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For the Woods, racing is a ...
Like the Petty family from Level Cross, N.C., the Woods, from Stuart, Va., have been a part of the sport of NASCAR, racing almost continually since its inception in the late 1940s. The Woods have been steady competitors since 1953, winning 96 races. The Pettys started in the Cup circuit in its inaugural season of 1949 and have run cars every year since, winning 268 times. But despite their successes on the track, both the Petty and the Wood teams have the feel of an everyday family business. Young members of both families say that if their grandfathers had been farmers, they'd probably be milking cows or cultivating corn on the family farm instead of racing.
Jon's comments indicate that he looks upon racing much like the older members of his family and the Pettys. "We're all so used to [racing] that it's just a way of life," he said. "It's not something that you look at and consider it glamorous. There is no heroism in being a race-car driver or owning a race team. I guess it's just pure luck, and we all realize that. "When we sit down for Christmas every year at my grandma's house, at Grandma Bernice's house, I don't think a race car gets brought up one time. That's cool because that level of humility is what it takes to have longevity in this sport." It also helps that every family member has a role they're comfortable in, so egos don't clash. Jon's father, Eddie, and his uncle, Len, have been happy all their lives working behind the scenes on the cars. Neither ever showed any great desire to take the wheel. "A lot of people ask Len and me, 'Why didn't you guys drive?' " Eddie Wood said. "When we were the age to drive ... during the early '70s, when we were having so much success with [David] Pearson, there were only like four of us that worked on that car full time, and there really wasn't enough time for yourself to go racing. Now that it's all said and done, where I'm at and Len is where he is, I'll speak for myself and say that I didn't have what it took to do it. If I had, I would have done it. You'd find a way. If you want to do something bad enough, you'll find a way." But what he does want bad enough is to be just what he is - an integral part of a successful team in NASCAR.
"We've been one race team since the beginning, and we've been with Ford Motor Co. the entire time, and we're really proud of that," he said. "We're still here, and I'm pretty proud of that."
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