Wood Brothers
Stock Car Trailblazers, Racing Innovators
Formed in 1950, Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team in NASCAR. Its lightning-fast pit stops helped earn five wins at the Daytona 500 and made a lasting mark on stock car racing.
How can you gain more time in the pits? That’s sometimes just as important as gaining horsepower, you know?Leonard Wood
About the Innovators
What began as a weekend hobby for brothers Glen, Leonard, and Delano Wood in 1950 grew into one of stock car racing's most storied squads. In those first years, the brothers all worked as mechanics while Glen did the driving. He earned four Grand National victories before stepping out of the cockpit. From then on, the Woods hired some of the best drivers in the business including Donnie Allison, Neil Bonnett, Bill Elliott, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson, Parnelli Jones, Fred Lorenzen, Tiny Lund, Marvin Panch, David Pearson, Fireball Roberts, and Cale Yarborough.Leonard served as engine builder and crew chief. When he modified Delano's jack to make it lighter and faster, it inspired the team to rethink the entire pit stop process. While other NASCAR teams took their time servicing cars, the Woods refined and rehearsed their stops for maximum speed and efficiency. The results were so impressive that Ford Motor Company hired Wood Brothers to crew Jim Clark's Lotus-Ford at the 1965 Indianapolis 500. It was a smart move. The Woods had Clark in and out of the pits in less than 20 seconds – thanks in part to Leonard’s improvements to the refueling mechanism – and helped secure his victory.
In the late 1980s, Glen’s children took over day-to-day operations. Sons Eddie and Len managed the team’s efforts at the track, while daughter Kim ran business operations from the team’s home base in Stuart, Virginia. Wood Brothers Racing is rightfully proud of its long heritage, which includes five Daytona 500 victories. But, like any top-level team, the Woods are always focused on the next race.