Wood Brothers Racing returned to a good welcome this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
The pedestrian tunnel that leads to the painting and the garage area was aligned with two dozen natural size images that greeted the long data connection between the oldest track in Nascar and its oldest equipment.
“Seeing all the photos in the tunnel entering here was really great,” said Josh Berry, who joined the team to drive Ford No. 21 this season. “Obviously, they are very close, so it is a local race. So we are going to try to do everything possible to have a good weekend.”
Wood Brothers Racing was founded on Stuart, a mountain city about 30 minutes west of Martinsville Speedway. The oval of 0.526 miles is where the team made its debut in the Nascar Cup series on May 17, 1953.
And the tunnel tribute is especially appropriate this year because Wood Brothers Racing recently won his 101st victory in his career while celebrating his 75th anniversary.
Berries Victoria March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway He described the team for the playoffs months before the three previous appearances of the team in the postseason of Nascar.
With victories in consecutive cup seasons since 1986-87, the Wood Brothers Racing Renaissance has been the most popular story in Nascar’s main series this season.
Berry, a 34 -year -old player in his second year in the Cup, is the twenty -winner of Wood Brothers Racing, whose list of stars transcends the series by including Aj Foyt and Dan Gurney along with the greats of Nascar David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Curtis Turner.
But as Nascar became more corporate, the homemade atmosphere remained with the family team that has been transmitted through three leadership generations. While their racing operations moved to the Charlotte area 20 years ago, Wood Brothers Racing still maintains its museum in Stuart, which annually attracts thousands of fans of the races that make pilgrimages to the remote advanced position in southwest of Virginia.
Ryan Blaney won his first victory for WBR in 2017 before going to the PENSKE team the following year. The 2023 Cup champion was moved when the CEO of the team, Eddie Wood, made it aside to tell him that he would always be part of his family.
“They are just people with open weapons,” Blaney said. “If you were working with them for a day or 30 years, you are part of the Wood family. I think that is why they have existed for 75 years it is only because they are great people who have been revolutionary in sports and have also shaped with the times and there are no bridge. Everyone wants to work with those guys.
“I have many good memories with them. It was quite good to be in their presence and compete for a team that has meant so much for sport and sport for their family too. Nobody will be for 75 years if they really don’t care what they do and do not love with passion.”
The last five victories for Wood Brothers Racing have also presented winners for the first time: Berry, Harrison Burton (2024), Blaney, Trevor Bayne (2011) and Elliott Sadler (2001).
While it has been announced as a stardom launch platform, Wood Brothers Racing would like to establish a reputation as a team that can keep the pilots and compete for a championship. Team cars are largely prepared by the powerful PENSKE team, which also provides technical and engineering support.
The president of Wood Brothers Racing, Jon Wood, bothers to have to demonstrate that his team has autonomy to determine its success.
“When we stink, it’s our fault, but when we do well, we had nothing to do with that,” Wood said after Berry’s victory in Las Vegas. “It’s 100% penske or something.
“I think it’s a frustrating part. These are our boys who are doing this. We sit in a room and we discuss who our next pilot would be for 2025. It is Josh Berry. Those are decisions that we collectively make. It is our racing team and our decision.”
His resurgence could be validated by the 400 laps race on Sunday on the short track in the form of paper clip. Although Wood Brothers Racing obtained his first pole position in Martinsville in October 1958, the team has only two victories there (none from Pearson in April 1973) despite more beginnings (127) than any other track.
24 years have passed since the most recent victory of the team, but Berry has won innumerable car races in similar oxen throughout the south, and Blaney has won the last two autumn races in Martinsville.
“Obviously, the Penske team cars are always good here,” Berry said. “I love coming here and feeling that it should be a good opportunity for us.”
Christopher Bell, Who leads the Cup series with three victories In the first six races, he obtained his first post in 2025 and 14 of his career. Chase Elliott will begin second, followed by Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and the five -time Martinsville Denny Hamlin winner.
After almost seven years without a motor failure, the engine in Blaney Ford No. 12 has let go twice in the last three weeks in Phoenix Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Blaney said Roush Yates engines have determined that the root causes were not related.
“We knew why the Phoenix happened,” Blaney said. “I think we have our arms why it happened in Miami, and I hope we have taken the right procedures to ensure that it does not happen again.”
Blaney (+375) is the favorite Betmgm Sportsbook, followed by Larson (+575), Elliott (+700) and Hamlin (+750). … Hendrick Motorsports has the record of victories of all time for a single track with 29 victories in Martinsville (including five of the last eight races).
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