Legendary team owner, racer Glen Wood has died

By Jerry Jordan, Editor

CONCORD, NC – The NASCAR community awoke Friday morning to sad news as the Wood Brothers Racing team confirmed, Glen Wood, a leader of one of the most legendary racing families in the sport had died.

“It’s with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of team founder and family patriarch Glen Wood this morning. We want to thank family, friends, our small-town Virginia community of Patrick County, as well as everyone in the NASCAR community for their unwavering support,” read a tweet from the verified Wood Brothers Racing Twitter account at approximately 6:30 a.m.

It’s with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of team founder and family patriarch Glen Wood this morning. We want to thank family, friends, our small-town Virginia community of Patrick County, as well as everyone in the NASCAR community for their unwavering support. pic.twitter.com/vadN1NKgTV— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) January 18, 2019

As a team owner, who saw five of his drivers – Tony Lund, Cale Yarbrough, A.J. Foyt, David Pearson and Trevor Bayne – win the pinnacle Daytona 500, Wood has been inducted in to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was also the team’s first driver – making 62 career starts and wiith four wins at NASCAR’s highest level. Until 2017, he had attended every Daytona Speedweeks for 70 years with illness bringing that streak to an end in 2018.

The Wood Brothers Racing team, formed in 1949 with his brother Leonard Wood, has been a loyal supporter of the Ford brand since the beginning and has never raced under another manufacturers’ banner. Ford Motor Company presented Wood with the Spirit of Ford Award in 1999 for his contributions to racing.

“This is a difficult day for all of us at Ford Motor Company,” said Edsel B. Ford II, member of the Ford Motor Company Board of Directors. “Glen Wood was the founding patriarch of the oldest continuously operating NASCAR Cup Series team and we consider Wood Brothers Racing a part of our family, the Ford Family. The Wood Brothers race team, by any measure, has been one of the most successful racing operations in the history of NASCAR. Most importantly for our company, Glen and his family have remained loyal to Ford throughout their 69-year history.

“Glen was an innovator who, along with his family, changed the sport itself. But, more importantly, he was a true Southern gentleman who was quick with a smile and a handshake and he was a man of his word. I will cherish the memories of our chats in the NASCAR garage, at their race shop in Mooresville or the racing museum in Stuart. My most memorable moment with Glen was with he and his family in the #21 pit box watching Trevor Bayne win the 2011 Daytona 500 and the celebration that followed in victory lane.”

Mark Rushbrook, who leads Ford Performance Motorsports as its Global Director, said “It’s a sad day for all of us involved in the Ford racing program. Glen Wood isn’t just a pioneer in the sport of NASCAR because of his team’s winning legacy. His vision and determination to help take Wood Brothers Racing from a small, family effort out of Virginia to one of the most storied teams in the sport’s history is an American success story. They did it with grit and innovation and hard work, and they changed the sport for the better along the way. And the fact they have never wavered from their loyalty to Ford Motor Company throughout their 69-year history means the world to all of us at Ford.”

As news of Wood’s passing began to make its way through the racing community, tribute posts expressing condolences to the Wood Brothers Racing family began to pour in with thousands of messages being shared on Facebook and Twitter in less than two hours after the news broke. From the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Winston Kelley to NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell, who wrote “A legend in the sport and one of the happiest people you could ever interact with. Loved his family, loved racing. RIP Glen-a life well lived!” the entire racing community is mourning the loss of Glen Wood.

A legend in the sport and one of the happiest people you could ever interact with. Loved his family, loved racing. RIP Glen-a life well lived!— Steve O’Donnell (@odsteve) January 18, 2019

“First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, we offer our most sincere condolences to Ms. Bernece, Eddie and Carol, Len and Nancy, Kim and Terry, and the entire Wood family,” said Winston Kelley, NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director. “There are so many words that describe Glen Wood – pioneer, legend, competitor, dedicated, committed, resilient, humble, authentic and many more. On the track, the team Glen Wood founded in 1950 has amassed 99 premier series victories including exceptional success at some of NASCAR’s marquee races such as five Daytona 500s, four Coca-Cola 600s and four Southern 500s.

“With all that success, perhaps what Glen will most be remembered for is his grace, humility and character. The word that best describes Glen to me is gentleman. I’ve often said if you looked up the term “Southern Gentleman” in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Glen Wood and likely all of the Wood Brothers. While we have lost one of NASCAR’s true pioneers, icons and legends, Glen’s legacy and memory will continue through Wood Brothers Racing and will be forever remembered, preserved, celebrated and cherished here at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, at the Wood Brothers Museum in Stuart, Virginia, and in our hearts and minds.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Funeral information will be included when made available by the family.