tassiedevilAB
14th January 2008, 13:08
THIS IS A CRAZY WAY TO RUN A TEAM, the future is looking quite dim for the drivers is this tangled web?
Jon and Keven Wood will drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in the Truck Series.
Wood Brothers, JTG split entire stock-car operation
Teams will still work together in administrative functions
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
January 13, 2008
09:01 AM EST
type size: + -DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After two seasons of cooperatively fielding teams in NASCAR's three national tours, Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing have split their competition elements for 2008.
The two groups will still work together in several administrative functions, including marketing and the teams' show car programs; as well as their race parts operation, both teams' principals said Saturday.
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This season, the two organizations will continue to work out of a 120,000-square-foot shop in Harrisburg, N.C., that currently houses pairs of teams in Cup, Nationwide and the Truck Series.
Thus, it was almost business-as-usual Friday as the three-day Truck Series Preseason Thunder test session opened at Daytona International Speedway.
Third generation racer Jon Wood, 26, was driving the Woods' No. 21 Ford, which was garaged next to JTG Racing's No. 20 Ford piloted by Scott Lagasse Jr., who will drive the truck for the full schedule. Crew chiefs John Monsam and Gary Cogswell worked on the 21 and 20 trucks, respectively, just as they had in 2007 as teammates.
Eddie Wood, Jon's father and co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing, arrived at the track on Saturday, as did Tad Geschickter, the "T" in "JTG" along with wife Jodi.
"We just had different philosophies about where we wanted to go with our race teams and personnel, so we felt like it was better to file away the good experiences from the past two seasons and move on," Eddie Wood said. "We're excited to be here at Daytona, testing our truck with Jon behind the wheel and we're really looking forward to having our Sprint Cup car down here next week with Bill Elliott."
Geschickter said changes in NASCAR led to the divergence.
"Obviously, the competition part of it has changed, with the Car of Tomorrow in Cup and the old car in [Nationwide]; and truck with different rule packages," Geschickter said. "Originally the idea was to have one big competition department to share data, and that became less and less effective and really made us pretty slow to make decisions.
"So what we've done is just change our business structure, tighten the spans of control in the competition department by series and other than that, we're still all working together."
In addition to its truck, which will be driven by team co-owner Len Wood's son Keven, 23, Wood Brothers Racing will field the family's legendary No. 21 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series, tuned by crew chief Gene Nead with 1988 Cup champion Elliott behind the wheel during Speedweeks 2008 at Daytona.
Elliott will test the car next Monday-Wednesday at Daytona and compete in all Speedweeks events that car will contest, including the Feb. 9 Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duel qualifying race on Feb. 14 and the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17.
The team has sponsorship for nine Cup races from the U.S. Air Force, with Jon Wood driving; and for 14 weekends from the Little Debbie brand of snack cakes. Little Debbie will be on the car for the Daytona 500, but Tasmanian Marcos Ambrose will be the primary driver of the No. 21 in the other Little Debbie races.
Elliott will drive the No. 21's other Cup races, with most of their sponsorship in place, Eddie Wood said. He said the team had primary sponsorship available for six races.
Geschickter said Ambrose would also drive four races in JTG Racing's No. 47 Little Debbie Sprint Cup car, at Indianapolis, Kansas, Atlanta and Homestead.
The Woods' truck has a season-long associate sponsorship from the Air Force, which marks the service branch's eighth year of marketing, recruiting and sponsorship of the Wood family's team in Cup and Truck.
"I'm very enthusiastic about this year's schedule as I'll be representing the United States Air Force in both the Sprint Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series," Jon Wood said. "It'll be a lot of fun to share time with Keven in the truck because it's something we've always known would happen, and now it's here."
Keven Wood made his Truck Series debut last summer at Memphis, qualifying 19th and finishing 27th. At the Daytona test, he was atop the control tower, spotting for his cousin.
"I'm looking forward to Jon and I sharing the driving duties of the truck," Keven said. "I got the opportunity to drive in the Truck Series last year, and I liked it!
"I know I don't have to go far for advice, if I need it. I know Jon will be right there for me, along with my dad and Uncle Eddie, both in the pits."
In addition to its full season truck, JTG Racing will again have two full-time Fords in the Nationwide Series.
Ambrose, who finished eighth in the 2007 championship as a rookie, returns for another full season in the No. 59, tuned by new crew chief Walter Giles, who last season worked as race engineer with Martin Truex Jr. in the Cup Series.
Former ASA Late Model champion Kelly Bires, who stepped into the team's No. 47 Busch Series car in June and ended up 32nd in the drivers' championship while the car was 27th in the owner standings. Bires returns for a full season, as does crew chief Scott Zipadelli.
