Jon Wood has 208 starts as a driver all the plan in which through NASCAR‘s high three series, but hasn‘t competed since 2008. He hasn‘t accomplished quite a lot of iRacing in the years since, but Saturday afternoon he‘ll be wheeling the No. 21 Motorcraft/Fast Lane Ford Mustang on the virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway in the final race of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Sequence.
Wood, now 38, will be utilizing for Wood Brothers Racing, where he‘s now Senior Vice President and Co-proprietor. He‘s taking the plot of the crew‘s neatly-liked driver, Matt DiBenedetto, who is lacking the Invitational finale as a consequence of a outdated family commitment. Steve Myers, iRacing‘s Govt Vice President and Govt Producer, invited Wood to be half of the line-up since DiBenedetto used to be unavailable.
The prospect of returning to opponents against the high skills in NASCAR is barely unnerving for Wood, a two-time winner in the truck series.
“I’m succesful of‘t imagine how worried the thought to be being in this race has made me,” he acknowledged. “I don‘t be mindful being this hurt up for any of my genuine-world races.”
In addition to to getting reacquainted along with his iRacing rig, Wood has been busy designing a throw-support paint design for Saturday‘s race on the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. His Mustang will be Sweet Apple Red, just relish the Ford that the leisurely Marvin Panch drove to 2 wins at North Wilkesboro, in 1963 and 1964. The paint design can even be a mode of honoring the leisurely Ray Lee Wood, who died Would possibly per chance 5. Wood, one amongst the unique members of the Wood Brothers racing crew, used to be a tire changer from the time he and his brothers started racing except the stop of the 1965 season. Ray Lee Wood changed entrance tires for both of Panch‘s wins at North Wilkesboro.
“We‘ve had some very neatly-liked throwback schemes that have already been aged so it‘s getting tricky to carry unique,” Wood acknowledged. “My dad [Eddie Wood] selected to honor Marvin Panch‘s 1963/64 season and North Wilkesboro win.”
“I‘m thrilled and honored but also humbled so as to pay tribute to both Marvin and Ray Lee. It feels so acceptable given their history at this plot.”
As destiny would have it, Wood will originate his Pro Invitational Sequence debut at a notice where he in fact has turned into laps, no longer like almost every diversified entry in Saturday‘s race.
After the 2004 season, Wood, utilizing for Roush Racing on the time, used to be transferring up from the truck series to the circuit now continuously known as the Xfinity Sequence. Roush jam up a tryout at North Wilkesboro to take dangle of a driver to make your mind up over the trucks being vacated by Wood and Carl Edwards.
Wood used to be the first one to force on the notice, which had sat slothful since its closing Cup race in the Tumble of 1996.
“There used to be so great mud on the notice that the truck used to be slinging rooster tails going down the straightaway,” Wood acknowledged, adding that the flexibility had a surreal basically feel, having sat most continuously untouched for nearly 10 years. “There had been trees increasing up in the grandstands, but there used to be serene bathroom paper on the rollers in the lavatories.”
Even along with his transient skills at North Wilkesboro, Wood isn‘t environment his sights too excessive for Saturday.
“I’ve in mind myself a section-time piece-timer as a ways as iRacing is keen,” he acknowledged. “I love it, but I don‘t have a ton of skills.”
Saturday‘s North Wilkesboro 160 is determined to gather the inexperienced flag at 3: 00 p.m. Eastern Time, with TV protection on FOX and FOX Sports activities 1.
— Wood Brothers Racing —
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