A family team from Stuart, Virginia, formed in 1950, credited with the modern pit stop and remembered for a long run of No. 21 wins with Ford.
Wood Brothers Racing is a Cup Series team formed in 1950 by brothers in Virginia. It is the oldest active team in NASCAR, known for the No. 21 Ford, the modern pit stop and a 1976 Triple Crown.
Wood Brothers Racing is an American stock car team that competes in NASCAR's Cup Series and is the oldest active team in the sport. The Wood family formed it in 1950 in the Blue Ridge area of Virginia, and it has run the No. 21 Ford for most of its history. Its reputation rests on fast pit stops, a long Ford relationship and a Triple Crown won in 1976.
What is Wood Brothers Racing?
Wood Brothers Racing is a family-run stock car team that has been part of NASCAR since its early years. The team is owned by the children and grandchildren of Glen Wood, and it has a technical alliance with Team Penske. It currently fields the No. 21 Ford Mustang for Josh Berry, a car that carries one of the most recognisable numbers in the sport.
The team's long history gives it a special place in NASCAR. It is known for its relationship with Ford Motor Company and for a level of consistency that few other operations have matched over more than seven decades.
A family team that invented the modern pit stop and kept the No. 21 running for more than seven decades.
How did the Wood family start the team?
Walter and Ada Wood owned a farm near Woolwine and Stuart, Virginia, and had five sons, Glen, Leonard, Delano, Clay and Ray Lee, along with one daughter, Crystal. The sons worked with their father as mechanics, farmers and lumbermen, and they honed their mechanical skills in the family garage.
Curtis Turner, a local sawmill operator and champion racecar driver, inspired the brothers to form a stock car team. Turner later co-owned Charlotte Motor Speedway and eventually drove for the Wood Brothers. That link explains how a family of lumbermen came to race at the highest level.
How did the first car and early wins come about?
In the early 1950s the Woods needed a driver, and they recruited fellow lumberman Chris Williams after a friend declined. Williams and the Woods bought their first car for $50, which they numbered 50, years before they adopted the No. 21.
Chris Williams and Glen Wood each drove a few races for the team, which found success at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. After those early wins, Williams sold his share to Glen Wood to focus on his lumber business.
Why is the No. 21 so important?
The team permanently adopted the No. 21, which became as iconic in NASCAR as Petty's No. 43 and Earnhardt's No. 3. The number carried the team through decades of changes in drivers, sponsors and manufacturers.
As the team grew, Glen Wood stepped back from driving and the family began hiring proven winners to drive the No. 21 Ford at various tracks. Leonard Wood's talent in engine work soon earned the team acclaim, and the operation became known for the quality of its preparation.
Who invented the modern pit stop?
The Wood Brothers developed the modern pit stop. Early drivers would pull in, switch off, step out and sometimes smoke while the crew changed tires. The Woods realised that minimising time off the track could improve a team's position, and they built the method that is now used in all types of racing.
Other teams soon copied the Wood method, but the Woods kept refining their pit work and maintained their advantage. Their precision in the pits led Ford to invite them to the 1965 Indianapolis 500 to support the Lotus-Ford team.
How did the team help Jim Clark win at Indianapolis?
Jim Clark won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 with the Wood crew working on his car. The result was the first time a NASCAR stock car crew had served an IndyCar team in that way, and it brought the Woods international attention.
After the Indianapolis result, Wood Brothers Racing gained acclaim as motorsport pioneers. Sports Illustrated and other major media covered the team, and it built a roster of drivers whose wins were matched only by Richard Petty.
Who drove for the team in the 1960s?
The team's drivers through the mid-1960s included Curtis Turner, Marvin Panch, Fireball Roberts, Junior Johnson and Cale Yarborough. Purolator became the primary sponsor of the No. 21 car during this period, giving the team a long-term financial base.
The Woods also fielded a second car, the No. 121, in select races. Dan Gurney drove it on NASCAR road courses, and the Gurney-Wood pairing won every race Gurney entered for the team at the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside. In 1968 the team earned over $160,000 in single-season winnings, a remarkable amount for the era.
What was the David Pearson era?
David Pearson became the full-time driver of the No. 21 car in 1972, starting a strong run of results. Across 1972 to 1979 the team entered 143 races, won 46 and took 51 poles, with race earnings above $1.3 million.
Pearson's partnership with the team coincided with a sharp rise in its profile. The Woods were often compared with top athletes from other sports, and the family's rise led the team to move to a new facility in Stuart where it would remain for many years.
Did the team win the Triple Crown?
Yes. In 1976 the team, with Pearson at the wheel, won three major races in one season: the Daytona 500, the World 600 at Charlotte and the Southern 500 at Darlington. That set of wins is known as the Triple Crown. The sequence of three major wins in one year was a high point for the team.
The success led to an invitation to the White House in the late 1970s, extended at the request of President Jimmy Carter. The visit meant a great deal to the family and to the community around their home town.
Who drove the No. 21 in the 1980s?
Neil Bonnett drove the No. 21 from 1979 to 1982 and then returned after a later break. His first spell covered 83 races, nine victories and over $700,000 in winnings, which made it one of the team's most productive partnerships of the decade.
