Jon Wood, dirver of the #47 ST Motorsports Ford in the Busch Series, immediate future appears to be moving in the Nextel Cup direction. The status of current #21 Wood Brothers driver, Ricky Rudd for 2006 is unknown [his contract runs thru 2005 and retirement is a possibility]. There appears to be a good chance that Wood will advance to a Nextel Cup car, could be the #21 Ford or a 2nd team car. Eddie Wood, co-owner of the Wood Brothers team, said he is trying to put together a sponsor program to move Jon, his son, into Cup in 2006. It is possible the team could field two cars if Rudd decides to run next year. If Rudd were to retire, Wood could drive the #21.(paraphrased from the NASCAR Scene Magazine)(7-29-2005)
UPDATE: Eddie Wood, co-owner of the Wood Brothers team, says that the team is looking to expand to a two-car team. “We’re exploring that right now, but I don’t see it happening for ’06,” Wood said in a statement from the team. “We’re more concerned for the 21 car for ’06 right now. But maybe by ’07 we’ll have a couple. I wouldn’t want more than two. Two, I think, is enough to do what you want to do as far as having somebody to compare off of. When it gets down to it, each car goes to the race track, teammates or not. You hear a lot about teammates working together and you hear a lot about teammates not working together. It’s all through the garage — both sides of it. But, we would be looking in the next couple of years doing that.” The Wood Brothers have primarily been a single-car team for more than 30 years. Ricky Rudd is the team’s current driver. Rudd’s three-year contract expires after this season and he’s said he planned to decide if he wants to continue racing by late summer.(Roanoke Times)(8-3-2005)
