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Glen Wood NASCAR Hall of Famer

Trevor Bayne’s breakthrough win in last year’s Daytona 500 was one of the most popular NASCAR victories in recent memory, due in part to the youngster’s charisma and likeability, but also because he put the esteemed Wood Brothers Racing back in Victory Lane for the first time since 2001.

Glen Wood has been a fixture in the NASCAR garage for seven decades, both as a driver and an owner.  The Stuart, Va.-native and his brothers built the No. 21 into one of NASCAR’s most legendary rides, propelled by deep-rooted ethics and values, and the industry rewarded Glen Wood’s innumerable contributions with a place in the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame.

SPEED reflects on Wood’s career in a one-hour biography special premiering Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET.  The NASCAR Media Group-produced special incorporates unique roundtable discussions with Wood’s family and never-before-seen photos and videos.  Wood will be inducted into the third class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Jan. 20 (airs on SPEED Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. ET) alongside Cale Yarborough, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip and the late Richie Evans.

Wood Brothers Racing, NASCAR’s oldest active team, dates to 1950 and boasts a roster of drivers that reads like a who’s who of NASCAR, including David Pearson, Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, Fireball Roberts, Dan Gurney, Tiny Lund, Parnelli Jones, Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough, Fred Lorenzen and Bill Elliott, among others.  The organization also won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 with Jim Clark.

The Wood Brothers are a cornerstone of NASCAR history, but more importantly, they are known and respected as much for their affability and ethics as for their mechanical prowess.  Renowned for running their business like one big family, the Wood Brothers invoke a sense of kinship among their employees that transcends a birth certificate.

“I grew up in racing in a family organization and after driving for the Wood Brothers, I can tell you I saw first-hand what a tight family organization they truly are,” said Kyle Petty, former driver and now a SPEED analyst.  “When you drove for them, you became part of their family.  All the way from Curtis Turner to David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip and me, the guys who drove for them in the later years, you truly felt a part of their family.  They never treated you like a driver or an employee.  You didn’t work for them; you worked with them. I think that policy came from Glen and from growing up in that area where everybody helped everybody, neighbor helped neighbor and family helped family.”

While some made their mark on the sport in a boisterous and flashy manner, Wood etched his legacy into the sport in an unassuming and humble manner.

“(David) Pearson was the perfect driver for them because he went about winning races in a quiet way and they went about everything they did in a quiet manner,” Petty stated.  “That personifies Glen – a quiet man who went about doing his job the best he could.  Probably the biggest thing I learned from him is that you can be successful without being flamboyant and hogging the spotlight all the time.” 

Before Wood became a successful owner, he laid the foundation for the Wood Brothers as its first driver, running a limited schedule on a fairly regular basis, mostly at tracks close to home. Wood competed in 62 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races between 1953 and 1964, and found Victory Lane four times. He posted his best season in 1960, during which he won three races and scored six top-five and seven top-10 finishes in just nine starts.

“I think Glen’s driving career contributed greatly to his success and leadership as an owner,” Petty said.  “Glen understood that the driver couldn’t carry the car all the time and if the car wasn’t right, the driver couldn’t win.  So, he’d give his driver the best equipment he could and he’d also get the best driver he could.”

Not only did the Wood Brothers win races, 98 to-date, they revolutionized the pit stop for generations to come.

“I don’t think guys on pit road today understand the way things used to be,” Petty stated.  “The Wood Brothers were the first to recognize the importance of the pit stop.  They realized that the shorter amount of time they spent on pit road, the better off they’d be on the race track.  Picking up positions is easier on pit road.  It’s a timed event.  It’s not about how fast you run on the track sometimes, but rather how fast you can be on and off pit road.

“Look back at some of their early pit stops from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s — the way they’d spin around and rotate around the car was like watching a ballet,” Petty continued.  “Their pit stops looked almost choreographed.  While most teams just went out there and executed stops as fast as they could, the Wood Brothers had a plan.  Today’s pit crew coaches still use that same play sheet.  Those guys were so far ahead of the rest of the sport and everybody else played catch-up for years.”

About SPEED™

SPEED, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in nearly 84 million homes in North America, SPEED, a member of the FOX Sports Media Group, is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services, including SPEED2, a groundbreaking new broadband network featuring live, streaming and on-demand events complementing offerings of the linear network. For more information, please visit SPEED.com, the online motor sports authority.

About FOX Sports Media Group

FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG) is the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets under Chairman & CEO David Hill.  Built with brands that are capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FSMG includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships.  FSMG now includes FOX Sports, the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; Fox’s 19 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; SPEED and SPEED2; Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus; FUEL TV; and Fox College Sports.  In addition, FSMG also includes FOX Sports Interactive Media, which comprises FOXSports.com on MSN, whatifsports.comand scout.com, reaching nearly 30 million unique visitors monthly.  Also included are Fox’s interests in joint-venture businesses FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network, FOX Sports Skybox restaurants and FOX Sports Grills.

Source: SPEED, Press Release