Buddy Baker replaced Bonnett in 1983 and the team won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona that year. Valvoline became the primary patron as the team moved to a full-time schedule, and Baker's stint lasted two seasons before the team looked for another driver.
How did Kyle Petty's time with the team go?
Kyle Petty, the grandson of Lee Petty and son of Richard Petty, was hired to drive the No. 21 full-time in 1985. That season the team partnered with 7-Eleven, Citgo and Chief Auto Parts, and the car had to run the No. 7 to suit the 7-Eleven sponsorship.
Kyle won at Richmond in his second season with the team. The team returned to the traditional No. 21 in 1987 and won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte with Kyle at the wheel. He left after four seasons and 115 races for SABCO Racing, and the team had won two races with him.
What happened with Bonnett and Dale Jarrett?
Neil Bonnett returned to the No. 21 after a brief stint by Tommy Ellis. After 31 races together, Bonnett suffered serious injuries in a crash at Darlington and parted ways with the team. Dale Jarrett then filled the vacant seat.
Jarrett drove the No. 21 from 1990 to 1991. He won at Michigan in 1991, narrowly beating Davey Allison, and that victory was his first career win. The Michigan win also reflected the team's long tradition of producing winners.
Jarrett left for Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevy. His stint in the No. 21 spanned 53 races and one victory. From 1953 to 2002, every driver who raced a full season with the Woods had achieved at least one victory, a streak the team still points to with pride.
How did Morgan Shepherd and Michael Waltrip perform?
Morgan Shepherd drove the No. 21 from 1992 to 1995. His only win came at the 1993 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 in Atlanta, a race that had been postponed for six days by a snowstorm. Shepherd finished with 52 top-ten finishes and over $4 million in earnings.
Michael Waltrip drove the No. 21 for three seasons and 95 races. The team celebrated a win at the 1996 Winston Select All-Star Race, a result that earned a $200,000 prize. Waltrip's team winnings topped $3.7 million during his tenure.
What did Elliott Sadler achieve with the team?
Elliott Sadler replaced Waltrip at the start of 1999. His first win came at Bristol in 2001, which was the team's first Bristol victory in its history. Sadler left after 2002 for Robert Yates Racing, having spanned 139 races with the Woods.
During Sadler's four seasons, the team earned over $9 million. The team also marked its 50th anniversary in 2000, when Glen and Leonard Wood were inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Mike Beam became the first non-Wood crew chief for the No. 21.
Citgo's sponsorship ended after nearly 20 years during Sadler's time with the No. 21. Its departure opened the way for a closer link to Ford, with Motorcraft and the Air Force becoming the team's sponsors.
How has the team fared since the Penske alliance?
Ryan Blaney drove the No. 21 from 2015 in a Team Penske alliance. Go Fas Racing leased its charter to the Woods in December 2016, which guaranteed the No. 21 a starting spot. Blaney's 2017 season included a Pocono win, which was the team's first win since 2011.
Blaney's Pocono win was his first career Cup Series victory. The result ended a long gap for the team and was greeted warmly by competitors, who surrounded the car during the cool-down lap. Blaney then moved to a third car for Team Penske in 2018.
Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500 at age 20 for the team, and his result marked the Woods' first victory since Sadler's Bristol win. Ricky Rudd, who drove the No. 21 from 2003 to 2005, later retired after three seasons with the team.
Where does the family's record stand today?
Harrison Burton won the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 for the team, its 100th win. Josh Berry then won at Las Vegas, the 101st win for Wood Brothers Racing. Jesse Love will drive the No. 21 in 2027, so the number continues into its next phase.
The Woods kept their Stuart shop as a museum, and their main operations moved to Mooresville in 2004. That split between heritage and modern operations is part of what keeps the team's story visible to fans.
What are the team's key results at a glance?
| Year | Driver | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | The Wood family | Team formed | Oldest active team in NASCAR |
| 1965 | Jim Clark | Indianapolis 500 | Won with the Wood Brothers crew |
| 1976 | David Pearson | Triple Crown | Daytona 500, World 600 and Southern 500 |
| 1983 | Buddy Baker | Firecracker 400 | Win at Daytona |
| 1987 | Kyle Petty | Coca-Cola 600 | Win at Charlotte in the No. 21 |
| 1991 | Dale Jarrett | Michigan | First career win |
| 1993 | Morgan Shepherd | Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 | Only win in Atlanta |
| 1996 | Michael Waltrip | Winston Select All-Star Race | Win worth $200,000 |
| 2001 | Elliott Sadler | Bristol | First Bristol win for the team |
| 2011 | Trevor Bayne | Daytona 500 | Win at age 20 |
| 2017 | Ryan Blaney | Pocono 400 | First career Cup win |
| 2024 | Harrison Burton | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | 100th win for the team |
| 2025 | Josh Berry | Las Vegas | 101st win for the team |
Why does Wood Brothers Racing matter?
Wood Brothers Racing matters because it shows how a family team can last more than seven decades in NASCAR. Its pit work, its long relationship with Ford and its No. 21 legacy give it a place in the sport's history that few other teams share.
The team's story also shows how a small-town operation can reach the top of motorsport. Its roots in Stuart, Virginia, led to a race shop, a museum and a run of victories that still shapes how the team is seen today.