Jon and Keven Wood will drive the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in the Truck Series.
Wood Brothers, JTG split entire stock-car operation
Teams will still work together in administrative functions
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
January 13, 2008
09:01 AM EST
type size: + -DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- After two seasons of cooperatively fielding teams in NASCAR's three national tours, Wood Brothers Racing and JTG Racing have split their competition elements for 2008.
The two groups will still work together in several administrative functions, including marketing and the teams' show car programs; as well as their race parts operation, both teams' principals said Saturday.
Complete Coverage
NASCAR Acceleration
SPEED Coverage
Daytona Countdown
Get your tickets
Book your travel
This season, the two organizations will continue to work out of a 120,000-square-foot shop in Harrisburg, N.C., that currently houses pairs of teams in Cup, Nationwide and the Truck Series.
Thus, it was almost business-as-usual Friday as the three-day Truck Series Preseason Thunder test session opened at Daytona International Speedway.
Third generation racer Jon Wood, 26, was driving the Woods' No. 21 Ford, which was garaged next to JTG Racing's No. 20 Ford piloted by Scott Lagasse Jr., who will drive the truck for the full schedule. Crew chiefs John Monsam and Gary Cogswell worked on the 21 and 20 trucks, respectively, just as they had in 2007 as teammates.
Eddie Wood, Jon's father and co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing, arrived at the track on Saturday, as did Tad Geschickter, the "T" in "JTG" along with wife Jodi.
"We just had different philosophies about where we wanted to go with our race teams and personnel, so we felt like it was better to file away the good experiences from the past two seasons and move on," Eddie Wood said. "We're excited to be here at Daytona, testing our truck with Jon behind the wheel and we're really looking forward to having our Sprint Cup car down here next week with Bill Elliott."
Geschickter said changes in NASCAR led to the divergence.
"Obviously, the competition part of it has changed, with the Car of Tomorrow in Cup and the old car in [Nationwide]; and truck with different rule packages," Geschickter said. "Originally the idea was to have one big competition department to share data, and that became less and less effective and really made us pretty slow to make decisions.
"So what we've done is just change our business structure, tighten the spans of control in the competition department by series and other than that, we're still all working together."
In addition to its truck, which will be driven by team co-owner Len Wood's son Keven, 23, Wood Brothers Racing will field the family's legendary No. 21 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series, tuned by crew chief Gene Nead with 1988 Cup champion Elliott behind the wheel during Speedweeks 2008 at Daytona.
Elliott will test the car next Monday-Wednesday at Daytona and compete in all Speedweeks events that car will contest, including the Feb. 9 Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duel qualifying race on Feb. 14 and the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17.
The team has sponsorship for nine Cup races from the U.S. Air Force, with Jon Wood driving; and for 14 weekends from the Little Debbie brand of snack cakes. Little Debbie will be on the car for the Daytona 500, but Tasmanian Marcos Ambrose will be the primary driver of the No. 21 in the other Little Debbie races.
Elliott will drive the No. 21's other Cup races, with most of their sponsorship in place, Eddie Wood said. He said the team had primary sponsorship available for six races.
Geschickter said Ambrose would also drive four races in JTG Racing's No. 47 Little Debbie Sprint Cup car, at Indianapolis, Kansas, Atlanta and Homestead.
The Woods' truck has a season-long associate sponsorship from the Air Force, which marks the service branch's eighth year of marketing, recruiting and sponsorship of the Wood family's team in Cup and Truck.
"I'm very enthusiastic about this year's schedule as I'll be representing the United States Air Force in both the Sprint Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series," Jon Wood said. "It'll be a lot of fun to share time with Keven in the truck because it's something we've always known would happen, and now it's here."
Keven Wood made his Truck Series debut last summer at Memphis, qualifying 19th and finishing 27th. At the Daytona test, he was atop the control tower, spotting for his cousin.
"I'm looking forward to Jon and I sharing the driving duties of the truck," Keven said. "I got the opportunity to drive in the Truck Series last year, and I liked it!
"I know I don't have to go far for advice, if I need it. I know Jon will be right there for me, along with my dad and Uncle Eddie, both in the pits."
In addition to its full season truck, JTG Racing will again have two full-time Fords in the Nationwide Series.
Ambrose, who finished eighth in the 2007 championship as a rookie, returns for another full season in the No. 59, tuned by new crew chief Walter Giles, who last season worked as race engineer with Martin Truex Jr. in the Cup Series.
Former ASA Late Model champion Kelly Bires, who stepped into the team's No. 47 Busch Series car in June and ended up 32nd in the drivers' championship while the car was 27th in the owner standings. Bires returns for a full season, as does crew chief Scott Zipadelli.