2023 Phoenix 2 21
Harrison Burton's No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford at Phoenix in November 2023. Image from Wood Brothers Racing.

Jon Wood says team’s season has been disappointing

But Wood, now two months into his tenure as president of Wood Brothers Racing, is a straightforward personality. So, when asked to give a “State of the Union” type breakdown on the organization while appearing on The Racing Writer’s Podcast, it went as expected.

“It’s disappointing,” Wood said. “It’s very, very frustrating and I think — I know in fact — that we’ll get better. There’s no question about that but it’s very, very, very hard.”

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team are 33rd in the championship standings. They’ve earned just three top-20 finishes through 17 races for an average finish of 27.4.

“Now, do I think that’s where we’ll be this time next year? No. I think we’ll be better. But how we get there, we’ll have to wait and see. Some of the stuff we’re working on; some of the stuff I probably shouldn’t talk about; and some of the stuff hasn’t yet been realized. But there are things that we will fix.”

Racer