 1964. NASCAR's elite series was then called the Grand National division. Glen started his 50th and final race at Starkey Speedway (Roanoke, Va.) from the pole and finished third. His reward? A whopping $430.
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I saw an interview with this young man and I was very impressed. He conducted himself well and was very excited about making his Cup debut. He was also nervous about causing a wreck or "rookie mistake" on the track. I wish him well and hope that he does good!
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I saw an interview with this young man and I was very impressed. He conducted himself well and was very excited about making his Cup debut. He was also nervous about causing a wreck or "rookie mistake" on the track. I wish him well and hope that he does good!
I am with ya on that. I wish him nothing but luck, loved the interview. He was so excited and nervous and really handled him self well. I hope he has a great season.
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Family believes Busch Series driver was misdiagnosed
By Raygan Swan, NASCAR.COM
A bad reaction to Attention Deficit Disorder medication may be the cause for headaches Busch Series driver Jon Wood suffered this weekend at the Dover International Speedway, forcing him to give up his ride to another driver for Saturday's race.
Furthermore, the driver's apparent and ongoing ADD is a misdiagnosis, according to a statement from his father Eddie Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers/JTG Racing.
"Jon Wood got out his car on Friday following Busch Series practice by his own choice due to headaches and not feeling well," Eddie Wood said in the statement issued Sunday. "He is presently being evaluated by doctors for these symptoms. It is believed at this time that he has been misdiagnosed with ADD and is experiencing adverse reactions to the prescribed medications."
Jon Wood, 25, was not at the track Sunday, but crew chief Scott Zipadelli said the driver was resting at home and will return to the Busch car when he is well.
"When Jon feels 100 percent, he's on top of his game and we are consulting with physicians to determine when that will be," said Zipadelli, who will fill in for crew chief Michael "Fatback" McSwain on the Wood Brothers' No. 21 Ford for Bill Elliott in Monday's rain-delayed Cup Series race. McSwain's wife is having a baby.
Wood, who began complaining about his headaches Friday morning, is 25th in the Busch Series point standing and prior to Saturday had not missed a Busch race since beginning full time in 2005, 83 races ago.
Cup Series veteran Mark Martin practiced Wood's No. 47 Ford and Travis Kvapil piloted the ride for Saturday's Dover 200. Kvapil experienced radio troubles, crashed out and finished 31st.
Initially, Wood's headaches were believed to be from a string of hard crashes on the track so far this season.
In 13 starts, Wood has one top-10 finish, has been taken out of three races because of accidents and has crashed two cars in practice.
But when asked if the ADD medication was the cause for any of the crashes or affected his performance, Zipadelli said no, there is no correlation between the two.
Competition officials for NASCAR were made aware of the situation and said whether Wood has ADD or not, it's not an issue for them at this point.
Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director for corporate communications, said NASCAR is "100 percent behind the Wood Brothers" organization and at no point in time this weekend was Wood under suspicion for substance abuse.
When the driver returns, Poston said Wood will need to be cleared by his physician or a NASCAR physician in order to race again.
I hope he comes back soon, i like him, the Doctors probably have it wrong anyway..
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Jon Wood believes stability will help, expects to win in 2007
Youngest Wood following family progression
Jon Wood not driving the 47?
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