For Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team there’s no place to race quite like the team’s home track, Martinsville Speedway. The Wood Brothers, from nearby Stuart, Va., will be making their 123rd start at the venerable half-mile oval, a string of starts that began when team founder Glenn Wood made his Cup Series debut in a 100-miler there in 1953.
“Any time the Wood Brothers team races at Martinsville, we treat it as a home race,” crew chief Brian Wilson said. “Many of our team members will stop by the shop in Stuart this weekend to see the Sweepstakes replica in person.”
The replica was built by Leonard Wood, who was the team’s crew chief back in the day and continues to crank out mechanical marvels at the age of 88.
Wilson said he and his fellow members of the current No. 21 team are proud to be carrying on the Wood family’s racing legacy.
“There’s a lot of pride in being a part of this team and knowing the history behind it,” he said.
Wilson said the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team and their rookie driver will be taking their biggest notebook yet to Martinsville, and are hoping to put that data to use in Sunday’s Xfinity 500.
“Similar to last weekend in Homestead, we tested at Martinsville earlier this year,” he said. “This was an extremely successful test for us.
“We were able to make multiple long runs. Over the two-day test we ran a total of 636 laps. By the second day we were able to post some very competitive lap times.
“When you look at the notebook from the test, as well as what we learned in the spring race, we have the most information and seat time heading into this weekend of any event this year.
“Everyone on the Motorcraft Ford is looking to capitalize on that information this Sunday.”
Practice for the Xfinity 500 is set for noon on Saturday, with qualifying at 12:45 p.m.
Sunday’s 500-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. with TV coverage on NBC.
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 130 and 260.
WBR PR
