Jon Wood, the grandson of NASCAR pioneer Glen Wood, appears set to move from the truck series to the Busch circuit next season. Wood, who drives the #50 Ford for Roush Racing, recently tested a Busch car owned by Tad Geschickter, who fields the entries driven by Stacy Compton and Robert Pressley. “We tested Jon for the Ford folks,” Geschickter said. “They’ve been helping us a lot this year, and they wanted to see what he looked like in a Busch car. He was pretty fast. He was very smooth lap after lap. He was very enthusiastic. I think he’s a great driver.” Geschickter said his plans for 2005 are still up in the air. “I’m meeting with my sponsors next week to go over next year’s promotions,” he said. “I’ll know more then. I’m not confident enough to point a finger at one [driver]. I know we need to run faster. Beyond that I’m not ready to point the finger.”(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
AND ST Motorsports [#47 and #59] owner Tad Geschickter is evaluating his two-car NASCAR Busch Series team and will be meeting with sponsors next week to discuss plans for the 2005 season. Geschickter fields Fords for drivers Stacy Compton and Robert Pressley. Both drivers have struggled this season. “Both my drivers have agreements for next year. I’m meeting with my sponsors next week to go over next year’s promotions. So, I’ll know more then,” Geschickter said. Earlier this month at Kansas, Geschickter tested NASCAR Truck Series driver Jon Wood in his No. 59 Ford and was pleased with the results. Wood currently drives for Roush Racing in Trucks but his team does not have a sponsor lined up for 2005.(Thatsracin.com)(10-16-2004)
UPDATE: Jon Wood, son of car owner Eddie Wood, undertook a little extra curricular activity last week when he piloted an NASCAR Busch Ford Taurus during a test session. The session went well for Wood and lit a fire of desire that might be hard to extinguish. “He was fortunate enough to go test with Stacy Compton last week and ST Motorsports in Kansas,” confirmed Wood, who is the co-owner of the #21 Motorcraft Ford. “That’s one of Jon’s favorite tracks. He won his first race there. He was really excited about it. I haven’t talked to him that much since he’s been there, but he seemed really happy and it seemed like he ran really well.” Wood, who has two Busch Series starts, one of which netted a top-10 finish, seems to like the feel of the cars as opposed to the trucks, at least according to his father. “The big thing he told me is that the Busch cars seem to have more area to work with to get speed out of them versus the truck,” relayed Wood of his conversation with the youngster. “With the truck you unload it, you drive it off down in there and what you’ve got is what you’ve got. With the Busch car it seemed to have a lot more area to work on to pick up speed.”
“He hasn’t had a very good year so far,” Wood admits of his son’s struggle in the Craftsman Truck Series this yearan effort that has Jon riding 15th in the points, compared to teammate Carl Edwards third place standing. “Last year [Jon] won two races and things really looked like they were on top of everything and then just one thing or another has gone wrong. Things just haven’t gone really like any of them want but he was excited to get the opportunity to go test this car whether he gets a Busch ride with someone or not.” Asked about any career path discussions he might have with his son, Wood offers, “He would like to go Bush racing and get some seat time in a Busch car. He’s driven in a couple races in a Busch car but he’s never had a full ride in one,” the senior Wood continued. “He ran [Indianapolis Raceway Park] a couple years ago and had a good run but he wants to get in a car really bad. I want him in a car, too. He started out in cars,” reminds Wood. “He ran some Winston West races and he’s tested a lot with us, so it’s not a matter of him getting used to it. He picked that up pretty quick. We’re really excited about it.” Wood told www.teamfordracing.com that he’s hoping his son can arrange a ride in the Busch Series, preferably as soon as next year. “That is the next logical stepand I think he’s ready for it.”(Team Ford Racing)(10-17-2004)
UPDATE 2: Jon Wood will move to the Busch Series and drive a Ford next season. Although, Motor Racing Network [MRN] announced a deal is set, Wood has yet to sign a contract. It is expected to take place soon.(Roanoke Times)(11-6-2004)
