COMMENTARY: Don't Worry About The Wood Brothers

Leonard and Glen Wood, NASCAR pioneers

Wood Brothers Racing is as much a part of the NASCAR landscape as gasoline fumes, trophy queens and the checkered flag. The Stuart, Va.-based Woods pre-dated the arrival of NASCAR, fielding potent modified racers for elder brother Glen Wood, wrenched by younger brother Leonard.

Their legendary partnership with driver David Pearson produced nearly 100 wins, and their lifetime driver roster reads like a Who’s Who of NASCAR racing. Pearson, Curtis Turner, Junior Johnson, Joe Weatherly, Marvin Panch, Cale Yarborough, Donnie Allison, AJ Foyt, Neil Bonnett and Buddy Baker all spent quality time at the wheel of their No. 21 Fords over the years, making Wood Brothers Racing the equivalent of NASCAR royalty.

At 90 and 81 years of age, respectively, Glen and Leonard Wood shoulder a lighter load these days, leaving the day-to-day operation of Wood Brothers Racing to the second and third generations of their racing family.

Faltering sponsorship has forced the team to compete only part-time in recent seasons, but when they do race, they race competitively. They won their fifth Daytona 500 with rookie Trevor Bayne in 2011, and they’re back with another freshman driver – third-generation wheel man Ryan Blaney – in 2016. Unfortunately, the Woods returned to Daytona Beach this week with a decided handicap. That part-time status resulted in them being left off the list of Sprint Cup Series charter holders; an omission that will require them to race their way into the final four spots of the field for the next nine years, while teams with a small percentage of their tenure enjoy guaranteed starter status.

Ryan Blaney

NASCAR’s decision to leave WBR off the charter list has been controversial, to say the least. While their omission is perhaps justifiable by the sheer numbers, NASCAR Nation has been vociferous in its belief that something should have been done to guarantee the Woods a place at the table on race day .

I’ll leave that debate to others, focusing instead on the competitive challenges that now face NASCAR’s longest-tenured team.

Yes, Wood Brothers Racing must qualify for every race from now on, just as they have for most of the past decade. To do so, they need only to be one of the four fastest “open” teams in time-trial qualifying. Only eight “open” teams turned out to seek a spot in NASCAR’s richest race this week, and fewer still are expected to compete on a weekly basis, going forward. Many of those teams are small, understaffed and unsponsored, struggling to gain a foothold in the sport. With all due respect, those teams present little threat to an operation like the Woods, which enjoys enthusiastic monetary and technological support from both Ford Performance and Team Penske, as well as full sponsorship.

Evidence of that support came in the final two minutes of Saturday’s final practice, when Blaney rolled onto the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway tri-oval in hot pursuit of Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. On a day when no one else tempted fate with multi-car drafts, Blaney, Keselowski and Logano joined forces and sped to the very top of the speed charts, giving the Wood Brothers an iron-clad insurance policy in the event of inclement weather on qualifying day.

The tradition continues in 2016

“We had a plan,” admitted Blaney to Motorsports.com afterward. “That was kind of the plan, to line up there at the end.”

Their backup plan was ultimately not needed, as Blaney qualified solidly in seventh place yesterday. It showed, however, just how far Team Penske and Ford are willing to go to ensure the Woods a spot on race day. Blaney will start fourth in Thursday’s first Can-Am Duel 150 qualifying race, but no matter where he finishes, a spot in the Great American Race is assured.

“It is nice to be locked into the race,” he said. “The biggest relief for us is to know you are locked in and good to race in the 500. That lets us go race on Thursday… instead of playing it conservative. It’s a load off our shoulders, for sure.”

Wood Brothers Racing is going to be fine for the remainder of Speedweeks. They’ll be fine next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the week after that in Las Vegas. Barring a complete rainout of practice and qualifying in one of those events, there is virtually no way for a team as good, as fast, as experienced and as well-supported as the Woods to miss the cut. And once we roll into Phoenix International Raceway for the Good Sam 500 on March 13, Wood Brothers Racing will be high enough in the owner’s standings that even a deluge of biblical proportions can do them no harm.

"It's all going to work out," said team co-owner Eddie Wood this week. "I promise. It's going to be OK."

Being shunned for a charter was disappointing for the Woods Brothers and their legions of fans. But it is absolutely not the kiss of death. Wood Brothers Racing will persevere as it always has, overcoming whatever obstacles are placed in its path and proving – once again – why it remains one of NASCAR’s elite organizations.

“This one is for our fans… the people that have supported us over the past week and over the past seven decades,” said Eddie Wood. “We’ve never taken the support of our fans for granted, and we’re elated to be able to give them reason to celebrate this week.”

“It’s been awkward for us the past few days, and I’m sure it’s been that way for our fans, as well. Now we can all focus on something positive, a great run in the Daytona 500.”